Murdaugh

A juror who convicted Alex Murdaugh on Thursday told ABC News in an exclusive interview that the cellphone video captured by Murdaugh's son sealed his fate.

Prosecutors have indicated they will ask for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The heart of their brief debate surrounded shotgun shells, which he said the not guilty voters put forward as evidence of Murdaugh's innocence. He said the jury then watched a responding officer’s body camera video taken at the crime scene. He said he locked eyes with him as the prosecution played the cellphone video. He is facing a minimum of 30 years behind bars for each murder conviction. The video was taken at the family's dog kennels by Paul Murdaugh, 22, who later that night was brutally murdered along with his mother Margaret, 52.

The South Carolina lawyer faces a minimum of 30 years in prison for each murder.

They called Judge Newman's decision to allow evidence related to Murdaugh's financial crimes to be included in the murder trial "erroneous". Murdaugh had been cast as a "despicable human being", he said. He stared ahead and did not react as his sentence was read. "I would never hurt my wife and I would never hurt my son," he said in brief remarks at the hearing. Judge Clifton Newman called the case "one of the most troubling" he had seen and noted Murdaugh's past "as a well-known member of the legal community". Disgraced ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife and son in a case that shocked the US.

The 54-year-old disbarred South Carolina lawyer faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison for each murder conviction.

"This defendant has fooled everyone — everyone who thought they were close to him," Waters told the jury in his closing argument. He was facing a financial reckoning, they said, that also included his liability in a court case over a fatal 2019 boating accident in which Paul, then 19, was said to be driving. Prosecutors never produced the two murder weapons used to kill Maggie and Paul, and there were no eyewitnesses. But after witnesses identified Murdaugh's voice in a cellphone video taken by Paul at the kennel around 8:45 p.m. Newman had said he would render his sentence after any victim impact statements, but prosecutor Creighton Waters began his remarks by saying the state did not have anyone who wanted to deliver a victim statement. "It's so unfortunate, because you had such a lovely family of such friendly people — including you," the judge told Murdaugh. The sentencing closes a six-week-long trial that charted Murdaugh's fall from grace. Murdaugh said repeatedly that he didn't go with his wife and son to the dog kennels where they were shot and killed, saying that he stayed in the house, and took a nap before leaving to see his ailing mother. The court session began shortly after 9:30 a.m. Thank you." "Good morning, your honor. Newman told Murdaugh that each of the punishments apply to "the rest of your natural life," adding that the sentences are consecutive.

Sentencing came little more than 12 hours after South Carolina attorney was found guilty of murder.

Newman – who also spoke about the many times he had encountered Murdaugh as a lawyer in the After the murders, Murdaugh portrayed the killings as an act of retribution by unknown assassins. “It doesn’t matter who your family is,” Waters said. It doesn’t matter … I am sure they come and visit you,” he said. The small town of Walterboro has been turned into a media circus for the trial’s duration.

Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina lawyer who was found guilty of killing his wife and son, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

"There had to be quite a bit going through your mind," Newman said, and yet he noted that Murdaugh had testified to that day being like any other, that he had been enjoying life with his wife and son. Murdaugh was facing a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit stemming from that accident, with a critical hearing scheduled for just days after the killings. Prosecutors said he fatally shot his wife and son to distract from an array of financial misdeeds, including the theft of millions of dollars from his law partners and clients -- money used to feed a years-long addiction to opioids and support an expensive lifestyle. Murdaugh changed his account after the jury listened to audio evidence placing him at the crime scene minutes before the murders occurred. Supreme Court, his lawyers said on Friday, arguing that the judge's decision to allow testimony about all Murdaugh's financial misdeeds unfairly undermined his credibility with the jury. The jury took only three hours to reach their decision after a five-week trial.

Scion of South Carolina legal dynasty maintains his innocence during sentencing, still faces more than 100 criminal charges for alleged financial and drug ...

After sentencing, Murdaugh’s lawyers reiterated that they would appeal the case, and admitted that Murdaugh, a now-former lawyer, sensed the guilty verdict was inevitable. In total, Murdaugh still faces about a dozen lawsuits and more than 100 criminal charges for alleged financial and drug violations; as noted during sentencing, Judge Newman from Murdaugh’s murder trial will also preside over those pending charges. Throughout the trial, the prosecution argued that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son Paul on June 7, 2021, at the family’s hunting estate in an attempt to evade accountability for a string of alleged financial crimes. Despite the Murdaugh family’s centuries-old legal hold over the Lowcountry, the jury needed less than three hours to convict Alex on the four charges. Prosecutors previously announced that they would seek two consecutive life in prison sentences without the possibility of parole against Murdaugh, sparring him the death penalty. The prosecutors, meanwhile, called Alex a “cunning manipulator, a man who placed himself above all others, including his family” before sentencing.

