if the murdaugh family did something wrong, they're guilty. murdaughs or not. we ain't playing on a level playing field when it comes to hampton county and the murdaugh family. >> exactly. >> your status in an environment, a town, should not exclude you from the law. >> right. >> you should -- if you do wrong, you should be punished like anyone else. >> you know, yeah, i like being connected to the power for 50 years. i could pick up the phone if somebody is bothering me. >> until it comes back to bite you? >> exactly. >> pmped, now named parker law, did not respond to cnn's request for comment. the state grand jury has indicted murdaugh on about 90 charges or so. in terms of schemes to defraud victims totaling nearly $8.8 million. or so. he's also been indicted, as you know, on the two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of his wife and son. as lawyers practicing for quite some time in this state, what do you make of that? >> proud. proud of our legal system. proud of our attorney general. proud of our judges. >> i want to add something. >> yeah. >>

murdaugh.attention. prosecutors alleged the disgraced former lawyer shot and killed his wife and 22-year-old son in an attempt to cover up pins fraud. >> alex murdaugh denies being v involved in their death. he's pleaded not guilty. also with us, defense attorney mi misty maris. we're waiting for the opening statements to begin. diane, set the table. >> so, look. this has moved a lot quicker than most of us initially thought it would. part of the reason being that literally everybody in the low country of south carolina and really around the nation at this point has been captivated by the twists and the turns and the allegations that have surrounded alex murdaugh. now the trial that will begin today with opening statements any minute now is of course, for the murder of his wife maggie and son paul back in june, 2021. now the state says alex murdaugh killed his wife and son on that night as a way to distract from a longstanding spiel he had of stealing from clients and he was afraid he was going

>>> also tonight, jurors in the alex murdaugh double murder trial hearing his 911 call that night. the body cam video shown to the court. what the first officers on the scene said they saw. our team at the courthouse. >>> the verdict in the trial of an isis-inspired attacker who killed eight people with a truck in new york city >>> russia launching deadly missile strikes across ukraine hours after the u.s. pledged to send tanks to kyiv's forces. our team on the ground >>> my one-on-one conversation with the ceo of southwest airlines as the transportation department launches an investigation into the airline's meltdown over the holidays i ask him, did southwest deceive passengers >>> the asteroid the size of a delivery truck having a very close encounter with earth tonight. >>> grin and bear it the selfie snapper and one wild photo shoot. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening and thank you for joining us tonight, the city of memphis, tennessee, nervously awaits tomorrow's expected release of video that officials say will underscore why they have moved to c

and 22-year-old paul murdaugh were shot and where.h's defense attorneys includes an affidavit from a forensic expert hired boy state law enforcement. the expert offers a disturbing picture of the murder scene. he determined two gunshot blasts hit paul murdaugh, the first was to the chest of the fatal shot to his shoulder and head was so violent that his brain was completely detached from his head according to the expert. the affidavit includes pictures from the crime scene, which show the property's dog kenleys where paul murdaugh was shot. >> are at any breathing. >> no, ma'am. >> the affidavit details how maggie murdaugh was shot five times with a rifle, including one gunshot to the back of her head and scalp while the sequence of gunshots was not clear, the expert concluded that at least one of the shots was fired while she was on the ground holding herself up on here knees and her right hand with her shoulders's head down. also according to court documents show blood spatter found on the t-shirt alex murdaugh was wearing on night

murdaugh at the end of the driveway.oached toward him i could see the male victim laying on the ground to my left as well as the female victim on the ground to my right. the male victim was close to a small shed in the dog kennel on the left. a large deal of blood that pooled around his body. same thing for the female victim on the right. also a large amount of blood around her body. >> as you approached and at first saw the male victim and female victim, what was your assessment was there any possible signs of life? >> my initial assessment there was not. a large matter of blood and brain matter around them. >> do you have a conversation with mr. murdaugh? >> i did. >> do you see the person you talked to? >> i do. >> point him out to the jury. >> he is right there. >> let the record reflect he identified mr. murdaugh >> it does. >> when you ultimately approached mr. murdaugh ras the first thing that you did? >> the first thing i did was insure he did not have any weapons on him. standard procedure arriving on a scene li

paul murdaugh were shot and where. filing by murdaugh's attorneys, the expert offers a disturbing picture of the murder scene. he determined two gunshot blasts hit paul murdaugh. the first was to the chest, but the fatal shot to his shoulder and head was so violent that his brain was completely detached from his head, according to the expert. the affidavit also includes pictures from the crime scene, which show the property's dog kennels where paul murdaugh was shot. >> are they breathing? >> no, ma'am. >> reporter: the affidavit also details how maggie murdaugh was shot five times with a rifle including one gunshot to the back of her head and scalp. while the sequence of the gunshots was not clear, the expert concluded at least one of the shots was fired while she was on the ground holding herself up on her knees and her right hand with their shoulders and head down. also court documents show blood spatter found on the t-shirt alex murdaugh was wearing on the night of the murders could prove he was in close proximity

