A disgraced South Carolina lawyer has been found guilty of murdering his wife and son to distract from his multi-million dollar financial crimes.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Alex Murdaugh, 54, guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial.
The case laid bare in gruesome detail the unravelling of a Deep South legal dynasty riven by greed and addiction.
He faces 30 years to life in prison without parole for each murder charge.
Murdaugh stood impassively as he learned his fate during Thursday evening’s hearing in Walterboro.
He had pleaded not guilty to killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in an attempt to conceal years of financial crimes, which he himself had acknowledged in court, forcefully insisting he would “never” harm his family.
After the verdict dozens of spectators gathered outside the back of the court where he was expected to exit into a black van.
Members of the public staked out spots alongside the media, streaming video footage to their family and friends. Some even blocked the street with their vehicles, prompting police to shout for them to move.
The prosecution’s case against Murdaugh was based entirely on circumstantial evidence. No direct evidence – things like a murder weapon, blood on his clothing or an eyewitness – was presented at trial.
But the prosecution focused on an incriminating Snapchat video taken by Murdaugh’s son just before the murders.
On 7 June 2021, Paul and his mother were killed at the dog kennels on the family’s sprawling hunting estate, known as Moselle.
For 20 months after their murders, Alex Murdaugh told law enforcement repeatedly he had not been at the dog kennels at all that evening, and was at home napping.
But in the Snapchat video filmed by Paul just minutes before the shootings took place, the defendant’s voice could be heard in the background.
On the stand at trial, Murdaugh admitted he had lied, saying his years-long addiction to painkillers had put him in a paranoid state.
