Side by side, wearing matching hunting gear and with Bubba, their yellow Labrador, never out of arm's reach, these never-before-seen pictures give a glimpse into the seemingly golden life that the Murdaugh family once enjoyed.
Their smiles are broad as, in one, Maggie, 52, a flash of decorative pink on her vest, sits alongside her younger son Paul, 22, husband Alex, 54, and older son Buster, 26.
This picture was taken only a couple of years before Maggie and Paul were both brutally gunned down by the kennels on the very property where they once so happily posed.
DailyMail.com has uncovered never-before-seen photos of the Murdaugh family in happier times. The family are seated on a log in matching hunting gear and with their yellow Labrador, Bubba
Maggie stands next to her husband, the man who is accused of killing her, bundled in a jacket, scarf and gloves. Murdaugh wears only a light hunting jacket while their sons and dog are nearby
Paul, who was killed in 2021, is pictured sitting in a boat with Bubba by his side and dead ducks flopped over its edge
Last week, Murdaugh took the stand to defend himself as he stands trial for the heinous murders. Maggie was shot five times with a semi-automatic rifle, Paul blasted twice with a shotgun.
As Murdaugh spoke he painted the picture of a family that was as 'close as could be' – as close as these pictures suggest.
He described the land around Moselle, the Islandton, South Carolina, home whose property straddles Hampton and Colleton County, as his youngest son's 'passion.'
Paul, whom Murdaugh called PauPau or Paul Terry, spent some of his final hours driving round the property with his father in his older brother's truck.
According to Murdaugh they drove to the dove field where they spoke about replanting sunflowers and they spent time by the duck pond, where Paul had planted corn and where the whole family can be seen pictured just a few years ago.
In the photograph Maggie stands next to her husband, the man who is accused of killing her, bundled in a wax jacket, scarf and gloves. Murdaugh wears only a light hunting jacket.
Murdaugh told the court that she was 'always cold', and he was 'always hot' – a side-effect he explained of his chronic opioid addiction.
But there is no indication of the troubles – the fraud, theft and addiction – in which this family was mired as they pose for this lighthearted picture taken by a family friend.
Murdaugh took the stand to defend himself at his trial for the heinous murders of his wife, who was shot five times with a semi-automatic rifle, and son Paul, who was blasted twice with a shotgun
In a black and white shot, the family poses by a tractor – a much younger Paul clutches Bubba and Buster is standing off to the right, while Alex has his arm around Maggie
Another picture features just Paul and his father. They are caught unaware of the camera, completely absorbed in studying some plans
In one of the pictures Paul can be seen sitting on an ATV alongside three friends, smiling and relaxed – among them is Nolan Tuten (left) seen clutching a can of coke. Tuten was Paul's best friend whom he spoke to multiple times a day
Murdaugh has painted the picture of family that was as 'close as could be' – as close as these pictures suggest
Paul sits in a boat with Bubba by his side. Dead ducks flop over its edge. Buster beams behind him and a clutter of duck decoys sits in the foreground.
In another shot, this one in black and white, the family poses by a tractor – a much younger Paul clutches a much younger Bubba.
Buster smiles from the opposite side of the frame while Maggie and Murdaugh take center stage, looking every inch a couple who wanted for nothing.
Group images reveal what a hub Moselle was – particularly as the site of enormously social dove hunts, where friends and family gathered to hunt, eat and drink together during the brief dove season which runs from September through December.
In one picture Murdaugh poses alongside his father, Randolph, who died three days after Maggie and Paul were killed, and his brothers Randy, 56, and John Marvin, 41.
Both Randy and John Marvin have been at Murdaugh's trial every day, sitting behind him in the public gallery.
Another picture shows Paul by himself beside beloved family dog, Bubba.
Taken a handful of years ago, Paul, then a teen, smiles at the camera in the fall sunshine.
Paul is seen among a group of boys in camo who appear to be handling birds during dove season which runs from September through December
Another picture shows a much younger Paul by himself with beloved family dog, Bubba, who was just a puppy
Bubba clearly likes to hunt just as much as his owners and is seen walking alongside Buster, who holds a shotgun
Bubba has proven key in the prosecution of the murders. Were it not for the yellow lab's habit of worrying chickens and guinea fowl the court might never have known, nor Murdaugh ever admitted, that he was down at the kennels on the night of Maggie and Paul's murders
In one picture Murdaugh poses alongside his father, Randolph, who died three days after Maggie and Paul were killed, and his brothers Randy, 56, and John Marvin, 41
Group images reveal what a hub Moselle was, where friends and family gathered to hunt, eat and drink together during the brief dove season which runs from September through certain dates in November and December
In a strange twist of fate Bubba, so often at Paul or Maggie's side, has proven key in the prosecution of their murders.
Were it not for Bubba's habit of worrying chickens and guinea fowl the court might never have known, nor Murdaugh ever admitted, that he was down at the kennels on the night of Maggie and Paul's murders.
A video made by Paul on his phone at the kennels June 7, 2021, caught Murdaugh's voice chiding Bubba in the background. It irrefutably placed him where he had repeatedly denied being in the moments before the killings.
It is impossible to see these pictures today without seeing the foreshadowing of all that would come to pass, as friends and family who posed so breezily have been recast as witnesses and victims.
In one of the pictures Paul can be seen sitting on an ATV alongside three friends, smiling and relaxed – among them is Nolan Tuten seen clutching a can of coke. Tuten was Paul's best friend whom he spoke to multiple times a day. He took the stand to testify to that close friendship ahead of Murdaugh himself being sworn in.
Another now haunting picture features just Paul and his father. They are caught unaware of the camera, completely absorbed in studying some plans; perhaps discussing planting sunflowers or corn on the property or plotting hunting paths or the position of the feeders and fruit trees that tempted deer out into the open.
Paul is only a boy, while his father is barely recognizable as the gaunt, emotionally wracked figure who took to the witness stand.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2BcoOXbmxxb192uabEjIasq5yRqrSpeayanqChlWLAsLrSZqeim6Sqv6Z5z56pn52TqXqnrcyio7JlnprDpr6MrJyepl2ltbDAzqxloaydoQ%3D%3D