because murdaugh did appear anxious and agitated, he said.ve been going through that video. piece by piece, stopping and starting, having sergeant green sort of narrate that, he was the first emergency responder on scene. we are hearing alex murdaugh's voice as he explaining the situation to the sergeant. at one point he does ask him if he's seen them, once emergency responders arrived, if they have checked on his wife, maggie and son paul, murdaugh asked if they are dead and the sergeant informed him yes and he asked if that was something on the stand that was obvious and he said any reasonable person would have known that the two of them were deceased because of the nature of their wounds. both of them being shot in the head at the time. he has described the gruesome scene that is there. we are not getting a chance to view this video because of what it contains and how graphic it is. but again, jim and erica, watc watching alex murdaugh and he knows the jury is watching him as well as this plays out. >> goodness. quite a few moments in this

alex murdaugh was was at the defense team crying.amatic start, and this is just the first day of witness testimony. >> he was laying facedown on the ground, a large pool of blood around him. maggie's body also laying face down on the ground, a large pool of blood around her head. >> reporter: detective daniel green was first on the scene after alex murdaugh called 911 the night of june 7th, 2021. >> this is your wife and son? okay. >> reporter: green was the state's first witness. his body cam video was played in court, but mostly shielded from voodoo to its graphic nature. when he first saw alex murdaugh that night, he appeared to be crying. did you observe any visible blood on him? >> there was no blood that i could see. >> when is the last time you heard from him or talked to them or anything like that? >> um, it was earlier tonight. i don't know the exact time. but i left. i was probably gone an hour and a half from my mom's, and i saw them about 45 minutes before that. >> yes, sir, they've already checked them. >> they did check

alec murdaugh's father had died.after the murders, he shows up early in the morning at his parent's home where his mother still is in late stage alzheimers on alameda and hampton, it's uncharacteristic for him to show up early, uncharacteristic for him to show up at all. he's coming in and carrying something in a blue tarp. he takes it upstairs and eventually law enforcement finds out about that. they go upstairs and they found upstairs a wadded up very large rain code in a blue color that looked like a tarp and you'll hear evidence that it was coated with gunshot residue on the inside. you're going to hear other evidence of gunshot residue. you'll hear that there was gunshot residue at the scene. you're going to hear evidence that was gunshot residue on the seat belt of the car that he was driving. you'll hear evidence that when law enforcement got to the scene, he hat gotten paul's shotgun and magazine a was on that shotgun. you'll hear evidence from dna, gunshot residue, firearm examiners. a lot of forensic eviden

murdaugh? >> he did not appear to be crying. he was upset, but i did not see any visible tears. >> reporter: in that body cam, murdaugh can be heard immediately offering an explanation for the shootings, telling police they were related to a 2019 boat crash that killed one of paul's friends, for which paul was facing charges. >> this is a long story. my son was in a boat wreck. he's been getting threats. most of it's been benign stuff we didn't take serious. you know, he's been getting punched. that's what it is. >> who brought up the boat incident? >> mr. murdaugh did. >> and within a few minutes within your arrival, he's the one that brought up that boat incident? is that correct? >> it is. >> he offered that right out of the gate, a possible explanation for what happened here. is that right? >> yes. >> reporter: murdaugh repeatedly asking about his wife and son. >> did you check them? >> we got medical guys. that's -- that's what they're going to do. okay? >> what are they doing? were they hurt? >> they are. yes, sir. >> they

the defense calling murdaugh a loving husband and father who couldn't have done it. our team at the courthouse. >>> also tonight, the assistant principal at a virginia school where a 6-year-old shot a teacher resigning. the victim now planning to sue. the multiple warnings her attorney says school officials ignored. our nbc news reporting. the concerned texts the teacher sent to a loved one just before the shooting. >>> the major winter storm moving into the northeast after a tornado outbreak left a trail of destruction farther south. al roker is here. >>> president biden reversing course, now pledging the u.s. will send 31 abrams tanks to ukraine. so, what changed? >>> just in, two years after he was suspended, facebook lifting its ban on donald trump. >>> the dramatic video, a man with a long gun shooting up at a police helicopter. >>> and the team of 25 performing a medical miracle for two infant twins. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, and one of the country's most closely watched criminal cases today south carolina pros

paul murdaugh were shot and where.rneys includes an affidavit from a forensic expert hired by state law enforcement. the expert offers a disturbing picture of the murder scene. he determined two gunshot blasts hit paul murdaugh, the first was to the chest. but the fatal shot to his shoulder and head was so violent that his brain was completely detached from his head, according to the expert. the affidavit also includes pictures from the crime scene, which show the property's dog kennels where paul murdaugh was shot. >> are they breathing? >> no, ma'am. >> reporter: the affidavit also details how maggie murdaugh was shot five times with a rifle. including one gunshot to the back of her head and scalp. while the sequence of the gunshots was not clear, the expert concluded that at least one of the shots was fired while she was on the ground holding herself up on her knees and her right hand with her shoulders and head down. also court documents show blood spatter found on the t shirt alex murdaugh was wearing the night of

