Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison without parole on Friday after being convicted of murdering his wife and son.
The Colleton County jury deliberated for less than three hours before convicting Murdaugh, 54, of killing his wife, Margaret, and their youngest son, 22-year-old Paul, in June 2021. Judge Clifton Newman handed down the maximum sentence.
There was no direct evidence tying Murdaugh to the murders, as the shotgun used to kill Paul and the rifle used to kill Margaret were never found, but investigators say the shell casing matched firearms owned by the family.
A bombshell recording found on Pauls phone placed Murdaugh at the scene minutes before the murders took place, proving he had lied to investigators.
A video shared by Twitter user @Nerdy_Addict shows Murdaugh being escorted out of the sentencing hearing in shackles. A voice can be heard shouting “Buster is next,” referring to the eldest Murdaugh son.
“Justice for Stephen Smith,” the voice says. Stephen Smith was killed in 2015, and although investigators at the time concluded it was a hit and run, questions remain. Smiths family and others believe he was the victim of a hate crime for being gay, and rumors have swirled that Buster and Paul Murdaugh were responsible.
The sentencing comes after years of drama surrounding the Murdaugh family, including a fatal boat crash in which his son Paul was suspected, the suspicious death of a housekeeper at the family home, and an insurance fraud scheme in which Murdaugh attempted to orchestrate his own murder so Buster could receive life insurance.
Murdaugh, a once-powerful local figure, professed a decades-long opioid addiction, but maintained he was innocent of the murders.
“Today is not the end. Its the next step in the long road to justice for every person who has been victimized by Alex Murdaugh,” South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said at a news conference after the sentencing.
