What did James McDowell say about Alex Murdaugh? Juror’s brother identified as cop present at Paul and Maggie’s murders scene

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, one of the jurors of Alex Murdaugh's murder trial, James McDowell, spoke to "Fox & Friends" detailing the reasons Murdaugh was convicted for the deaths of his wife and son.

During the interview, McDowell revealed that his brother was the second officer present at Paul and Maggie’s murders scene, noting that he was transparent about the connection to both sides who chose him to serve as a juror in the case despite the baffling admission.

McDowell, who maintained that he was fair during the deliberations, told the network that the jury was reticent about believing Alex Murdaugh's version of events on the night of the murder after a damning video showed the suspect near the murder scene, minutes before the victims were killed.

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James McDowell details multiple reasons why Alex Murdaugh was convicted

In an exclusive interview with "Fox & Friends' ' James McDowell revealed that the video shot by Paul Murdaugh that showed his father near the dog Kennel moments before Paul was shot to death alongside his mother was a key piece of evidence that incriminated the suspect for the double murder.

McDowell said that the prosecutor's argument was more convincing after Murdaugh was caught in multiple lies, including his alibi for the night of the murder when he said he was never near Kennels and was instead visiting his ailing mother.

McDowell explained to co-host Ainsley Earhardt that while the prosecutor's argument was devoid of any doubt based on the evidence presented to the court, Murdaugh’s testimony appeared to be tenuous. He said:

"Whenever we got to the closing arguments, the storyline of him being there, him doing it, that's the one that made the most sense. The other one, it was full of doubt. It was full of holes. It was full of confusion."

McDowell also revealed that the jurors were not convinced by Murdaugh endearingly referring to Paul as “Paw Paw '' during his testimony, deeming it a trite and calculated move to endear him to the courtroom. He added:

"We watch all of these videos of the body cam footage and the interviews, and he never refers to Paul as ‘Paw Paw’ in those and he never refers to Maggie as ‘Mags. But then as soon as he gets on the stand, it's almost-- he doesn't use their actual names, he only uses those. So I feel like that was very much so to try to appeal to the jury."

When asked if Murdaugh’s history of stealing millions from his clients had any bearing on the juror's decision, McDowell said that Newman, who presided over the case, told the jury to leave the information out of the deliberations.

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Last week, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of the murders of his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie.

According to multiple reports, Alex Murdaugh, who was taken to Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, for a 45-day evaluation, is being held in a single cell in a maximum security prison for his safety after the high-profile trial.