In an interview with “Good Morning America” on Friday, juror Craig Moyer said it didn't take long for the jury to get on the same page.

“The jury didn’t buy that it could be anyone else.” What pushed the jury toward a unanimous guilty decision, Moyer said, was video evidence in which Murdaugh’s voice is heard moments before the murders. Prosecutors said Murdaugh killed them to gain sympathy and obscure his having swindled his law partners and clients out of nearly $9 million, adding that he’s since tried to “manufacture an alibi.” Legal observers were surprised at how quickly the jury came to a verdict. “He didn’t cry,” the juror told “Good Morning America.” “All he did was blow snot.” He squeezed his eyes and wiped his nose as his face reddened. “The evidence was clear,” he added. No victim impact statements were presented during the sentencing. His eldest son, who goes by Buster, had his hand on his face and stared into space. On Friday, Murdaugh, 54, was Moyer said he was “certain” he had heard Murdaugh’s voice. Moyer said he was one of the jurors who didn’t buy Murdaugh or his testimony.

Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced attorney whose dynastic family had significant legal reach in parts of South Carolina's Lowcountry for decades, ...

“If he went in there and they believed him, then he would have likely been found not guilty. When he heard a verdict had been reached less than three hours after deliberations started, he suspected Murdaugh would be convicted, he said. But the verdict shows jurors did not believe Murdaugh was credible, the experts said. [argued ](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-defense-closings-thursday/index.html)authorities did not properly examine other suspects. [video](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-wednesday/index.html), recorded by Paul near the family’s dog kennels shortly before the time prosecutors say they were killed, captured Alex Murdaugh’s voice in the background, nearly a dozen friends and family members testified. I think they couldn’t get past the lie (about the kennel video).” But that prominence belied underlying issues, and the killings of his wife and son were Murdaugh’s lies are likely what led to the speedy decision, they said. It was an opportunity for jurors to empathize with him while he appeared to put it all on the line, confessing to his drug addiction and repeated lies during financial schemes and the murder investigation, the experts said. “In the end … Prosecutors have indicated they will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, sparing Murdaugh the death penalty. in South Carolina’s Colleton County.

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder in the deaths of his wife and son.

Waters said Murdaugh, a member of a [prominent legal dynasty](https://bit.ly/3KROCEA) that ran a prosecutor's office in Hampton County for more than 80 years, killed his family to prevent his alleged financial crimes from being exposed and ruining his family's legacy and his successful law practice. Murdaugh initially told police he was not at the family's dog kennels before finding the bodies there, but his voice was captured on [a video taken on his son’s cellphone](http://bit.ly/41ASJLd) minutes before prosecutors believe the killings happened. [Murdaugh addresses the court: 'I'm innocent'] [None of Maggie or Paul's family members delivered a victim impact statement, but Murdaugh briefly addressed the court before he was sentenced.] ["I'm innocent. [tax evasion,](http://bit.ly/3CZRISg) and [drug trafficking](http://bit.ly/3JkNoRB) which [ could carry a penalty of more than seven centuries of prison time. [Judge Clifton Newman criticizes Murdaugh's testimony as not credible] [Newman said he could imagine the "looming storm" lead prosecutor Creighton Waters described Murdaugh faced the day of the murders. "In the murder of your wife Maggie Murdaugh, I sentence you for a term for the rest of your natural life," Newman said. “And it might not have been you," Newman said. "But once that information was in, I mean he had to take the stand to explain the kennel video, the lie, if you will." He added the evidence that Murdaugh stole and lied wasn't about motive but Murdaugh's character. When asked why Murdaugh's son Buster did not speak during sentencing, Griffin said it would not have made a difference in Murdaugh's sentence. The attorneys said the strongest grounds for appeal are the judge's decision to admit evidence related to Murdaugh's alleged financial crimes.] Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were killed near dog kennels at the family's home in June 2021.

Sara Azari, a criminal trial attorney, told News Nation, the case was “cloaked in doubt,” until Murdaugh testified, which “sealed the deal” for the jury, who ...

