ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: Two different shotgun shells found near Paul, and rifle casings by Maggie

The fifth day of Alex Murduagh's double homicide trial ended early on Friday after the defense made a motion to end the court so his cross-examination of SLED agent Melinda Worley wouldn't get split up by the weekend break. 

SLED agent Melinda Worley said the clothes Alex Murdaugh was wearing following the murder of his wife and son reacted positive to an LCV test for blood. 

She said the clean white shirt and shorts revealed markings on them, but noted that the presumptive test for blood can also be triggered by bleach and rust. 

The clothes with the revealed marks were photographed and taken for further analysis by experts. 

Worley also noted that a bookcase full of about 199 different ammunitions was located in Murdaugh's property. 

As Friday's court proceedings continue, a redacted version of Alex Murdaugh's interview with police over the death of his wife and son has been released. 

The 30-minute interview took place around 1am - about four hours after the killings - inside a state agent's vehicle. Murdaugh's personal lawyer sat in the car too. 

'I knew it was really bad,' Murdaugh told them at the beginning before breaking down in tears.' 

The fifth day of Alex Murdaugh's double homicide trial slowed down for a while as prosecutors went through each piece of evidence recovered near the crime scene where Maggie and Paul were found dead. 

Prosecutors asked SLED agent Melinda Worley to open a slew of bags of evidence to present to the court. 

The process was rather lengthy and included shotgun shells, seatbelts from Murdaugh's SUV, projectile fragments, and plastic wadding. 

She also opened up Paul's shoes that matched bloody footprints found at the scene of the crime, as well as a box that contained Maggie's fingernail clippings. 

While the evidence is being presented, no analysis is being conduct yet in the courtroom. 

Police found blood in Alex Murdaugh's SUV, along with a 16-gauge shotgun shell located in the rear floorboard. 

SLED agent Melinda Worley told the court that the Chevrolet Suburban tested presumptive for blood after swabs were taken from the steering wheel, edge of the driver's seat and lock button. 

The driver-side seatbelt had also been removed for further testing. 

Murdaugh had previously told investigators that he believed there were about 25 guns in his hunting lodge, where the alleged double homicide took place.  

SLED agent Melinda Worley said detectives noticed disturbances in the gravel near the body of Maggie Murdaugh. 

A probe revealed metal fragments dug into the ground, she said, believing it to part of the bullets fired at Maggie. 

A projectile was also recovered from a dog bed inside the nearby doghouse, and tissue samples from the crime scene were also recovered on an ATV near Maggie's body. 

Worley added that she received three shotguns to collect at Alex Murdaugh's property, along with a nigh vision scope, a rifle and used and unused ammunition. 

Alex Murdaugh was seen tearing up in court, again, as the state continued to present evidence of the crime scene depicting the bodies of wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. 

Murdaugh had broken down yesterday after prosecutors played body cam footage of the night of the murder, showing the harrowing crime scene. 

Throughout Friday's proceedings, Murdaugh could also bee seen rocking back-and-forth in his seat and speaking with his defense team. 

SLED agent Melinda Worley continued her testimony discussing the scene where Maggie Murdaugh was found, noting that the late mother of two was lying on top of a shell casing. 

Worley said it was a .300 Blackout round that was found underneath Maggies' knee, different from the shotgun shells recovered around Paul's body. 

She said a total of five Blackout casings were recovered from the scene.  

The jury has been dismissed for a lunch break and will reconvene afterwards to hear testimony from SLED agent Melinda Worley 

Looking at photographs of the crime scene, SLED agent Melinda Worley said they depict shotgun wadding inside the feed room along with blood and a broken window. 

Two fired shotgun shells were also photographed behind the door of the feed room, near where Paul's body was found in a pool of blood. 

Another photograph of the scene shows bloody footprints on the floor, as well as pellets. 

Worley adds that the two shells recovered at the scene were both 12-gauge shells, but from different brands, one Winchester and the other Federal. 

SLED agent Melinda Worley was called as the third witness of the day and ninth overall in Alex Murdaugh's double homicide trial. 

She is an expert crime scene examiner who arrived at the lodging at 12:07am, two hours after being notified about the murders. 

She said she took the shotgun Colleton County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Daniel Greene collected from the property on the night of the killings. She said the weapon was loaded and that she unloaded it so it would be safe for transport. 

She added that Green was swabbed in case his DNA got on the 12-guage shotgun.  

Concluding the cross-examination for SLED Agent Delila Cirencione, defense attorney  Jim Griffin questioned the treatment of the cell phone she recovered. 

Griffin asked if she treated the phone no different than if transporting 'a can of pork and beans.' 

Cirencione appeared puzzled by the characterization, but said the phone was collected like any other piece of evidence, properly transported with gloves and bags. 

The odd question concluded Cirencione's testimony in the case.   

SLED Agent Delila Cirencione is the second witness of the day, and eight overall, in the Alex Murdaugh double-homicide trial. 

She was the investigator who performed the DNA tests on both Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. 

She also confirmed that an iPhone was collected at the scene, but didn't know whose phone it belonged to. 

Det. Laura Rutland said it looked like Alex Murdaugh changed clothes following the murder of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

She also noted that it was odd that Murdaugh was sweating when police arrive but that his clothes were 'dry.' 

Prosecutors are arguing that Murdaugh swapped clothes after allegedly carrying out the murders, noting he was found wearing a clean white shirt and dark shorts despite telling them he touched the bodies covered in pools of blood and brain matter. 

