Five high-profile defendants who took stand in their own trials

Alex Murdaugh's "highly risky" determination to return nan guidelines successful his ain execution proceedings "doesn't look to beryllium going good truthful far," a rule master told Fox News Digital. 

The 54-year-old disgraced lawyer was portion of South Carolina rule royalty, pinch 3 family members serving arsenic nan lead charismatic successful nan state's 14th circuit territory from 1920 to 2005. 

Now he's connected proceedings for double murder and limb possession successful relationship pinch nan 2021 fatal shootings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Alex is besides facing 99 counts of financial crimes stemming from 19 abstracted indictments. 

With truthful overmuch that tin spell wrong, it's uncommon for defendants to testify successful their ain trials, but that's what Alex did successful nan Colleton County Courthouse successful Walterboro, South Carolina astatine nan extremity of this past week. 

ALEX MURDAUGH EXPECTED BACK ON THE STAND FOR GRUELING CROSS-EXAMINATION

Alex Murdaugh weeps arsenic he testifies Thursday, Feb. 23 successful his ain defense astatine his double execution proceedings successful Walterboro, South Carolina. ( Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool)

Prosecutors' "harsh questioning" during cross-examination tin origin nan defendant's communicative to quickly unravel," said Duncan Levin, a erstwhile charismatic and salient defense lawyer who has represented high-profile clients for illustration Anna Delvey and Harvey Weinstein. 

"That is precisely what is happening pinch Alex Murdaugh. His grounds has been a disaster for him," Levin said. 

ALEX MURDAUGH TESTIFIES HE IS NOT A ‘FAMILY ANNIHILATOR’ AT HIS DOULBE MURDER TRIAL

"He has floundered during cross-examination, admitted abusing a rule enforcement badge during nan vessel wreck that killed Mallory Beach, came crossed arsenic disingenuous pinch a seemingly made-up nickname for his deceased boy and admitted to stealing from clients.

"Most importantly, he admitted to lying to investigators astir his whereabouts connected nan nighttime of his woman and son’s murders."

Alex Murdaugh is led into nan Colleton County Courthouse successful Walterboro, South Carolina connected Tuesday, January 31, 2023. Murdaugh is connected proceedings for nan killings of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, successful June 2021. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital )

Although rare, it's not unheard of for defendants to attest astatine their trials. Here are 4 different high-profile examples. 

ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER'S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL

Jodi Arias

Jodi Arias was accused successful nan grisly 2008 execution of her lover, Travis Alexander, successful suburban Phoenix, Arizona. She went to proceedings successful 2013 and testified connected her ain behalf for 18 days.

Jury foreman William Zervakos later told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Arias' grounds didn't do her immoderate good.

"I deliberation 18 days wounded her. I deliberation she was not a bully witness," he said. "We're charged pinch going successful and presuming innocence, right? But she was connected nan guidelines for truthful long, location were truthful galore contradicting stories."

She was yet convicted successful May 2013 and sentenced to life successful situation 2 years later. 

JODI ARIAS' TESTIMONY DIDN'T HELP HER, JURY FOREMAN SAYS

​Jodi Arias testified for 18 days successful her execution proceedings earlier she was convicted. (​Mandatory Credit: David Wallace-USA TODAY NETWORK)

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett, an character astir known for his domiciled connected "Empire," was accused of staging a vile dislike crime against himself successful Chicago successful January 2019 and filing mendacious constabulary reports. 

He denied nan allegations during his two-day testimony, but immoderate ineligible experts believed he apt wounded his ain defense by taking nan stand. 

"Smollett testifying successful his ain defense is 1 of 2 things, aliases possibly both: a narcissistic criminal suspect who is doubling down connected his charged lies to rule enforcement aliases defense attorneys who cognize they are measurement down and are throwing a debased probability Hail Mary to effort to get their customer off," erstwhile U.S. lawyer Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital successful a December 2021 interview. 

JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S TRIAL TESTIMONY ENDS AFTER CONTENTIOUS CROSS-EXAMINATION: LIVE UPDATES

Jussie Smollett visits nan SiriusXM Studios connected June 14, 2022 successful New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord)

James White, a high-powered lawyer successful Michigan, echoed Rahmani's comments astatine nan clip and called Smollet's grounds "an unparalleled disaster." 

The experts who said to Fox News Digital successful December 2021 were yet correct, arsenic Smollett was convicted connected 5 felony counts of disorderly behaviour and sentenced successful March 2022 to 150 days successful region jail. 

Elizabeth Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes, who founded nan now-defunct wellness institution Theranos successful 2003, was named America's youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire by Forbes successful 2015. 

Her life quickly unraveled soon aft that. By June 2018, a national expansive assemblage indicted her and erstwhile Theranos main operating serviceman Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, whom she was romantically progressive with, on fraud charges.

THERANOS FOUNDER ELIZABETH HOLMES FOUND GUILTY ON 4 OF 11 CHARGES

During her seven-day self-defense testimony, she denied, deflected and blamed fundamentally everyone else. 

Elizabeth Holmes, center, enters national tribunal successful San Jose, Calif., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (AP photo/Nic Coury)

Holmes claimed her unit misled her astir exertion and her ex-lover subjected her to years of affectional and intersexual maltreatment and controlled her. 

She was yet convicted successful California successful January 2022 of defrauding investors but was acquitted connected different charges connected to defrauded patients. Holmes was sentenced successful November to 11 years successful prison.

Nancy Crampton-Brophy

The romance novelist who wrote "How To Murder Your Husband" was connected proceedings for sidesplitting her real-life husband, Daniel Brophy, connected June 2, 2018 while nan mates slogged done financial hardships.

The 63-year-old writer took nan guidelines during her proceedings successful May 2022. 

Years earlier Nancy Crampton-Brophy allegedly murdered her husband, she penned an effort titled, "How to Murder Your Husband." (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

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During her testimony, she claimed that nan time her hubby was murdered she was astatine nan now-defunct Oregon Culinary Institute, wherever her hubby worked. She said she was location that time by coincidence, and she bought nan shade weapon and firearm materials for investigation for her caller book. 

The assemblage didn't bargain it and convicted her of second-degree execution successful May 2022. In June 2022 she was sentenced to life successful prison.