Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced ex-lawyer, was sentenced to life in prison for assassinating his wife and son in a particular instance that shocked the United States. The hearing in South Carolina came one day after a jury convicted the 54-year-old in less than three hours.
On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were shot at close range on their family estate. Prosecutors claimed he murdered his wife and son to draw attention away from his financial crimes and gain sympathy.
Judge Clifton Newman called the case “one of the most troubling” he had seen and noted Murdaugh’s past “as a well-known member of the legal community”.
“You’ve practised law before me, and we’ve seen each other on various occasions throughout the years,” he said, calling it “especially heart-breaking for me” to learn of Murdaugh’s arrest and prosecution, more than a year after the murders were committed.
Alex Murdaugh led a legal dynasty that had occupied a powerful position for decades – the jurisdiction was dubbed “Murdaugh Country” by some.
Judge Newman said he understood the state’s decision not to seek the death penalty, but that Murdaugh’s family had people executed for less.
“Your family, including you, have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom, and many have received the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct,” he said.
After a six-week trial, the disbarred lawyer was found guilty on two counts of murder., “It might not have been you, but it may have been the monster you became when you took those pills”, during the trial, prosecutors revealed how Murdaugh stole nearly $9 million from clients to fund his painkiller addiction and lavish lifestyle.
Murdaugh spoke briefly two times during Friday’s sentencing to maintain his innocence. His attorneys stated that he would file an appeal against the life sentence within 10 days.
Buster Murdaugh, Murdaugh’s surviving son, sat still and silent throughout the proceedings, even as the judge sentenced his father to two consecutive life sentences.
The judge also speculated that the murders may have been committed while under the influence of drugs.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said the evidence against the South Carolina lawyer was “overwhelming” and showed him to be a “cunning, manipulative man who placed himself above all others, including his family”.
Murdaugh restated his claim that he was not guilty, “I would never hurt my wife and I would never hurt my son,” he said in brief remarks at the hearing. He stared ahead and did not react as his sentence was read.
A video shot by Paul Murdaugh just minutes before he was shot featured his father’s voice in the background, contradicting his claim that he was not present at the time.
A convicted juror told ABC News that was the event he realised the defendant was guilty. Alex Murdaugh’s head has been shaved in a new picture released by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC).
According to local media, male prisoners usually get a haircut when they arrive in prison. According to the SCDC, he will spend the next 45 days in the intake process, where his medical and mental health, as well as his educational level, will be assessed.
He will be transferred to a maximum-security prison after 45 days. During a press conference following the sentence, Murdaugh’s lawyers stated that they did not believe it was a fair sentence. They called Judge Newman’s choice of allowing evidence related to Murdaugh’s financial fraud to be included in the murder case “erroneous”.
