Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and son.
A South Carolina judge sentenced Murdaugh a day after he was convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, 52, and their younger son, Paul, 22.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours on Thursday before finding him guilty, despite his pleas of innocence.
A video taken by Paul Murdaugh in the final minutes before he died proved Murdaugh was at the dog kennels on the family’s rural estate. Murdaugh’s voice was heard in the background of the video. His lawyers insisted he wasn’t at the murder scene when his family was killed on June 7, 2021.
Murdaugh’s lawyers claimed two gunmen committed the crimes while Murdaugh was a short distance away visiting his mother.
However, prosecutors say Murdaugh used a shotgun to kill his son, before gunning down his wife with a rifle.
Murdaugh then drove off to visit his mother to establish his alibi. Prosecutors say he called and texted his wife’s phone after the murders.
Only Murdaugh could have killed his wife and son, prosecutors said. Murdaugh also faces charges of stealing about $8.8 million in settlement checks that were intended for his clients.
Earlier in the day, his law firm’s chief financial officer confronted Murdaugh about a six-figure settlement check that the firm never received.
Murdaugh was disbarred last summer after he was charged with financial crimes.
Murdaugh survived a suicide attempt in 2021, a few months after his wife and son were killed. Police say Murdaugh hired a hitman to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, 26, would receive a $10 million insurance payout. However, the hitman, Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was a bad shot. Smith was arrested and charged with assisted suicide among other counts.
Watch the sentencing hearing below.
Watch full video of sentencing hearing below.
