During the double-murder trial of former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, his murdered wife’s sister, Marian Proctor, and Alex’s brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, took the stand. In an exclusive chat with Grunge, Ponce noted John Marvin Murdaugh’s visible emotion suited the tragic circumstance. “His face was red, his breath erratic, his eyes filled with tears, and his voice broken,” Ponce said. “He also looked down and was quite expressive with his hands throughout his recounting of what happened.”
When John Marvin Murdaugh was not in the midst of storytelling, Ponce noted, “He looked right at the attorneys asking him questions and was far less teary-eyed. He was still emotional but seemed much more measured. We saw different sides of John Marvin.” And tellingly, “he showcased more emotion than Alex or Buster,” Ponce added. Perhaps one of the most tragic moments in the Murdaugh trial came from Maggie Murdaugh’s sister, Marian Proctor (pictured) when she recounted the moment she asked Alex if her sibling had suffered before she died. At that point, “she found it challenging to find the right words,” Ponce noticed, and was uncomfortable with the exchange.
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Ponce otherwise explained several sincere gestures on Proctor’s part. “She touched her chest when she said she was worried for the [Murdaugh] family — and that gesture, the motion to one’s heart, indicates sincere feeling. In this case, it was fear.” After a long pause, Proctor indicated everyone was worried except Alex Murdaugh. “That long pause spoke volumes — she felt he was hiding something,” Ponce said.
