WASHINGTON – Alex Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina lawyer, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the murders of his wife and son on their hunting estate in a case that drew global attention.
Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh, 54, scion of an elite South Carolina family of judges and attorneys, to consecutive life terms for the June 7, 2021 murders of his son Paul and his wife Maggie.
Dismissing Murdaugh’s claims of innocence as “not credible,” the judge told the disgraced attorney he must “see Paul and Maggie during the night times when you’re attempting to go to sleep.”
“I’m sure they come and visit you,” the judge said.
A jury found Murdaugh guilty on Thursday of shooting his wife and son to death after less than three hours of deliberations.
The complex case gripped the nation and Netflix and HBO scored hits with fictionalized documentaries rushed out during the more than month-long-trial.
According to the prosecution, Murdaugh killed his wife and son after realizing his years of stealing millions from his law firm and from clients to feed his hidden opioid addiction was about to go public. — Agence France-Presse
