Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in jail on Friday, finishing the dark and dramatic fall of the once-powerful scion of the Murdaugh legal dynasty. However, he continued to deny killing his wife and son.
Murdaugh, who came before the judge as a convicted killer wearing a beige prison uniform and wrist and leg shackles for the first time, was stripped of all pretense of innocence.
Alex Murdaugh Verdict
Judge Clifton Newman of the South Carolina Circuit Court criticized the 54-year-old defendant before handing down the maximum penalty for the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh: two consecutive double life sentences. Per Fox News, he defined Murdaugh's once-prominent status as a "lawyer, a member of a prestigious family that has dominated the administration of justice in this city for more than a century."
The judge remarked that the Murdaugh family had prosecuted several individuals in this courtroom for lesser offenses over a century, with many receiving the death penalty. Newman informed Murdaugh that even if he continued denying his involvement publicly, he would still have to face the spectral crimes he had committed.
Newman described the evidence against Murdaugh as strong, suggesting that the killings may have been committed by "the monster you become after taking 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 opioid tablets." On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh used a shotgun to assassinate his 22-year-old son Paul in a feed room next to the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, known as Moselle, and a rifle to execute Maggie, 52.
Other Cases Involving Alex Murdaugh
The high-profile trial of the disgraced former South Carolina attorney has also refocused on Murdaugh's alleged financial wrongdoing and a string of fatalities believed to be tied to the family. Shortly following the sentencing, his legal team informed reporters that they would submit an appeal against the jury's guilty judgment because there was insufficient evidence to convict.
His attorneys said they would file an appeal since insufficient proof connected his financial misconducts to the murder motivation. According to BBC, Murdaugh was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt despite the preponderance of evidence presented at trial being circumstantial.
Before the sentence, Murdaugh maintained his innocence, telling the court, "I would never harm my wife, Maggie, or my kid." His attorneys indicated that they would seek an appeal within ten days. Murdaugh is also facing 99 state counts for allegedly stealing at least $8 million in settlement funds from customers of his family law practice, laundering money, and dodging taxes.
State prosecutors maintained throughout the trial that Murdaugh murdered his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, to divert attention from the fact that "his financial house of cards" was beginning to fall apart. When Murdaugh took the stand in his defense, he boldly chose to admit to these financial crimes many times. Murdaugh stated during his trial, "I took money that was not mine, I misled individuals whom I should not have misled, and I did wrong."
His confessions during the murder trial may hinder his defense in future financial crimes prosecutions. Murdaugh faces further insurance fraud allegations from a weird botched hit he attempted to carry out on himself. The day following his forced resignation from his legal business, Murdaugh reported being shot in the head on a remote South Carolina road. But, this scenario rapidly fell apart.
Afterward, he acknowledged that he had hired someone to kill him so his son Buster could receive his life insurance policy. The charges against him included insurance fraud and submitting a bogus police report. After the killings of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, state detectives in South Carolina restarted their 2015 investigation into the death of Stephen Smith. As per NY Post, he was discovered dead in the middle of a secluded country road.
Officials said in 2021, however, that they will resume the investigation into Smith's death "based on information collected during the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh."
Although the lawsuit does not appear to involve Alex directly, it might drag his family's name back into the public eye. In February 2018, Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh family's housekeeper, passed away. According to a wrongful death settlement filed after her demise, her death was "the result of injuries incurred in a trip and fall accident."
In 2021, however, after Murdaugh was suspected of attempting to arrange his death, the county coroner requested that the death of Satterfield be investigated. According to the coroner, neither her death nor a post-mortem examination was reported to the coroner.
State officials said in June 2022 that they had gained permission from Satterfield's family to exhume her remains and will continue their inquiry into her death. Friday, attorneys for Satterfield's family praised Murdaugh's conviction, stating that it assures he will "drink from the same cup of justice as everyone else." There have been no charges filed in her death.
In addition to the current inquiry into Satterfield's murder, her boys' wrongful death case against Murdaugh must also be considered. Murdaugh orchestrated a lawsuit against himself in 2018, stating he intended to assist her family in obtaining payment.
However, he eventually admitted to pocketing millions intended for her boys from his homeowner's insurance. According to local news sources, a lawyer for the family stated in December 2021 that Murdaugh had apologized and agreed to pay the $4.3 million compensation. It is unknown if the family was able to obtain the money.
A judge accepted a settlement in January between the Murdaughs and the family of Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old woman who died in a boating accident involving Paul Murdaugh in January 2019. As Beach's family sued the Murdaughs over her death, prosecutors claim Alex murdered his son Paul and wife Maggie. Prosecutors contended that the litigation would have revealed his financial wrongdoings.
According to local sources, hundreds of thousands of dollars are anticipated to be given to Beach's family. They may have received the compensation.
Related Article: Alex Murdaugh's Lawyer Drops Shocking Claim
@YouTube
