"He asked me if I was sitting down, and I was like, 'Yeah,'" Buster testified. "Then he sounded odd and then he told me that my mom and brother had been shot. I kind of just sat there for a minute. I was in shock."
Buster Murdough took the stand in his father's murder trial on Tuesday and relived that night he learned the terrible news that his mom and brother had been shot to death.
The 26-year-old son of Alex Murdaugh appeared in court as a witness for the defense and recalled the conversation he had with his father on the night of the shootings.
"He asked me if I was sitting down, and I was like, 'Yeah,'" Buster testified. "Then he sounded odd and then he told me that that my mom and brother had been shot. I kind of just sat there for a minute. I was in shock."
Buster testified that he immediately drove to his parents' house, where he encountered his father for the first time.
He was asked to describe his father's demeanor at the time by the defense and responded: "His demeanor is he was destroyed. He was heartbroken.":
Buster said that he gave his father "a hug" at that moment.
He went on to describe his family as incredibly close, saying they would take trips together and that disagreements were always handled "civilly."
Buster's testimony had been eagerly awaited by many in the South Carolina courtroom according to Court TV's Matt Johnson.
"This is the moment that this gallery and also this jury have been waiting for," Johnson tells Inside Edition. "He gets up on the stand and the gallery and the jury is just on pins and needles, on every moment, and everything that he testifies about."
The defense also played the police interview conducted three days after the shootings, in which prosecutors claim Alex Murdaugh says "I did him so bad" in reference to his son's death.
Buster disputed this and said that his father was saying: "They did him so bad."
He said that his father used the same expression on the night of the shootings when he saw him at the family's home.
Alex Murdaugh beamed at his son during parts of his testimony.
Jurors will soon decide his fate as the defense says they expect to rest by the end of the week.
Related Stories
