Alex Murdaugh pleaded his innocence one last time in court on Friday, insisting he “would not under any circumstances hurt either Maggie or Paul Paul” as he prepared to face sentencing for their murders.
Murdaugh was yesterday found guilty of murdering Maggie and Paul at the family hunting lodge in June 2021. He faces between 30 years and life imprisonment.
His son Buster, sister Lynne and brother John Marvin are all in court to support him.
The jury’s lightning-fast verdict stunned many after the six-week trial, which produced a mountain of evidence and testimony. Prosecutors today sought the maximum sentence available – two consecutive life sentences.
Murdaugh spoke briefly and told the judge, “I’m innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie and I would never hurt my son Paw Paw.
Judge Clifton Newman gave a searing assessment of Murdaugh’s “duplicity”; character
Murdaugh spoke briefly and told the judge, “I’m innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie and I would never hurt my son Paul Paul.
Judge Clifton Newman delivered a harsh assessment of Murdaugh’s “double-faced” character before delivering his verdict.
“You kept lying. where will it end For many it’s already over. In your own soul you have to deal with it.
“You need to see Paul and Maggie at night when you’re trying to sleep. I’m sure they’ll come visit you. I am certain.’
Murdaugh replied, “All day, all night.”
Judge Newman shot back: “I’m sure. And they will continue to do so.”
Prosecutor Creighton Waters said Maggie was “crushed in the prime of her life” while Paul was “crushed just as he was beginning to live his life”.
He asked for the maximum sentence of two consecutive life sentences and said Murdaugh did not deserve to ever again walk among free, law-abiding citizens.
Alex Murdaugh has arrived in court to be convicted of the murders of his wife and son.
Murdaugh was helped out of a prison van. He wore orange slide shoes with socks and a prison jumpsuit
Murdaugh was handcuffed when he was led into the courtroom in South Carolina this morning
Buster Murdaugh arrives at court with his girlfriend for his father’s sentencing
Murdaugh’s sister, Lynn, arrives at court with other family members, including his brother, John Marvin
Murdaugh maintained his innocence throughout the six-week trial.
He cried on the witness stand as he spoke about his crippling opioid addiction and spoke lovingly of his family, whom he said he would never want to hurt.
He suggested that it was the 2019 boating accident caused by Paul that resulted in the death of a young girl that ultimately led to his death.
Prosecutors were unable to pin down some of the key questions that remain unanswered after the trial.
Her arguments were enough to convince the jury of Murdaugh’s guilt.
A juror broke cover Friday to tell Good Morning America why they convicted him so quickly.
“He was a good liar, but not good enough,” Moyer said, breaking his anonymity to speak about the blockbuster trial that gripped America.
When the jury entered the deliberation room yesterday, nine were already convinced of Murdaugh’s guilt – including Moyer. Two found him innocent and another juror was undecided.
Moyer revealed Friday that it took just 45 minutes of deliberation to convince the other three jurors he was guilty.
“You start thinking, you go through the evidence and everyone has been talking quite a bit.
“About 45 minutes later, after all our deliberations, we figured it out. The evidence was clear.’
Moyer said the nail in Murdaugh’s coffin was a video shot by his son Paul just before the murders, in which his voice could be heard in the background.
Murdaugh had always denied being near the dog kennel where the bodies of his wife and son were found, but admitted in court that he lied and was heard in the video.
Moyer also said the jury was unconvinced by Murdaugh’s emotional testimony on the witness stand.
“I didn’t see any real remorse or compassion or anything like that. He never cried.
‘He just blew snot. [There were] no tears. I saw his eyes,’ Moyer said.
The defense claimed Murdaugh did not have enough time to shoot his wife and son, clean up, visit his mother and then return to the scene, where he called the police.
However, Moyer said he and the jury felt they had “just enough time” to do all of those things.
Alex Murdaugh with wife Maggie and their sons Buster (left) and Paul (right)
Buster Murdaugh with his head in his hands yesterday after his father was found guilty of murder
Pictured: Alex Murdaugh’s sister Lynn exits Colleton County Court
He also said they were put off by Murdaugh’s apparent willingness.
“His replies, how fast he was on defense, and his lies…just consistent lies.”
Murdaugh will return to court for sentencing this morning. He faces life imprisonment.
He showed no emotion yesterday when he was found guilty.
He had cried on the witness stand and told the court about his crippling opioid addiction and money problems, but insisted he had not killed his wife and son.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters also appeared on GMA on Friday to reveal his cross-examination strategy.
“He’s been able to talk himself out of responsibility his whole life. Such people are confident in their own ability to do so.
“I was convinced that he would testify. My strategy was to find out who he was.
‘You know, he wouldn’t even admit in front of a jury that he was rich.
“The idea was to get him to talk about himself and his life and then go into the details of his new story, which he was telling the world for the first time.”
Among those on trial yesterday was Buster Murdaugh, the legal heir’s only surviving son.
Craig Moyer appeared on Good Morning America Friday morning to explain why he and his colleagues believed Murdaugh was guilty
Buster has never said if he believes his father’s innocence, but he has been called as a witness for his defense team.
He told the court his father was “devastated” by the killings.
Maggie’s relatives, including her sister, also testified for the prosecution. She said she found it odd that her brother-in-law wasn’t looking for who killed his wife and son.
“I just thought his priority should have been to find out who killed Maggie and Paul,” Marian Proctor said.
In his closing arguments, Waters told the jury, “No one knew who this man was.
“He had avoided responsibility all his life, he had relied on his family name, he had a powerful family, he wore a badge and used it as an authority, he lived a prosperous life – but now he finally faced utter ruin .”
He added that the legal scion “is the kind of person for whom shame is an extraordinary provocation,” and faced with financial ruin his “ego couldn’t bear… he became a family wrecker.”
He concluded the speech with the fervent plea: “This defendant fooled everyone, everyone.
“Anyone who thought they were close to him, he fooled them all, and he fooled Maggie and Paul too, and they paid the price with their lives.
‘Don’t let him fool you too.’