murdaugh >> he didn't appear to be crying.was upset but no visible tears. off your monthly expenses, call newday the newday 100 va cash out loan lets you take out an average of $70,000. use that low-payment home loan to pay off your high-rate credit cards. then, pay off your car loan. and then take the cash left over and put it in the bank for the financial security that every veteran deserves. >> bill: we're getting news the white house will hold an official transition event or ron klain on the job two years and the incoming chief of staff jeff zients, say it with me, dana? >> dana: we think it's how it is pronounced. i want to hear him say it himself and we'll decide. >> bill: coming up next week. in the meantime you have this from 24 hours ago. watch here. [[inaudible] >> dana: prosecutors play the chilling 911 claims in the alex murdaugh double murder trial yesterday and the jury heard from first responders who described the graphic crime scene where his wife and son were killed. testimony is set to resume any minute now.

murdaugh doing at this time? >> he is on the phone pacing around talking to someone. >> did he ask you to confirm if they were dead? >> he did. he asked multiple times on scene. >> did you see any physical tears? >> i did not. >> did you ever see him approach the bodies? >> i did not see him approach them, no. >> did you observe any visible blood on him? >> there was no blood i could see on him. >> the bodies as you saw them, was there a lot of blood around them given the injuries they suffered? >> yes, there was a pool of blood around each of the bodies that extended out from the body. >> the police are here now, the police are here now. >> when was the last time you were here with them or talked to them or anything like that? >> um, um, it was earlier tonight. i don't know the exact time but i left. i was probably gone an hour and a half at my mom's and i saw them 45 minutes before that. i rode around with paul for two hours this afternoon in a pickup truck. >> they've already checked them. >> they did check th

was found on murdaugh's cell phone puts alex murdaugh at the scene early in the night.we did, anderson. as you know, alex murdaugh has said he showed up and found his wife and son bleeding and not breathing. and then he called 9-1-1 at 10:07 pm. then we learned recently that there was audio found on paul murdaugh's phone and you can hear alex murdaugh talking to his family members. we never knew what it said, but the defense is always that it was a friendly conversation, nothing the ferries about it. but today, in court, the defense finally told us what was on that -- was alex talking to his son paul about a dog attacking a chicken. he said there was nothing bad in that conversation. in fact, he said, paul then texted a girl then ten minutes later asking her to go to the movies. so, that does alex at the scene much earlier, at 8:44 pm, -- now it will be up to the jury to decide what they want to do with that information, anderson. >> randi kaye, appreciate. extraordinary moment to only on cnn's coming out. one of our reporters in china looking for answers about the covi

there's no evidence tying murdaugh to the murder. there was no blood on him when police arrived. do you see this trial being based around circumstantial evidence? >> yes and no. i think yes in terms of circumstantial evidence with regard to the fact that, obviously, there's no witnesses that will testify that they saw alex murdaugh shoot and kill his son and his wife. however, keep in mind, the direct evidence with the snapchat, it goes to the weight. it goes to the weight of whether or not the crime actually occurred. if mr. murdaugh was in the house five minutes before, then we can find that he most likely did the murders and it wasn't what the defense is going to allege was perhaps two separate people, two separate guns. even though it is circumstantial evidence, make no mistake, that evidence is still strong and can be used to prove mr. murdaugh's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. >> thank you. >>> this afternoon the district attorney in memphis is set to give an update on the investigation surrounding the death of tyre nichols.

beach's family said murdaugh in a civil suit.nd clients of nearly $9 million. remember his former housekeeper gloria satterfield? murdaugh admitted he still millions in settlement money from her sons in an elaborate scheme. murdaugh apologized in court and agreed to pay her sons $4.3 million. after that more of his alleged financial schemes were exposed. >> i got a flat tire. >> mm-hmm. >> and i stopped and somebody stopped to help me. when i turned my back, they tried to shoot me. >> reporter: less than three months after the double homicide of his wife and son, alex murdaugh was shot in the head on a roadside by a man he arranged to kill him. in september 2021, murdaugh admitted to authorities he arranged for the man to shoot him as part of a fraud scheme so his only surviving son, buster, could collect an insurance payout, according to a court affidavit. as a result of that, murdaugh was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. >> what do we except for tomorrow? >> re

paul murdaugh-accused and was facing charges of manslaughter.daugh's saying that he believes the family had threatened, that this could be something associated with those charges and with that incident coming right out the gate. that's something we know the defense is going to go there. the defense foreshadowed this in their opening statement, said it's more likely that two people feasibly would have been the perpetrators on this crime scene. so that's going to be one component. prosecutors saying he's already got an alibi. he's a lawyer. he know what is he's doing. he's setting this up from the get-go. both factors are really important to the case. jurors pay attention to everything, so they will be looking at demeanor. prosecutors will say that's not the reaction he would have had initially, that doesn't make sense, that's the look of a guilty man. defense will argue you never know how you're going to respond in trauma and point to these other instances where he is seen in an emotional state. a lot more to play out. >> it will be interesting.