For five weeks Murdaugh was on trial for the June 2021 murder of his wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son Paul. [Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife And Son](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/03/02/alex-murdaugh-found-guilty-in-murder-of-wife-and-son/?sh=2f0daa902674) (Forbes) [How Alex Murdaugh Opened The Door For Convictions On Financial And Tax Crime Charges](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2023/03/01/how-alex-murdaugh-opened-the-door-for-convictions-on-financial-and-tax-crime-charges/?sh=2e7edf5172ed) (Forbes) [Juror Removed From Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial For Discussing Case Outside Courtroom](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/03/02/juror-removed-from-alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-for-discussing-case-outside-courtroom/?sh=535db4534247) (Forbes) [Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial Jurors Make Rare Visit To South Carolina Crime Scene](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/03/01/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-jurors-make-rare-visit-to-south-carolina-crime-scene/?sh=7d1dcd391ccb) (Forbes) [Levinson](https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/20230303030321-legal-experts-examine-alex-murdaugh-murder-verdict/#x) said. [told](https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/murdaugh-murder-trial/alex-murdaugh-verdict-watch-jury/) News Nation, the case was “cloaked in doubt,” until Murdaugh testified, which “sealed the deal” for the jury, who Azari said didn’t care about why Murdaugh committed these crimes but instead focused on the big “lie.” [told](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCOLlbBtj_E%5C) the Associated Press. When Alex Murdaugh—who was found guilty Thursday of murdering his wife and son in June 2021 and sentenced Friday to life in prison—took the stand to explain his side of the story, he backed himself into a corner, admitted to other crimes and ultimately made himself unreliable, which legal experts say lead to his guilty verdict.

A judge sentenced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh to life without parole, a day after he was convicte...

But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including the video putting Murdaugh at the scene of the killings five minutes before his wife and son stopped using their mobile phones forever. As Murdaugh stood before the judge to learn his fate, he was in the same courtroom on the circuit where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather tried cases as the elected prosecutor for more than 80 years. The lack of remorse and the effortless way in which he is, including here, sitting right over there in this witness stand — your honour, a man like that, a man like this man, should never be allowed to be among free, law abiding citizens," Waters said. Any sentence would have no chance of parole. Prosecutor Creighton Waters said none of the victims of the crime — members of Murdaugh's family and the parents and relatives of his wife — wished to speak on behalf of the prosecution before sentencing. But I am innocent.

In a remarkable courtroom moment, the judge in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial spoke in stark and personal terms ahead of the disgraced lawyer's sentencing ...

That is the sentence of the court and you are remanded to the state Department of Corrections. For the murder of Paul Murdaugh, whom you probably loved so much, I sentence you to prison for murdering him for the rest of your natural life. I sentence you for the term of the rest of your natural life. Murdaugh, I sentence you to the state Department of Corrections on each of the murder indictments. And then that necessitated more lies and continued to lie, and I say when will it end, it has already ended for many who have heard you and concluded that it will never end. “It might have been the monster you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills, and maybe you become another person. I have not been able to get anyone, any defendant, even those who have confessed to being guilty to go back and explain to me what happened at that moment in time when they opted to pull the trigger, when they opted to commit the most heinous crime known to man.” I don’t question at all the decision of the state not to pursue the death penalty. And reflect on the last time they looked you in the eyes, as you looked the jury in the eyes.” “This has been perhaps one of the most troubling cases not just for me as a judge, for the state, for the defense team, but for all of the citizens in this community, all the citizens in this state, as we have seen based on the media coverage throughout the nation,” Newman said. A lawyer, a person from the respected family who has controlled justice in this community for over a century, a person whose grandfather’s portrait hang at the back of the courthouse that I had to have ordered removed in order to ensure that a fair trial was had by both the state and the defense. In fact, as I have presided over murder cases over the past 22 years, I have yet to find a defendant who could go there, who could go back to that moment in time when they decided to pull the trigger or to otherwise murder someone.

Over the past nearly six weeks, the jury has heard from over 60 witnesses called by state prosecutors. Murdaugh's sentencing will be on Friday morning.

Crystal Cranmore reports. Murdaugh's sentencing will be on Friday morning. Over the past nearly six weeks, the jury has heard from over 60 witnesses called by state prosecutors.

Law enforcement officials built their double-murder case against Alex Murdaugh using a wealth of data to track his movements around the time of the ...

9:10: Alex Murdaugh calls Buster Murdaugh, his older son, and they speak for one minute. The car does not slow down. Buster Murdaugh testified that his father called to say that he was driving to check on his ailing mother, and that he sounded normal on the phone. 9:06: Alex Murdaugh calls Maggie Murdaugh again. As they built their case against Alex Murdaugh, law enforcement officials used a wealth of data to detail the key moments on the night his younger son, Paul Murdaugh, and his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, were murdered. Law enforcement officials built their double-murder case against Alex Murdaugh using a wealth of data to track his movements around the time of the killings.

Richard "Alex" Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for killing his wife and son in what prosecutors said was an attempt to hide his drug ...

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed Murdaugh as a serial liar and argued that only he had the means and the opportunity to commit the murders. Murdaugh was facing a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit stemming from that accident, with a critical hearing scheduled for just days after the killings. Murdaugh changed his account after the jury listened to audio evidence placing him at the crime scene minutes before the murders occurred. The jury took only three hours to reach their decision after a five-week trial. "I'm innocent. "It might not have been you (who killed them).