Murdaugh discovered guilty of murdering spouse, sonSpecial Report: Alex Murdaugh discovered responsible of murdering spouse and son09:19

“48 Hours” will air “The Trial of Alex Murdaugh” Saturday at 10/9c.

A jury in South Carolina reached a verdict of responsible on all counts after just 3 hours of deliberations in the case of disgraced former legal professional Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in 2021. 

Murdaugh changed into convicted on four counts: the murder of Maggie Murdaugh, the homicide of Paul Murdaugh, and counts of possession of a weapon in the course of a crime. 

Murdaugh, fifty four, faces 30 years to existence in jail without parole for every homicide fee. A sentencing listening to is predicted to take region Friday. Murdaugh nevertheless faces another trial inside the future over numerous financial crimes.

In a news conference Thursday nighttime, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson stated the verdict came after “nearly two years of blood, sweat and tears from lots of tough-operating human beings.”

“Our criminal justice gadget labored tonight. It gave a voice to Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, who had been brutally mowed down by way of a person they knew and depended on,” Wilson said. 

After the verdict was read, the defense moved to have it thrown out and a mistrial declared, however Judge Clifton Newman denied the request, mentioning the massive quantity of evidence and testimony the jury had considered, The Associated Press suggested.

Jurors started out deliberations Thursday afternoon following weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses in a sprawling case that culminated in a go to to the crime scene, the own family’s rural hunting estate Moselle, in advance of final arguments.

“The jury has now considered the evidence for a vast time period, and the evidence of guilt is overwhelming,” he said.

Murdaugh took the stand in his very own protection and repeatedly broke down in tears over days of testimony, as he flatly denied that he killed his wife and son.  

He admitted under thinking that he had lied to investigators whilst he denied being on the property that night — blaming his lies on his addiction to opioids. His legal professionals stated his drug behavior cost $50,000 every week.

“I’m not quite certain how I permit myself get where I got. I battled that addiction for such a lot of years. I became spending a lot cash on tablets,” Murdaugh stated.Alex Murdaugh stands next to the witness booth for the duration of a damage in his trial for homicide on Feb.23, 2023 in Walterboro, S.C.Joshua Boucher/The State via AP

His presence on the murder scene became uncovered way to a mobile phone video taken through his son, wherein Alex Murdaugh’s voice can be heard quickly before the killings close to the kennels on their rural Colleton County estate on June 7, 2021. 

Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his spouse and son in a determined attempt to distract attention from his monetary crimes and advantage sympathy from the network. Maggie Murdaugh, fifty two, was shot 4 or five times with a rifle, and 22-12 months-old Paul was shot twice with a shotgun. The homicide weapons had been no longer determined.

The jury heard from more than 75 witnesses and noticed nearly 800 pieces of proof. The weeks of testimony included infinite twists and turns in a story that protected Murdaugh’s failed try to level his own demise for coverage cash, and a fatal boat crash for which his son Paul was dealing with charges, The jury additionally heard approximately the death of the family’s housekeeper in a fall in the Murdaugh domestic and accusations that Murdaugh defrauded her own family of the insurance agreement.

For its part, the defense argued that the government performed a shoddy investigation — failing to gather proof like fingerprints or viable DNA on Maggie or Paul Murdaugh’s apparel that might have pointed to a person else — due to the fact they had been so decided to get him convicted.

Over the course of the trial, the variety of alternate jurors faded to at least one, following dismissals for clinical reasons and, in a single case, talking approximately the case. That juror changed into removed at some stage in ultimate arguments.

Murdaugh additionally faces almost 100 expenses against him for numerous monetary crimes, inclusive of fraud, cash laundering, tax evasion and forgery, and is accused of stealing more than $8 million and trying to get a man to shoot him in a $10 million life coverage scheme. While he admitted to a number of those crimes at the stand all through this trial, felony lawsuits in those cases are nonetheless ahead. 

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

• Alex Murdaugh

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