this is alex murdaugh.s a loving father of paul, and loving husband of maggie. >> then, he moved to describe the gruesome terms, how paul died. >> literally, exploded his head. like a watermelon hit with a sledgehammer. , all that was left is the front of his face. everything else was gone. his brain, exploded out of his head. hit the ceiling and the shed and dropped his feet. horrendous! horrible! >> defense in one hour before paul was killed, he and his father having a good time, riding around the property together. he took the jury, it doesn't make sense alex killed his son. he also pointed out that whoever shot paul, would have been covered in blood given the violent nature of the shooting. alex murdaugh, was not. >> his head exploded. you would be covered in blood from head to foot. >> but they did their best to place the murder weapon and alex murdaugh scruffy hand. >> will hear from the evidence the case is found and cases found at the range were ejected out of the same weapon, that fired all the cas

her family, the passenger's family sawed the murdaugh family and legal experts say that opened alec murdaugha prominent attorney to final and legal scrutiny. more people including clients came forward with allegations of financial crimes. >> this is a a serial pen slinger, not a gunslinger. for 12 years, he stole from his family, from his friends, from trusted clients, from his law partners. >> prosecutors claim alec murdaugh shot his wife and son on the 1,700 acre estate to create a distraction from his crime and gain sympathy. they played 911 calls today to the jury. >> it's bad. >> the defendant became visibly emotional while the court played a police body cam recording in the same. prosecutors say they're going to be able to place murdaugh at the scene of the crime and at the time of the crime using a combination of evidence including cell phone data and gunshot residue. martha? >> jonathan, thanks very much. let's bring in attorney brian claypool who joins me now. brian, i want to get there video in. let's start with the first piece of it here. this is officer green, the first officer o

>> reporter: the widely watched murder trial of former attorney alex murdaugh, now underway murdaugh is charged with killing his wife maggie and son paul in june of 2021 his defense claims he's innocent, the killer still at large. but prosecutors contend he snapped under the pressure of a secret life unraveling his motive they say to garner sympathy and distract from a series of financial crimes, where murdaugh stole millions of dollars from his family law firm and from clients. >> it's a circumstantial evidence case. >> reporter: attorney eric bland represents the satterfield family gloria satterfield, murdaugh's former housekeeper, died at his home in 2018 and murdaugh confessed to stealing millions from an insurance settlement following her death. a cause of death was never determined and police are investigating. especially here in low country where murdaugh is a household name. >> everybody says, well, we want jurors that don't know anything about this case >> that's impossible >> it's impossible >> reporter: one possible piece of evidence that jurors will need to take into acco

>> no, sir. >> do you know the murdaughs or alex murdaugh?ot too much, a little bit -- >> thank you. >> anything further? >> you may step down. thank you. call your next witness. >> angela callings. >> take a seat. state your name again for the record. >> angela stallings. >> hi captain stallings. >> good afternoon. >> could you please tell the jury where you work. >> i work at the county sheriff's office. >> and how long have you worked there? >> approximately 15 years with the sheriff's office. >> what are some of your duties and responsibilities at the sheriff's office? >> i am the administrative services captain. i oversee the 911 center, civil process division, court security, our school resource officers, our sex offender registry division, training, supply, and the hiring process. and records. >> you have quite a lot of duties there. >> yes, ma'am. >> and the course of your duties, do you keep records of 9 911 # calls. >> we do. >> explain to the jury when the call comes into the county. >> it hits our recorder system, as soon as the c

murdaugh pleaded not guilty. if convicted, he faces up to life in prison. nikki battiste, cbs news, walterboro, south carolina. >> garrett: in israel, seven killed and three injured outside a synagogue when a palestinian gunman opened hire. hamas did not claim responsibility but said the shooting was in retaliation for an israeli army raid thursday in the west bank that killed nine palestinians. the gunman in today's attack was shot and killed by police. turning the war in ukraine, this was intense fighting in the east as russia tries to advance in the kree region of donetsk. ukraine is hoping to turn the tide at least eventually with dozen advanced battle tanks pledged to ukraine this week by the u.s. and allies. debora patta reports about the gratitude of one ukrainian military officer. >> reporter: u.s.-supplied himars raining artillery down on russian positions deep behind enemy lines. commanded by ukrainian captain pavlo chernyavsky, whom we met near the eastern frontlines. last month, chernyavsky and his men were honored by president zelenksy for brav

