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On Wednesday, February 22, Alex Murdaugh’s defense witness and longtime friend Mark Ball appeared to testify during his ongoing murder trial.
The session took a dramatic turn after Ball turned on Murdaugh and said he had “no doubt” about the latter being present at the scene of his wife Maggie and son Paul’s murder.
Ball initially took the stand and pointed out inconsistencies from the homicide investigation carried out at the crime scene following Maggie and Paul’s death.
Meanwhile, he also identified Alex Murdaugh’s voice in the dog kennel video that was allegedly recorded by Paul on his cellphone moments before he was shot to death alongside his mother.
Prosecutors claimed that the 58-second video was reportedly recorded between 8:44:49 PM and 8:45:47 PM, less than five minutes before Paul and Maggie were fatally shot around 8:50 PM.
Multiple witnesses have testified that were “100 percent sure” Murdaugh’s voice was heard in the video alongside Paul and Maggie.
The clip places the former’s alibi under scrutiny, where he claimed he was sleeping alone after dinner and had last seen the mother-son duo 90 minutes before coming across their dead bodies.
Despite being a defense witness Mark Ball’s latest testimony cast further doubts on Alex Murdaugh’s statement.
What is known about Mark Ball?
Mark Ball is an American attorney and a former law firm partner at Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), a prestigious law firm founded by Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather in 1910.
He has worked with Murdaugh for over two decades and has been his friend for nearly 34 years. According to his official bio, Ball graduated from the USC School of Law in 1989 and practiced law for more than 30 years.
Although the main focus of his practice is “any form of personal injury,” Ball also has a special interest in several other areas of law including, defective products and agricultural issues involving defective seeds, chemicals, and equipment. He has reportedly handled thousands of personal injuries and defective product cases.
Ball is a member of the South Carolina Bar and admitted to practicing in all South Carolina Courts as well as the United States District Court, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Federal Claims.
He is also a member of the SC Association for Justice and has served 13 years on its Board of Governors as well as its President in 2006-2007. Ball is also part of the American Association of Justice and the American Bar Association.
In addition to his professional role, Ball has also been active in community organizations across Hampton and Colleton Counties.
He played key roles in the formation of organizations like the Hampton County Special Needs and Disabilities Board, Friends of Hospice, Literacy Council, United Way, and SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce, among others.
On a personal front, Mark Ball is married to a nurse. The couple share two daughters together. Their eldest daughter is a doctor while the younger graduated from Charleston School of Law.
A look into Mark Ball’s testimony at the Alex Murdaugh murder trial
Mark Ball made the news after testifying at Alex Murdaugh's murder trial on Wednesday and is now being considered as a “star witness” by many social media users.
Although he took the stand as a defense witness, Ball claimed that he was sure of Murdaugh being present at Maggie and Paul’s murder scene on the night of their killings on June 7, 2021.
Speaking about the now-infamous kennel video recorded on Paul’s phone, Ball said he had “no doubt” that the man’s voice in the clip belongs to Alex Murdaugh:
“It’s Alex, Maggie and Paul.”
Ball shared that he had known Murdaugh personally and professionally for 34 years and mentioned that their families had a close relationship.
He revealed that he rushed to Murdaugh’s Moselle home upon learning about Maggie and Paul’s death and said that the disgraced attorney told him he never visited the dog kennel on the day of the murder.
Ball said Murdaugh told him the same version of the event “at least three times” days and weeks after the murders. As prosecutor Creighton Waters asked:
“He was always clear that he never went down to those kennels?”
Ball replied:
“It was the same version of it.”
The lawyer stated that he only saw the kennel video a month ago and realized Murdaugh lied to him about not being present at the scene.
During Mark Ball’s testimony, a video of Alex Murdaugh’s second interview after the murders conducted on June 10, 2021, was played in court. The audio of Murdaugh saying “they did them so bad” or “I did them so bad” during the interview has prompted much speculation.
However, the former heard the audio and testified that Murdaugh said “they did them so bad” in the clip. He mentioned that the latter made a similar comment to him on the night of the murders, which appeared to Ball as being “odd” in nature:
“Look at what they did. Look at what they did to them.”
Mark Ball went on to testify that Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes further led to him doubting everything about his friend. Reports suggest that the PMPED CFO confronted Murdaugh about a missing payment on the day of Paul and Maggie’s murder.
While the investigation was put on hold following the killings, his law firm confronted Murdaugh three months later and accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients. The latter was then forced to resign from his position.
Ball shared that he felt “betrayed” after learning that Murdaugh had lied to him for several years and said that he “did not” really know his friend:
"I would never believe a guy that you know was like family would steal from me, his family, stolen clients, or any of that. I don't know that guy. Not the Alex I knew, the Alex I loved, the Alex all of us loved... The person I thought I knew loved his family, or appeared to love his family. I’m not sure I know that person.”
Ball revealed that the law firm and its partners had to pay back millions of dollars to Murdaugh’s victims and said the situation left him enraged:
“I’m mad as hell. You just don’t know how mad I am.”
On September 4, 2021, when Murdaugh was shot in the head, Ball said his first response was, “don’t tell me that jacka** killed himself.” He added that he found the scene suspicious as the Murdaugh’s car tire looked “intentionally slashed” and did not believe the latter was shot:
“I said, ‘I don’t buy it.’”
Alex Murdaugh and his longtime drug dealer Curtis “Eddie” Smith was soon for the suicide-for-hire scheme. The former later confessed that he staged his own shooting to leave behind a significant life insurance payout for his remaining son Buster.
In his viral testimony, Mark Ball said that while he does not know if Murdaugh killed his wife and son, he now “doubts everything” about his former friend:
“I’ve spent 33 years in one place. I’ve put everything in it... and it’s gone.... because of his acts. And when it comes to that, I’m mad as hell. But on the other hand, I’m not saying he’s done what he’s been accused of.”
As prosecutor Waters asked:
“He effortlessly and easily lied to you for years, and you didn’t know it?”
Ball responded by saying:
“Didn’t know it, and didn’t catch it. The way he was doing it was very, very cunning.”
Alex Murdaugh is currently undergoing trial for the 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. The former attorney pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and prosecutors have said they have decided to seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Netizens discuss Alex Murdaugh’s facial reaction during Mark Ball testimony
Alex Murdaugh’s facial expression and courtroom reactions have often been the subject of discussion among social media users during his high-profile murder trial.
As Murdaugh’s friend and former colleague Mark Ball’s testimony took the internet by storm, netizens took to Twitter to share the former’s reaction and facial expression during the same:
While reactions continue to pour in online, reports suggest that Alex Murdaugh is likely to testify in the trial on Thursday.
