After south Charlotte area sees multiple break-ins, CMPD hosts meeting for residents: Thursday, Feb. 23

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has received a slew of reports detailing break-ins in high-end homes in south Charlotte. The department said the break-ins are possibly connected to South American groups with cases in New York and New Jersey, potentially first documented nearly a decade ago.

People described the south Charlotte area as their own bubble. It's outside the hustle and bustle of the city center, but this area is being hit with a wave of the unexpected.

There have been multiple reports of break-ins and burglaries in the south Charlotte area. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, CMPD hosted a meeting for residents. WCNC Charlotte obtained slides from the department's presentation.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/south-charlotte-break-ins-cmpd-trends/275-f82848e7-bed1-4542-aec9-1bb4f400c783

A total of five witnesses testified today on Wednesday during week five of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. First up was Mark Ball, the defendant's former colleague.

Ball is a partner at Murdaugh's former law firm, now called Parker Law Group, and a family friend of the Murdaughs.

"Knowing Alex for 30 years, do you develop an assessment of his relationship with his family: Maggie, Paul and Buster?" defense attorney Jim Griffin asked.

"Well, I will tell you this. The person I thought I knew loved his family or appeared to love his family very much. He would take their calls, he did all those things," Ball testified. "After September the third, I'm not sure I know that person. But he always seemed to be devoted to everything."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/special-reports/alex-murdaugh/murdaugh-defense-five-witnesses/101-eb203829-0f7a-4eac-b9b5-0d751a342079

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