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A GoFundMe page for Mushell Smith - the caregiver of murder suspect Alex Murdaugh’s mother and witness for the prosecution testifying in the trial - has raised $29,814.
The page was launched by Mushell Smith’s daughter to reward her mother for her 'bravery' after she testified against Alex Murdaugh. He is a key suspect in the deaths of his wife and son, who were both fatally shot on June 7, 2022, in the family’s estate.
Shortly after the double homicide, Mardaugh had told authorities that he was not at home during the night of the murder and was visiting his sick mother at her house for nearly an hour.
However, tearing through the suspect’s alibi, Mushell Smith testified that Murdaugh showed up at his mother's home for 20 minutes but had asked her to tell authorities he had been there for longer.
Mushell Smith's daughter, who launched the GoFundMe plans to surprise her mother with the money
Following Mushell Smith's testimony against Alex Murdaugh in the murder trial, her daughter launched a GoFundMe page on February 8. The fund aimed to collect $20,000 and has already surpassed its goal with the help of 836 donations. As of this writing, the account has collected $29,814.
Mushell’s daughter, Rachelle Buckner plans to reward her mother for her bravery, as according to her, she had a hard time testifying against her employer.
Rachelle mentioned that her mom went through "heartache and stress" during her testimony, as she said:
“As you all know my mother was the caretaker for Alex Murdaugh’s mom. She recently had to testify against him and it had brought much heartache and stress to her. My mother is the most caring, giving, and selfless person ever. She would give the shirt off her back if she could.”
She added:
“Since knowing she would have to testify she had gone through so much with the what-ifs, should I, and then I HAVE TO! I want to reward her for her bravery and her honesty as it was one of the hardest things she had to do. We want to show her that she is not alone and we stand behind her 100%!”
Legal experts say the GoFundMe page may taint witness testimony
While the page has raised over $29,000 in a matter of days, it has worried a few legal experts who say that the donations might be perceived as a payment in exchange for the testimony and might be inadmissible in court in the future.
As per multiple reports, the donations were reportedly brought up in the murder trial by the defense. They indicated that one of the individuals who contributed to the fund was Mark Tinsley, another prosecution witness.
Tinsley was reportedly the lawyer for the family of Mallory Beach, who sued Murdaugh after their 19-year-old was killed in a boat crash. Murdaugh’s murdered son Paul was accused of driving the boat that killed the victim.
The defense asked the judge to strike Tinsley off the witness list after he made the donation and then withdrew his name from the list of donors. However, the judge refused to grant the request and said that the trial will proceed as planned.
Meanwhile, Mushell Smith’s GoFundMe page continues to receive donations.