murdaugh stand up and personalized him. he said look at this guy, this is not the guy that would butcher and brutalize his son that he was just riding around in a car with bonding. he wouldn't shoot his son in the head so his brains literally would explode out of his head. we talked about the amount of blood that would be on anyone that executed someone in that fashion, then he talked about the timeline, that the timeline doesn't work. that there wasn't enough time for someone to commit these brutal murders, go back to their home, clean up their body, change their clothes and get in the car and exit that property. so he gave the jurorses lots of things they could use to create doubt. and basically said look, sitting here right now, he is innocent, he did not do this. so i think that was a very powerful opening statement by a good defense attorney. >> i mean he did everything he could in those opening arguments to try to humanize his client. having him stand up talking about what a loving father he was and that was a snapcha

maggie and paul murdaugh were shot at close range leaving bloody crime scene and when alec murdaugh wasuestioned, officers noticed there was no visible blood and hands and white t-shirt even though he told investigators that he had touched their bodies to check them. a detective told jurors last week of devastating injuries. >> and then the first body that i approached was the deceased male. he was laying down in angle with feet inside plane of the door. there was obvious trauma to the top of his head. he was covered with a sheet but i could see the top of his head from underneath the sheet. obvious trauma. >> prosecutors contend to distract from legal problems and slow down the attention of 98 criminal charges against him. murdaugh surviving son buster has been present at the courthouse during testimony and expect today be called as witness and when asked by the daily mail in november if he would be supporting his father he answered he doesn't want to see it written anywhere that he is supporting his father. tomorrow's session will begin with cross-examination of one of the inves inves

murdaugh was not. that's very interesting.how did he clean himself up in time to have the conversation? i don't think it is possible. so the lack of evidence is going to be a key component from the defense in this case. >> harris: very interesting with your final remarks at least for this part of our coverage, heather, who goes through whir mind is what you don't see you have to point out here. >> we're in the first witness. so many witnesses to be called. >> harris: 255. >> that's right. each one -- my mentor used to say every piece of evidence is like the pearl. at the end of the trial you want to string a necklace for the jury. the prosecution did go through other investigations we have yet to hear about. we have only just begun. i think there is a lot more evidence to be heard by this jury. >> harris: fascinating trial. we have listened to so much of it today. alex murdaugh on trial for murders of his wife and his son. heather and jonna, always great to have you along the way to digest the breaking news. we'll move on now

we know from prosecutors alex murdaugh left at 9:56 p.m. 911 at 10:07. it does seem that both of them were dead at the time that the activity on their phone had stopped, anderson, but we do need more evidence and more testimony in court to know for sure. >> randi kaye, i appreciate it. thank you. >>> sad news to report, actress cindy williams has died. she was the star of the hit sitcom, luverne and shirley, a spinoff of "happy days." she was 75. she died wednesday after a brief illness. her children said in a statement she was one of a kind, went on to say that she possessed a brilliant sense of humor and glitter spirit that everyone loved. williams played the character shirley opposite penny marshal who played luverne. marshal passed away in 2018, also at the age of 75. the iconic show is centered around two single women working in a milwaukee brewery. it started with an infectious theme song "making our dreams come true." we'll be right back. mass general brigham -- when you need some of the brightest minds in medicine. this is a leading

murdaugh down at the end of the driveway. as i approached toward him i could see the male victim laying on the ground to my left as well as the female victim on the ground to my right. his immediate reaction was to start telling me about an incident that happened with his son, with a boating accident. >> john: fox news alert, a break in the alec murdaugh trial, a jury deciding whether the disgraced south carolina attorney murdered his wife and son, are shown dramatic bodycam scenes from the scene of the killing. >> sandra: the first two witnesses took the stand, phil and lori are here to break down the latest developments from the courtroom coming up. but we begin "america reports" with bipartisan outrage boiling over after the senate intelligence committee had denied access to classified documents handled by president biden. former president trump and former vice president mike pence. hello, welcome, everyone. >> john: good to spend friday eve with you. senators are sounding off saying they need to review the documents to as

it was a family weapon that killed maggie murdaugh. >> reporter: alex murdaugh has always said he came upon the boyds, called 911 at 10:07 p.m. but as you heard the prosecutor talking about this 8:44 p.m. audio that is on paul murdaugh's cellphone, we never knew what was on that audio that was recorded on his phone, but for the first time yesterday, the defense old us in court he said they were just talking about it was paul murdaugh and alex murdaugh talking about a dog killing a chicken, there was nothing nefarious about it, nothing threatening about it. paul went on to text a girl after that and ask her to go to the movies about ten minutes later. but this is the first time we're hearing what is actually on that audio. and it does put alex murdaugh at the scene long before he called 911. >> very good point. thank you for the reporting on this. >>> and in a vaalexei navalny i back in solitary confinement, he will remain there for eight days. the dimensions are marked on the studio floor. it is the 11th time he has been moved there totaling 113 days in isolation that is according to h

