Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty of Murdering His Wife and Son
On Thursday, Alex Murdaugh, a former South Carolina lawyer and the patriarch of a prominent legal dynasty in the Lowcountry, was found guilty of murdering his wife and youngest son.[0] The jury delivered a guilty verdict after only two and a half hours of deliberation.
Murdaugh, 54, is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.[1] He faces a minimum sentence of thirty years, and a maximum sentence of life in prison.[2] His sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. this morning.[3]
Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his wife and son on June 7, 2021 in an effort to avoid the impending exposure of his criminal behavior. For years, he had been stealing millions of dollars from his former clients, law firm, and family.[3] The chief financial officer of his law firm had confronted Murdaugh about the missing funds on the morning of the killings, and he was also facing a lawsuit from the family of Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old woman who was killed in a boat crash in 2019.[4]
A cellphone video from Paul's phone that was recovered in 2022 was the most incriminating evidence against Murdaugh; it showed Alex at the murder scene with the victims four minutes prior to the estimated 8:50 p.m. time of the shooting deaths, according to prosecutors.[5] Initially, Murdaugh had told police he had been napping at home and then drove to his mother's house in a nearby town, and only returned home to find the bodies.[6] He admitted his lie on the stand, and a dozen witnesses identified Murdaugh's voice in the video.[7]
Prosecutors argued Murdaugh used a shotgun to kill Paul and a rifle to execute Maggie.[8] The jury also heard testimony of Murdaugh's long-standing addiction to prescription painkillers and his financial crimes.[6]
After the jury removed one juror on Thursday morning for engaging in improper discussions about the case, the verdict was delivered.[9] Murdaugh's sentencing is set for 9:30 this morning, and he is also facing more than a hundred other criminal charges related to his alleged crimes.
0. “Guilty verdict was ‘best outcome’ for Curtis ‘Cousin Eddie’ Smith” NewsNation Now, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/alex-murdaugh-guilty-verdict-best-outcome-curtis-cousin-eddie-smith/
1. “What we've learned from Alex Murdaugh murder trial” BBC, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64790627
2. “Alex Murdaugh to be sentenced Friday in murder of wife, son” Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-friday-murder-wife-son
3. “Guilty As Charged: Alex Murdaugh convicted of murdering his wife and son” WJCL News Savannah, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.wjcl.com/article/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-verdict/43164774
4. “March 2, 2023 – Alex Murdaugh found guilty in the murder of his wife and son” CNN, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/murdaugh-trial-closing-arguments-03-02-23/h_ccfb55045cdbf2eee5be1f1e72c620e6
5. “Alex Murdaugh convicted of murder in fatal shooting of wife and son” Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-convicted-thursday-fatally-shooting-wife-son
6. “Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murdering wife, son in June 2021” The State, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article272639013.html
7. “Alex Murdaugh's defense argues investigators ‘failed miserably'” KOCO Oklahoma City, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.koco.com/article/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-march-2-2023/43149171
8. “Live updates: Sentencing of Alex Murdaugh on murder charges” CNN, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/alex-murdaugh-sentencing-03-03-23/index.html
9. “Judge kicks off juror in Alex Murdaugh trial” WLTX.com, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.wltx.com/article/news/special-reports/alex-murdaugh/alex-murdaugh-trial-juror-removed/101-7ceee91c-7c71-462f-8a9b-7c5119914e52
