Attorney Alex Murdau was convicted of murder

WALTERBORO, South Carolina (AP) — Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdau was found guilty Thursday of murder in the shootings of his wife and son.

A jury deliberated less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial that once ended the downfall of a high-profile lawyer.

Murdow, 54, will face 30 years in prison without parole if sentenced. In South Carolina, it is usually immediately after sentencing, but it can be postponed if the judge so chooses.

Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, the jury found betrayed friends and customers, Murdoh’s failed attempt to fake his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, and a fatal boating accident involving his son. .

Ultimately, Murdoh’s fate seemed to be sealed by a video his son shot with his cell phone. Because of his talent, he was called the “little detective.”

The testimony culminated in Murdau appearing on the witness stand, where he admitted to stealing millions of dollars from customers and lying to investigators about being in the kennel where the shooting took place. However, he has adamantly denied the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdoh.

“I didn’t kill Maggie or Paul. I would never hurt Maggie or hurt Paul.

On June 7, 2021, Murdoh’s 52-year-old wife was shot four or five times with a rifle and his 22-year-old son twice with a shotgun.

Prosecutors had no direct evidence of the weapons used in the murders of the Murdos, nor of confessions or blood splatters. But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including a video that had been locked on Paul Murdoh’s cell phone for over a year, taken minutes before the murder that witnesses testified. , was capturing the voices of all three Murdos.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, repeatedly told police after the murder that he was not in the kennel, but was taking a nap that night before visiting his ailing mother. Murdoh said he called 911 and found the body when he got home.

However, in his testimony, Murdoh admitted to joining Maggie and Paul in the kennel and said he robbed a chicken from a rowdy yellow Labrador named Bubba. can be heard before returning home of the fatal shooting.

Murdow lied that he had been in the kennel for 20 months before running for office on the 23rd day of trial. He blamed decades of opioid addiction for making him paranoid and creating a distrust of the police.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave. If I lied, I told my family, but I had to keep lying,” he testified.

Prosecutor Clayton Waters ticked the timeline for what Murdow repeatedly called the attorney’s “new story” of what happened at the kennel, noting specific details like his last words to his wife. attacked the “vague” memory of son.

State investigators also testified that markings on spent cartridges found around Maggie Murdau’s body matched markings on cartridges fired at another firing range on the property, but the defense , stated that such agreement is an imprecise science.

Mr. Murdow comes from a family that has dominated the local legal community for decades. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were elected prosecutors in the area for more than 80 years, and his family law firm has managed dozens of lawsuits in suing railroads, corporations and other large corporations. I grew up to be a lawyer.

The now-disqualified attorney admitted to stealing millions of dollars from family businesses and clients, and said he needed the money to fund his drug addiction. Before being indicted, he was in prison awaiting trial on about 100 charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.

Prosecutors told jurors that Murdoh feared all his wrongdoings would be exposed, so he killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and buy time to cover up his tracks.

Murdow’s attorneys will almost certainly appeal based on the judge’s admission of evidence of financial crimes.