the widely-watched murder trial of former attorney alec murdaugh now under way. murdaugh is charged with killing his wife maggie and son paul in june of 2021 his defense claims he's innocent the killer still at large. but prosecutors contend he sthaped under the pressure of a secret life unraveling his motive, they say, to garner sympathy and distract from a series of financial crimes where murdaugh stole millions of dollars from the family law firm and from clients >> it's a circumstantial evidence case. >> reporter: attorney eric bland represent the satterfield family satterfield was the murdaugh's former housekeeper a cause of death was never determined, and police are investigating. especially here in low country where murdaugh is a household name >> everybody says, well, we want jurors that don't though anything about this case >> reporter: that's impossible >> it's impossible >> reporter: one possible piece of evidence, a snapchat video taken just before paul and maggie murdaugh were killed. several legal experts agree that the evidence against murtadaughs

spent bullet casings and recordings of murdaugh questioned by police what he said about his relationship with his wife he's accused of killing. >>> if you're planning on using your airline rewards points you could be be in for a surprise what you need to know. >>> the miracle survivor the hiker who fell 200 feet from a mountain and the rescue inspiring america. >>> and remembering two iconic figures, a hockey hall of famer and classic tv sitcom star >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt >>> good evening, everyone the images that shook the nation are still reverberating tonight and shaking loose some important new details. memphis police today confirming a sixth and now seventh officer has been removed from the job over the incident earlier today officials acknowledged that officer preston hemphill was on the scene of tyre nichols' brutal beating that night and they have just confirmed another previously unidentified officer has also been taken off the job. that would be officer number 7 last week five officers were charged with second degree murder, and the fallout no

(upbeat music) >> john: day four on the alec murdaugh murder trial. in on one piece of evidence she says is critical for the prosecution. nancy grace live from outside the courthouse in south carolina just ahead. but first, troubling new details in the rape of 19-year-old l.s.u. sophomore madison brooks. one of the suspects, 18-year-old now faces a separate rape charge related to the sexual sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. casey stegall live in dallas with details. what do we know about that alleged crime? >> apparently happened in 2020 and the case had gone cold until a witness came forward with new information, according to police. so 18-year-old washington now charged with first-degree rape according to arrest records, linked to the assault of the 12-year-old girl at an apartment swimming pool three years ago. washington was among three others recentsly charged with the january 13th rape of college student madison brooks. police say they dropped the victim off on the side of the road where she was accidentally struck by a rideshare driver. ear

also heard the gut-wrenching 911 call made by murdaugh after the former attorney discovered his wife and son dead the prosecution claims he killed them our catie beck is in walterboro, south carolina >> reporter: the jury heard the chilling 911 call. >> are they breathing? >> no, ma'am >> okay. this is your wife and your son >> my wife and my son. >> reporter: and from first responders recounting a fwrus some crime scene, standing near it, a distraught alick murdaugh. >> did you ever see any tears, any physical tears? >> i did not >> it e's official, they're dea? >> reporter: murdaugh became emotional several times, especially as witnesses described his son's injuries on tape, almost immediately, murdaugh tells police the reason he believes his son was a target >> this is a long story. my son was in a boat wreck months back. he's been getting threats. i know that's what it is. >> reporter: murdaugh also mentioned that theory to the 911 dispatcher, referring to the 2019 boat accident that killed mallory beach. he was charged with beating under the influence and was awaiting trial >> r

what murdaugh said about discovering his wife and son. here's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: tonight, new video of alex murdaugh being interviewed by investigators the night his wife and son were killed. >> i pulled up and i could see them, and, you know, i knew something was bad. >> reporter: murdaugh now on trial for their june 2021 murders. today the state playing video from a camera inside an investigator's car with what he told them that night. >> i touch them both. i tried to take -- i mean, i tried to do it as limited as possible, but i tried to take their pulse on both of them. >> reporter: with one of those agents who interviewed murdaugh on the stand, prosecutors pointing out the gruesome, bloody crime scene, questioning his story. >> how would you describe his hands?p>> they were clean. clean. >> how would you describe his arms? >> they were clean. >> did he look like somebody who had just changed his clothes? >> yes. >> reporter: the state also zeroing in on his alibi. >> my mom's a late-stage alzheimer's patient. my dad's in the h