Newly released images show Murdaugh wearing the clean, loose fitting white T-shirt, as he appeared distraught speaking with police that night. 

Defense attorney Jim Griffin told the court that Alex Murdaugh gave officials a 'carte blanche' permission to search his property and examine his cell phone. 

Det. Laura Rutland, who delivered the search warrant of the property, confirmed that Murdaugh did allow police to fully search his property. 

Rutland noted that she canvased the land on an ATV and that other investigators dove in ponds near the property. 

Griffin then asked if Murdaugh was a suspect that night. 

Rutland replied: 'That night, everybody was a suspect.'

Defense attorney Jim Griffin grilled Det. Laura Rutland during her cross-examination on Friday. 

He questioned how Murdaugh could be clean of any blood if he allegedly shot and murdered his son and wife despite the blood crime scene. 

'Did he look like someone who blew his son's head off,' Griffin asked, noting that there was blood and brain matter scattered throughout the scene.  

Rutland noted that distance would be a factor on whether or not Murdaugh would have gotten splatter marks on him if he fired. 

Griffin also questioned why a dirty shirt was not found in the property where Rutland delivered the search warrant for officers.  

As Det. Laura Rutland continued her testimony, the state questioned how Alex Murdaugh remained clean despite telling officers he touched the bloody bodies to check their pulses. 

Rutland confirmed that Murdaugh told police he checked Paul and Maggie's body for a pulse when he found them, but that the disgraced legal scion didn't have a speck of blood on him when officer's arrived. 

She said his hands, arms, T-shirt, shorts, and shoes were all clean. 

Rutland said she didn't know how Murdaugh checked their pulses as she didn't see any footprints or kneeprints around the bodies.

"Is the individual that you describe as clean head to toe sitting in this courtroom," prosecutors asked Rutland. 

'Yes,' she replied, pointing to Murdaugh. 

The jury is now taking a short break. 

Murdaugh told investigators he couldn't think of anyone who would have murdered Paul and Maggie, saying his 22-year-old son was preparing to move out with friends.  

He then says that the only suspicious person in the hunting lodge would be C.B. Rowe, an employee at the property. 

Murdaugh said Rowe told Paul a story about joining an undercover team of Navy Seals and about a fight he got into in high school. 

'It’s a stupid thing, I’m embarrassed to even say it,' Murdaugh said recounting what he said was an obvious tall-tale. 

Murdaugh said he does not believe Rowe killed his son and wife and that the employee was not working on the day of the murders. 

As the interview with officers moved to a discussion about guns in the property, Alex Murdaugh told officers that there were probably 25 guns there. 

Murdaugh said he wasn't sure about the exact amount, and told officers he would be able to make a list of the different varieties of weapons in the hunting lodge. 

He noted that the shotgun officers found him with on the night of the murders was back in the house. 

SLED agent David Owens had asked Alex Murdaugh about his relationship with his son, Paul, 22, following the murders. 

Murdaugh said his relationship with Paul and Maggie was 'wonderful,' noting that his bond with his son was as 'good as it could be.' 

When asked about any problems, Murdaugh brought up the boat wreck that Paul was involved in that killed three Mallroy Beach youths.

Murdaugh said his son dealt with negative publicity over the crash and had been 'punched and hit, attacked a lot.'

He said Paul had gotten threats 'all the time,' but that he was proud of how is son was handling the situation.  

The court is currently being played video from SLED agent David Owens' interview with Alex Murdaugh on the night of the murder. 

Murdaugh is heard sobbing uncontrollably as he tells officers about the moment he found Paul and Maggie's bodies. 

He said he tried to turn Paul over and that a cellphone fell out of the 22-year-old's pocket. Murdaugh said he picked it up, but decided to place it back down 'real quick.'

He added that he went to Maggie next, and told police he tried to limit how much he touched her. He says he then called police, and then family and friends. 

A redacted version of the body cam footage from that night is set to be released as soon as Friday.  

Colleton County Det. Laura Rutland was the first officer called to the stand in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial. 

She testified that there was an 'overwhelming' smell from the kennels where Paul Murdaugh's body was found after police attained a search warrant. 

She said officers met with Murdaugh and his brother, Randy, along with the defendant's lawyer. 

The detective also said that shoe prints near the scene of the crime appeared to match the shoes Maggie Murdaugh was wearing 

Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, arrived in court to hear the second-day of full testimony in Colleton County. 

Buster, 26, is among those expected to testify against the legal scion, as well as Murdaugh's own brothers, John Marvin and Randy Murdaugh.

Buster has remained tight-lipped as his once illustrious family's fortunes have publicly spiraled since his mother and brother were gunned down at the family's former hunting estate of Moselle, Islandton, on June 7, 2021.

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh was seen walking into the Colleton County Courthouse this morning accompanied by police out of an armored vehicle. 

His lawyers claim that somebody else killed his wife and son in revenge for a boat crash during which Paul had been driving under the influence, killing a 19-year-old woman, in February 2019.

The prosecution, however, alleges that Murdaugh carried out the murders to gain sympathy and distract attention away from his damning financial crimes. 

The second day of full testimony in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial is set to begin Friday morning. 

The day is expected to feature more testimony from first responders, cops and crime scene experts. It comes after the jury saw bodycam footage from the first officers who arrived on the scene of the bloody June 2021 murder. 

More footage is expected to be released as soon as Friday, with a few images already released