Sex | Sex Offender Facing Charges

According to police, the homeowner's wife saw a man walk onto the couple's back deck, crouch down in front of the mostly glass back door and look into the house. The prowler left as the husband approached the back door and ran off when he yelled at the man, police said.

The couple told police the man had a very noticeable eye wound, a detail that police said ultimately led to Murdaugh's arrest.

Another resident on the block reported about 90 minutes later that he and his family returned home to find items on an inside ledge of a kitchen window knocked over with damage to the window.

Police said the window was 3 to 4 feet from the rear deck, 12 to 15 feet above the ground and it looked as if someone had tried to climb in the window but fell.

Police noted a tree below the window had broken branches and there were what looked like fingerprints on the window ledge, as if someone had been holding onto the ledge.

The resident of the second reported attempted break-in, which appears to have occurred first, told police he saw a man matching the description given by his neighbor walking east on Fourth Avenue when he left his home about 3:30 p.m., court documents state.

Murdaugh was arrested after police said they checked local hospitals and found him at the Altoona emergency room.

The victims also identified Murdaugh in a photo lineup, and police said Murdaugh's clothes were grass stained and torn and he had trouble keeping his story about how he hurt himself straight. A red stain on Murdaugh's pants matched the color of the tree's leaves outside the one home, police said.

Murdaugh is a lifetime registered sex offender under Megan's Law because of a 1991 rape conviction, according to police and the Pennsylvania online Megan's Law website. Police said Murdaugh has an extensive criminal history involving sex offenses, has used several alias and has prior arrests in California, Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Murdaugh is charged with two counts each of attempted burglary, burglary and criminal trespass and one count of criminal mischief. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at Central Court.

Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is 946-7458.