Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, testifies in defense

Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son testified Tuesday to help his dad deny blasting to death his wife and other son — revealing that “a lot of guns” were always strewn around their South Carolina estate.

Buster Murdaugh, 26, was the defense’s first witness Tuesday when his 54-year-old father’s trial resumed, with the accused murderer smiling warmly as his son spoke about his upbringing.

He recalled how his family hunted “everything” at the Colleton County getaway estate where his mom, Maggie, 52, and troubled brother, Paul, 22, were shot dead on June 7, 2021.

“We had a lot of guns,” he told the court — recalling “12-gauge shotguns, 20-gauge shotguns, 16-gauge shotguns, 28-gauge shotguns” as well as a slew of rifles and ammo for each.

It included .300 Blackout rifles that he and his brother both got for Christmas — before his brother’s was “stolen, lost [or] taken,” he said.

He and his kin would often leave the weapons — usually loaded — where they found them.

“Guns would not always find their way back to the gun room,” he said — adding that included being left in unlocked vehicles.

His slain brother was “not good” and “left guns probably more on the property than anybody else,” Buster testified, admitting it angered him because his brother borrowed his .300 Blackout when his own went missing and was “not very good about putting it back where he found it.”

Even before testifying, the redheaded surviving son has been a constant presence in the courtroom — once even getting admonished by the judge for allegedly flashing an obscene gesture at one of the witnesses testifying against his dad.

He was not at the family’s Colleton County home when his mom and troubled brother were shot dead on June 7, 2021.

However, he was on the phone with both his parents earlier in the day, according to a detailed timeline released by investigators.

He was also one of the first people his dad tried calling after alerting 911 to his wife and son’s bullet-riddled bodies.

He told the court Tuesday that he would talk to his family “pretty much every day.”

“I spoke to my mom every day, multiple times every day,” he said — adding that the same applied to his dad and brother, and that they all talked constantly to each other, too.

The logs showing a flurry of calls between them all was just a normal day, Buster said, noting that the logs showed his parents talking in calls to each other, too.

Buster also took a central role in one of the most bizarre incidents after the double murders — when his dad tried to get a pal to murder him in a con to cash in $10 million in life insurance for him.

That scandal was not initially supposed to be mentioned during the murder trial, but was allowed once Murdaugh’s own lawyers first referred to it.

Buster Murdaugh’s testimony came as his father’s lawyers have yet to indicate if the disgraced legal scion will take the stand.

Prosecutors called 61 witnesses and introduced more than 550 pieces of evidence — much of which appeared to challenge Murdaugh’s claims that he was not at the house when his wife and son were shot dead.

The defense said Tuesday that it expects to finish its evidence and testimony by Friday.

The now-disbarred lawyer has always denied the murders.

He faces roughly 100 other charges, including stealing cash from clients and his family’s once-powerful law firm, all alleged crimes that emerged after the double slaying put the spotlight on him and his family.

Legal experts suggest those charges could stop him from wanting to testify during the murder trial, because it could open him up to be quizzed about them, portraying him in a bad light.

Murdaugh faces 30 years to life if convicted of murder.