Notorious ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son that shocked America.
The hearing in South Carolina came a day after a jury took less than three hours to convict the 54-year-old.
Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were shot at close range on June 7, 2021, at their family estate.
Prosecutors said he killed his wife and son to distract attention from his financial crimes and gain sympathy.
Judge Clifton Newman described the case as “most troubling” in what he saw and noted Murdaugh’s past “as a well-known member of the legal community”.
“You’ve practiced law before me, and we’ve seen each other on various occasions over the years,” he said, “particularly heartbreaking for me” about Murdaugh’s arrest and prosecution. I know, after more than a year. were killed.
Alex Murdaugh headed a legal family that held a powerful position for decades – a jurisdiction described by some as “Murdaugh Country”.
Judge Newman said he understood the state’s decision not to seek the death penalty, but noted that Murdaugh’s own family had sentenced people to lesser death sentences.
“You and your family are here in this courtroom on trial against people, and many have been executed, perhaps for lesser conduct,” he said.
After a six-week trial, the disqualified lawyer was convicted of two counts of murder.
During the trial, investigators revealed how Murdaugh stole nearly $9 million from clients, to fund an addiction to painkillers and a lavish lifestyle.
At Friday’s sentencing, Murdaugh spoke briefly twice to maintain his innocence. His lawyers said he would appeal against the life sentence within 10 days.
Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster Murdaugh, dressed in a plain navy blue blazer, sat silent and still throughout the proceedings – until the judge sentenced his father to two consecutive life sentences.
The judge also suggested that the killing was done under the influence of drugs.
“It may not have been you, but it was the monster you became when you took those pills.”
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said the evidence against the South Carolina lawyer was “overwhelming” and showed him to be a “devious, manipulative man who put himself above all others, including his family”.
Murdaugh, meanwhile, repeated 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 looked ahead and didn’t react as he read his sentence.
A video filmed minutes before Paul Murdaugh was shot featured his father’s voice in the background, dramatically contradicting his claim that he was not there at the time.
A judge who sentenced him told JEE News that was the moment he began to suspect the defendant was guilty.
A new mugshot released by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) shows Murdaugh now has a shaved head.
According to local media, male inmates usually undergo some form of haircut upon arrival at the prison.
SCDC said in a statement that “like all inmates” he will spend the next 45 days in an intake process – during which his medical and mental health will be assessed, as will his educational level.
After a period of 45 days, he will be sent to a maximum security prison.
