Alex’s Longtime Friend Tells ‘Dateline’ It Was ‘Hard’ To Testify Against Him: ‘There’s a Relationship There That I Thought Was Based on Trust & Respect’
‘The Trial of Alex Murdaugh’ Airs Friday, March 3 at 9 pm ET/8pm CT
March 1, 2023 – Friday’s all-new Dateline NBC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT will feature the latest in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, accused of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul, as insiders close to the family speak out for the first time to NBC News’ Craig Melvin.
During the two-hour special, Chris Wilson tells Melvin in an exclusive interview that it was “hard” to testify against his longtime former friend Alex at the trial regarding allegations Alex misdirected funds from a previous case they had worked on together. Wilson explained, “There’s a relationship there that I thought was based on trust and respect, and all of those things that when you find out it’s not, it’s hard to relive that, hard to talk about it.” Click here to watch the exchange. Transcript below.
Chris’ wife, Dana, also sits down with Melvin and opens up for the first time about the murder of her close friend Maggie. She reveals what it was like finding out about the allegations that Alex had stolen money, saying: “I remember Chris telling me, and I’m shaking my head, like – there’s no way. There’s no way. He made good money. How? Why? What? No, that’s not right. And Chris was shocked in disbelief.” She added, “I mean, this was his best friend. We didn’t want to believe it. But after that phone call, more came out. More came out, kept coming out, more is still coming out probably. I mean, it’s just, who is this person? I don’t know this person. Who was he?” Click here to watch the exchange. Transcript below.
The Trial of Alex Murdaugh is a comprehensive look at the latest developments in the twisted saga of the Murdaugh family, as the once prominent South Carolina lawyer’s fate remains unknown as closing arguments begin today. Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty in the case, which Dateline and Melvin have reported on since the beginning.
INTERVIEW EXCERPTS
CRAIG MELVIN: How hard was it to agree to testify against your old friend?
CHRIS WILSON: Hard. Not for any reason other than it brings up all the hurt. Not because it’s hard to tell the truth or not because I didn’t know that I had to be involved and do, you know, what I had to do, but it’s just, it’s hard because there’s a relationship there that I thought was based on trust and respect, and all of those things that when you find out it’s not, it’s hard to relive that, hard to talk about it.
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CRAIG MELVIN: When did it become obvious to you that they were not who you thought they were?
DANA WILSON: When he was who I thought he wasn’t, in September, September 3rd, that was a Friday before everything came out to the public. Because Chris had gotten a phone call that day from Lee Cope and told him what had been going on, that he’d been stealing money, he’d been fired, had a pill addiction. And I remember Chris telling me, and I’m shaking my head, like – there’s no way. There’s no way. He made good money. How? Why? What? No, that’s not right. And Chris was shocked, in disbelief. I mean, this was his best friend. We didn’t want to believe it. But after that phone call, more came out. More came out, kept coming out, more is still coming out probably. I mean, it’s just, who is this person? I don’t know this person. Who was he?
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For more information contact:
Dominique Donahue
NBC News
Dominique.Donahue@nbcuni.com
Leah Graf
NBC News
leah.graf@nbcuni.com
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 31st season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts, including The Thing About Pam and its showcast. David Corvo is the senior executive producer and Liz Cole is the executive producer.
