0

Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murders of Wife and Son

Alex Murdaugh, the once prominent South Carolina lawyer and patriarch of a powerful legal dynasty, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and son. On Friday, March 3rd, Murdaugh was found guilty on all four counts of murder and two weapons charges and was immediately given the maximum sentence of two consecutive life terms.

The high-profile, nearly six-week trial began in January 2023 and included testimony from 76 witnesses. Murdaugh maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, but jurors only took three hours to reach a guilty verdict after prosecutors presented them with key evidence, including a Snapchat video taken by the victim, Paul Murdaugh, just minutes before he was killed.^[0] The video, which was filmed at the family's dog kennels, featured Murdaugh's voice in the background and contradicted his claims that he had not joined his family at the kennels that night, but had stayed home to nap.^[1]

Murdaugh was then taken to the city of Columbia's Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center, which is a maximum-security, level-three facility that houses male offenders.^[2] He will undergo medical tests, mental health and education assessments, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections will gather other additional background information.^[3] After the assessment, Murdaugh will be assigned permanently to a maximum-security prison.^[3]

Before the sentencing, Judge Clifton Newman excoriated the 54-year-old defendant, telling him that even if he continues to deny his guilt publicly, he'll have to deal with the haunting crimes he's committed in his own soul.^[2] Newman added that he was sure Paul and Maggie Murdaugh would come to visit him in his sleep.^[4]

The defense attorneys who represented Murdaugh during his murder trial have said they plan to appeal his conviction.  ^[3]Jurors were paid just $20 a day for the wearying six-week trial, which was originally supposed to last three weeks and drew global coverage.^[5]

0. “Alex Murdaugh officially in prison to begin serving life sentence” WLTX.com, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.wltx.com/article/news/special-reports/alex-murdaugh/alex-murdaugh-in-prison-mugshot/101-80ec290c-ff31-4c0e-bea3-3a0e8841df52

1. “Bubba, Buster, Paw-Paw – who's who in Murdaugh murder trial” BBC, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64794625

2. “Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence” Yahoo Life, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/convicted-killer-alex-murdaughs-mugshot-223517361.html

3. “Murdaugh booked into Columbia prison after guilty verdict, sentencing” Live 5 News WCSC, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.live5news.com/2023/03/03/murdaugh-booked-into-columbia-prison-after-guilty-verdict-sentencing

4. “Alex Murdaugh is headed to a maximum-security prison. But here's what will happen first” WJCL News Savannah, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.wjcl.com/article/alex-murdaugh-scdc-maximum-security-prison/43185488

5. “Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence” Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/convicted-killer-alex-murdaughs-new-mugshot-revealed-double-life-sentence