WALTERBORO, SC (WSPA) – Alex Murdaugh’s former paralegal said she was enraged after finding out her boss was taking money from clients and his law firm.

Annette Griswold testified in Murdaugh’s double murder trial Wednesday.

She detailed how she helped uncover Murdaugh’s alleged wrongdoings. She said she had asked Murdaugh about some fees the law firm never received following a settlement in a case Murdaugh was working on.

Griswold said she spoke with Murdaugh about the missing money, “In the back of mind there’s a huge red flag telling me this is not right.”

She testified she originally thought Murdaugh had lost or misplaced the check. She passed along all the information she had to the law firm’s CFO and office manager, Jeanne Seckinger.

On June 7th, 2021, Murdaugh was confronted about the missing fees by Seckinger. Later that evening, his wife and son were murdered.

The prosecution said the uncovering of Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes pushed him to shoot and kill his family members. Murdaugh’s defense said the theory of this is a motive makes no sense. They said the murders would only bring more scrutiny and attention to his life.

Griswold testified they were more worried about Murdaugh’s well-being than the missing fees immediately following the murders.

In September, Griswold said she was looking for a file on Murdaugh’s desk. She said a check for the missing money ‘floated like a feather to the ground’.

“I was hurt. I was angry. I was beside myself and I was a bit enraged too,” she said.

According to Griswold, she gave Seckinger the check, who was looking into Murdaugh’s funneling of fees and client money into a fake account. A few days later, Murdaugh was forced to resign from his law firm.

While being questioned by Murdaugh’s defense team, Griswold said he was a family man and would drop everything to answer a call from his family.

She testified Murdaugh acted differently at work following the murders. “He was grieving. He changed dramatically. He was more mellow,” she said.

Following Griswold’s testimony, the Colleton County Courthouse was evacuated for a bomb threat around 12:30 pm. The trial resumed a little after 3:00 pm. The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and Colleton County deputies are investigating.

Also Wednesday, the state’s gunshot residue expert took the stand again. SLED Agent Megan Fletcher testified a significant amount of residue was found in a blue rain jacket found at the home of Murdaugh’s mother.

Investigators found the rain jacket in a closet at the home a few months after the murders.

Prosecutors suggest the jacket was the blue item his mother’s caregiver saw him bring into the home a few days after the murders. His defense had Fletcher testify gunshot residue can remain on an item for years if it’s not washed off.