a piece of evidence prosecutors claim murdaugh's guilt. whether this could be a turning point. stay tuned. >> the killer was right there in there, and when the expert on the stand said it's possible, it's possible that little green men from mars beam down and commit a double murder. but is it probable, no, it's not.be tter future. so we're hard at work, helping them achieve financial freedom. we're providing greater access to investing, with low-cost options to help maximize savings. from the plains to the coasts, we help americans invest for their future. and help communities thrive. and i'm going to tell you about exciting medicare advantage plans that can provide broad coverage and still may save you money on monthly premiums and prescription drugs. with original medicare, you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits, but you have to meet a deductible for each, and then you're still responsible for 20% of the cost. next, let's look at a medicare supplement plan. as you can see, they cover the same things as original medica

remember, alex murdaugh was disbarred, he knows the jury is watching him. his son buster. jim and erica, yesterday was the first time i've seen buster supporting his father in person at any of his court appearances. that is something that everybody who has been following this case was a little surprised to see, something we were waiting to find out, is buster going to show up in person. he did. he came in again this morning, sitting behind his father again today for this day of testimony in court. again, we're told this is going to last several weeks and anticipate extremely gruesome testimony in the coming days. >> the circumstances of this case, just incredible. dianne gallagher, thanks so much. >>> with us to discusses, former assistant district attorney and prosecutor, 'em ron en sarry, a host and legal analyst for the law and crime network. thanks so much. >> thanks for having me. >> big picture, based on what we know, the evidence so far, who do you think it favors in this case? >> well, the prosecution, it's a circumstantial case. they outlined yeste

they had a lawsuit against the murdaughs.lt of that all of alex murdaugh's sneaky dealings became exposed and his wife maggie found out about them. when maggie and paul died it cleared the air on any potential discovery being brought up to maggie as part of her divorce proceeding. so i think that it could be argued with a straight face that the beach incident and ending the lawsuit could have been a motive. >> bill: so many layers and cameras in the courtroom. we'll be watching. nancy, thanks. talk to you later in the week. thanks. dana. >> dana: there was an anti-police protest turning into a riot in atlanta. we'll take you inside the chaos. and a democrat-run city moving to allow so-called safe injection sites for drug users. is that a good idea? we'll ask a recover addict who now helps others overcome addiction. >> dad: it's okay. pull over. >> tech: he wouldn't take his car just anywhere... ♪ pop rock music ♪ >> tech: ...so he brought it to safelite. we replaced the windshield and recalibrated their car's advanced safety

. >>> in south carolina, dramatic testimony today in the trial of alex murdaugh. the jury saw police body cam video from the scene where his wife and son were killed and heard murdau's call to 911 katie beck is there tonight. >> permission to publish this exhibit -- >> reporter: the jury heard the chilling 911 call. >> reporter: from first responders recounting a gruesome crime scene. standing near it, a distraught alec murdaugh. >> did you ever see tears, any physical tears >> i did not >> reporter: seen and heard by the jury, police body camera footage from that night. and by murdaugh, who became emotional several times, especially as witnesses described his son's injuries on tape, almost immediately, he believes his son was a reason target. >> reporter: murdaugh also mentioned that theory to the 911 dispatcher, referring to the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old mallory beach. paul murdaugh, charged with three counts of boating under the influence in the incident, had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial the defense on cross highlighting the lack of b

kill paul murdaugh, his son.ess testified that he wasn't sure if the murder weapons were even ever recovered. here is some of that exchange. >> in fact, none of the shotguns that you brought yesterday, according to the ballistic report, your lab analysis, fired the shots that killed paul, correct? >> i do not have the lab report in front of me. >> have you ever found the murder weapons? >> not that i'm aware of, sir. >> are you aware, sir, that the shot that blew paul murdaugh's head off was winchester, drylock, steel waterfowl 12 gauge ammunition and you didn't find any similar ammunition on june 8th or any time after that, correct? >> i did not, sir. >> reporter: and jake, there was a whole lot of talk in court about this interview that alex murdaugh did with investigators back on june 10th of 2021, a few days after the murders. in that interview, this witness said that he heard alex murdaugh say about his son paul i did him so bad but the defense says he actually said they did him so bad. the witness was basic

. >>> the critical testimony today in the alex murdaugh trial. what the defense now played over and over again in court today. murdaugh being interviewed by investigators.peven slowing dow. what the defense was trying to show. and you'll hear it. el have a pilgrim reporting. >>> and cindy williams, the tributes all day, as we look back at "laverne & shirley." and cindy williams tonight in her own words on her life-long friendship with penny marshall. >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. and we begin with the deadly ice storm making driving stre treacherous. tonight, 35 million americans under alerts for ice, snow, sleet and heavy rain, right through thursday, in fact. tonight, hundreds of accidents. at least one person dead. more than 1,800 flights canceled just today. more tomorrowlr tge tonight of a nightmare commute in arlington, texas, near dallas, off interstate 30. cars piling up on the side of the road. losing control and veering right off the road there. a pickup truck losing control on highway 75,

