美国国家公共电台 NPR--Jurors will begin deliberating the fate of prominent S.C attorney Alex Murdaugh

Jurors will begin deliberating the fate of prominent S.C attorney Alex Murdaugh

Transcript¹

Alex Murdaugh, accused of killing² his wife and son in 2021, is also charged with embezzling³ millions from his family's law firm. Prosecutors⁵ spent nearly three hours presenting closing arguments.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Jurors in the South Carolina murder trial of former attorney Alex Murdaugh are expected to start deliberations later today.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The prosecutors spent almost three hours presenting their closing arguments on Wednesday. They are trying to convince jurors that this once-prominent attorney murdered his wife and son in the summer of 2021.

FADEL: South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen has been inside the courtroom for this nearly six-week-long trial, and she joins us live from Walterboro.

VICTORIA HANSEN, BYLINE⁶: Good morning. How are you?

FADEL: Good morning. Quite the case you're covering. People are fascinated. It's the subject of a Netflix docuseries. Could you break down what Murdaugh is accused of and what you are here - what you've been hearing in court?

HANSEN: Yeah, sure. I mean, where do I begin? It is a long and complicated case. As the lead prosecutor⁴ Creighton Waters explained early on, you know, Murdaugh is not only charged with murdering his loved ones but has yet to be tried on charges he embezzled⁷ millions from his family's law firm and tried to stage his own death so his surviving son could collect life insurance money. What's more, Murdaugh's slain⁸ son had recently been charged in a deadly boating accident in which Murdaugh was being sued civilly. Now, prosecutor Waters had to spell this all out to prove motive⁹; that is, Murdaugh was a desperate man when he killed his loved ones to try to create a distraction¹⁰ and get sympathy.

FADEL: So how does the prosecution¹¹ say Murdaugh murdered his wife and son?

HANSEN: Well, Waters says Murdaugh lured¹² Maggie and Paul to the family's rural hunting property where weapons were readily available. He says Paul was shot first with a shotgun near the dog kennels¹³, and he didn't see it coming.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CREIGHTON WATERS: Same with Maggie because Maggie sees what happens, and she comes running over there, running to her baby. Probably the last thing on her mind, thinking that it was him who had done this.

HANSEN: Now, Waters says Maggie was then shot multiple times with an assault-style rifle, which at the time the family owned three. Two are now missing. But the key moment came when the prosecution played a video recovered from Paul's phone just last year. It reveals Paul, Maggie and Murdaugh's voice just minutes before they were killed. The video shattered Murdaugh's alibi¹⁴. He had long said he was never at the crime scene.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WATERS: Why in the world would an innocent, reasonable father and husband lie about that and lie about it so early if he didn't know that was there?

HANSEN: Murdaugh later took the witness stand, admitting he was there briefly¹⁵ but said he quickly got out of there. Waters pointed¹⁶ to that lie and testimony¹⁷ from dozens of colleagues and clients who say Murdaugh also lied to them to steal millions, including the family of his late housekeeper¹⁸.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WATERS: And he fooled Maggie and Paul, too. And they paid for it with their lives. Don't let him fool you, too.

FADEL: Wow. A lot to digest there. So that's the prosecution side. What is the defense¹⁹ expected to say as it presents closing arguments today?

HANSEN: The defense says it will take just about two hours. It's really pointing to time in this case to argue the motive is what they call ludicrous. The family had a loving relationship. There are no murder weapons that have been found, bloody²⁰ clothing or fingerprints²¹. And Murdaugh could not have possibly done this alone. But the prosecution has pointed out repeatedly Murdaugh is a skilled attorney and a part-time solicitor²² from a long line of solicitors²³ who knows how to hide evidence.

FADEL: That's South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen.

Thank you so much.

HANSEN: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF CORRE'S "AEON")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 embezzling   

v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Accordingly, object embezzling waste to be carried temporarily the schedule of administration. 因此，反对贪污浪费就提上了临时中央政府的议事日程。 来自互联网
• Some were sentenced for taking bribes, others executed for embezzling funds. 有的因受贿而被判刑，有的因侵吞公款而被判处死刑。 来自互联网

4 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 embezzled   

v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The clerk embezzled a thousand pounds from the bank where he worked. 那个职员在他工作的银行里贪污了一千英镑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cashier embezzled ＄ 50,000 from the bank. 出纳员盗用了银行5万美元。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

9 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

10 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

11 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

12 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

13 kennels   

n.主人外出时的小动物寄养处，养狗场；狗窝( kennel的名词复数 )；养狗场

参考例句：

• We put the dog in kennels when we go away. 我们外出时把狗寄养在养狗场。
• He left his dog in a kennels when he went on holiday. 他外出度假时把狗交给养狗场照管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 alibi   

n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口

参考例句：

• Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗？
• The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑，因为他已有前科。

15 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

16 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

17 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

18 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

19 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

20 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

21 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

23 solicitors   

初级律师( solicitor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most solicitors in England and Wales are in private practice . 英格兰和威尔士的大多数律师都是私人执业者。
• The family has instructed solicitors to sue Thomson for compensation. 那家人已经指示律师起诉汤姆森，要求赔偿。