Pathologist dismisses defense theory of Murdaugh killings
dr Ellen Riemer, far right, testifies as a rebuttal witness at the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. at left, in Colleton County, SC, on February 28, 2023.
The pathologist who performed the autopsies on Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son questioned defense claims about how Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed as the state lined up a series of contradicting witnesses in Colleton County on Tuesday.
“Let’s talk a little bit about Paul,” prosecutor Creighton Waters said. “You heard the defense pathologist and his later expert talk about the fact that there was contact with the top of Paul’s head. Is that correct?”
dr Ellen Riemer said yes, and the two went on to discuss her specific reaction to the defense witnesses’ claims, given that she had actually performed the autopsy on Paul Murdaugh.
“The entrance was at the top of the left shoulder and then went into the left side of the head before exiting the top of the head,” Riemer said, denying the claims made by coroner Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat and coroner Timothy Palmbach on Monday, who testified that Paul Murdaugh was likely killed by a contact blast – meaning the shotgun barrel was pressed against his head. Riemer believes the gun was about three feet away when it was fired.
“When the head gets hit by a shotgun, there’s a massive expansion of gas in the cranial cavity, in the skull,” she continued, addressing the jury directly, referring to previous images they were shown of the victim’s body. “And what that does, it doesn’t just create a hole with some, you know, bones. That was – I get it, that was the worst thing you’ve ever seen. And you probably can’t imagine the damage to the head being any worse.”
But, the state pathologist said, a contact shotgun shot to the head would have made the victim significantly worse off.
“His face was basically intact,” she said. “We would have had cracks on the skin and his eyes would have either been displaced from the orbital bones; the orbital bones were intact. Any time there’s a massive gas buildup in the cranial cavity from a contact gunshot wound to the head… the entire face – he wouldn’t even have had a face anymore.”
Riemer continued, using increasingly vivid descriptions of the probable damage that a contact blast to the head would have destroyed all of the “tender bones” in Paul Murdaugh’s face.
“He still had a forehead,” she said. “What we have here is inconsistent with a contact shotgun that would go to the head.”
“The wounds on the shoulder and left side of the cheek have all the hallmarks of entry wounds,” added Riemer.
The discrepancy is potentially crucial since the defense pundits’ claims about the entry wound are part of the two-shooter theory. In this version of events, the first shooter to cause the contact shotgun explosion would have been hit by bits of human remains and some pellets from the shotgun itself.
“I think that particular shooter is sort of out of the loop for a little while,” forensic scientist Timothy Palmbach testified Monday for the defense. “It’s not like they suffer that right away, drop the shotgun, run to where the AR Blackout Rifle is, pick it up, and then in a reasonable amount of time make a meaningful attack, an effective attack, shoot straight ahead and hit.”
SEE ALSO: Defense Witness in Case Alex Murdaugh Attempts to Cast Reasonable Doubt with “2-Shooter” Theory
In other words, Riemer’s testimony was intended to indirectly challenge one of the defense’s overarching claims.
“In my determination, this went up through the left cheek and out the right side of the skull,” Riemer said. “If this was a gunshot wound, contact with the head I don’t care if – there’s no way his entire facial bones and skin, his ears would have fallen off. There is so much gas expansion that the damage to his head would have been much worse.”
The prosecutor later tried to clarify the testimony.
“Is there any possibility that it could be a contact wound on the crown of the head?” asked Waters.
“No,” Riemer replied.
In response to another question, she then also confirmed the direction of the shots that killed Maggie.
“I disagree with his conclusions,” Riemer summarized her view of the defense arguments.
See Riemer’s statement here:
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