june 7, the morning of june 8 was alex murdaugh a suspect?that night everybody was a suspect. >> reporter: as soon as next week we expect to hear from his surviving son buster who will take the stand for the defense. lester >> catie, thank you. >>> up next, the change so many are fighting for the major reversal on who may be allowed to donate blood n who may be allowed to donate blood she's the rock of the family. she's the person who holds everything together. it's a battle, you know. i'm going to be there. keytruda and chemotherapy meant treating my cancer with twoifferent types of medicine. in a clinical trial, keytruda and chemotherapy was proven to help people live longer than chemotherapy alone. keytruda is used to treat more patients with advanced lung cancer than any other immunotherapy. keytruda may be used with certain chemotherapies as your first treatment if you have advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer and you do not have keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer, but can also cause your immune system to attack he

gloria satterfield, murdaugh's former housekeeper, died at his home in 2018.h confessed to stealing millions from -- cause of death was never determined and police are investigation. especially here in low, country where murdaugh as a household name. >> everybody says, well, we want jurors that don't know anything about this case. >> that's impossible. >> it's impossible. >> one possible piece of evidence that jurors will need to take into account, a snapchat video taking just before paul and maggie murdaugh were killed. >> as jurors are vetted, inside and outside, and invasion of cameras, tense, and trucks on every corner of the courthouse. as wide as a man who once tried cases here as a prominent attorney awaits his fate in handcuffs. >> with us for more, every, wilkes chief investigative reporter for the post and courier and columbia, south carolina. avery, explain to us how big a deal is this trial in the state of south carolina? what was it like at the courthouse today? these folks are famous. >> yeah. this is huge. this is widely considered south carolin

murdaugh has pleaded not guilty. >> he didn't do it. he didn't kill, butcher, his son and wife. >> reporter: and the defense revealing today they plan to ask the judge to take the jury to the crime scene. meanwhile, the judge estimates this trial could take weeks. david? >> all right, eva pilgrim. eva, thank you. >>> now to the war in ukraine, and tonight, news from president biden, significant new support for ukraine in the form of abrams tanks being sent to help them fight back against the russians. the u.s. will send 31 abrams tanks to ukraine. tonight, germany and other nato allies now saying they will send leopard tanks, as well. those tanks could get there even sooner. our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz tonight on why this is so significant, as ukraine's defense minister says these tanks will be an iron fist against russian lines. >> reporter: tonight, with the war in ukraine about to enter its second year, the russians now braced to face a fiercer ukrainian foe, armed with sophisticated battle tanks with greate

the former intern alex murdaugh underway. he is charged with killing his wife and son in june of 2021. his defense claims he's innocent, the killer still at large. but prosecutors contend he snapped under the pressure of a secret life unraveling. his motive, they say, to garner sympathy and distract from a series of financial crimes where murdaugh stole millions of dollars from his family law firm and from clients. >> this is a circumstantial evidence case. >> reporter: attorney eric bland represents the satterfield home. his former housekeeper died at his home in 2018. and murdaugh confessed to stealing millions from an insurance settlement following her death. a cause of death was not determined and police are locating, especially here where murdaugh is a household name. >> everybody says, we want jurors that don't know anything about this case. >> reporter: it is impossible. >> it is impossible. >> reporter: one possible piece of evidence that jurors will need to take into account, a snapchat video taken just before paul a

at his indictment hearing murdaugh pleading not guilty.t murdaugh murdered his family to try to gain sympathy to distract from financial crimes. he's accused of stealing more than $8.5 million from more a dozen victims. friends, family and clients of his family law firm. >> they're going to have to have specific evidence linking him to that scene. proof beyond a reasonable doubt not that he was up to no good but that he actually murdered his wife and son. >> and jury selections start monday, with opening arguments to follow this later week. they're seeking life without parole if he's convicted. >> murdaugh was a prominent attorney in the area, how difficult will it be to seat a jury? >> he comes from a very well-known family in that area. pretty much everyone knows who his family is. this is the jury questionnaire. it's 40-plus questions in it. it asks questions about your connection to law enforcement to how you come to your own personal beliefs. that will play a big role in how they seat this jury. >> so interesting. thank you. >>> now t

. >>> back here at home, the alex murdaugh trial. the once prominent attorney accused of murdering his own wife and son. the new interview played for the jurors. and what he told investigators just after the murders. and the defense tonight fighting back. eva pilgrim reporting. >>> is infrastructure money coming to your community? president biden hitting the road now with billions from that bipartisan infrastructure package for crumbling roads, bridges, and upgrades to train travel all on the way. terry moran reporting. >>> also tonight, we remember a famous actress and her very well-known role. >>> and the super bowl is now set. so, what does a mother do if she has a son on each team? >>> good evening and it's great to start another week with all of you at home. and we'll get to that treacherous ice storm and brutal cod in just a moment here. images of the accidents coming in already. ginger zee timing it out. >>> but we do begin tonight with the tyre nichols case, after the release of those horrific videos. tonight, we have learned