Alex Murdaugh found guilty by jury in double murder trial
After just three hours of deliberations, the jury in the Alex Murdaugh trial reached a verdict on his involvement in the murder of his wife and son.
The trial of the “Murdaugh Murders” from the TV docuseries on Netflix has come to an end in real life. Details of the slayings of Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and her 22-year-old son Paul at their home in South Carolina in June 2021 have all been discussed, and the prosecution made its claim on why it believes that Paul’s father and Maggie’s husband, Alex Murdaugh, is the one responsible for the deaths.
Over 28 days the jurors heard testimony from over 70 witnesses and had access to more than 800 pieces of evidence. The day before the closing arguments, they also visited the Murdaugh family estate, Moselle, where Maggie and Paul were found dead in June 2021. The pair were shot multiple times near the dog kennels.
After just three hours of deliberations, the jury came back with its verdict on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection with the slayings of his wife and son at the family-owned property. The decision was unanimous, declaring the Murdaugh guilty on all four counts. He will now face a sentencing trial where he faces anywhere from 30 years to life in prison.
Who is Alex Murdaugh and what has he said about the case and what happened?
Alex Murdaugh, was a prominent attorney from South Carolina, so far he has maintained his innocence on the accusation that he murdered his son and wife. The attorney testified this past Friday that he wasn’t in the house when his wife and son shot a story he later recanted from, alleging that he was afraid of not being believed. Instead, Alex argues that the shootings were revenge for Mallory Beach’s 2019 boating accident tragedy. His son was accused of being drunk while driving a boat, which caused the 21-year-old to lose her life.
How long could Alex Murdaugh spend in jail?
Judge Clifton Newman, who presided over the trial, after receiving the verdict from the jury adjourned the court. On Friday morning at 9:30 court will be back in session again for sentencing where the former lawyer faces a minimum of 30 years in prison to life in prison. The delay in handing down the defendants fate was due to the late hour and give time that those who want to give impact statements to influence how long Murdaugh will be behind bars to prepare.