Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Alex Murdaugh, 54, who comes from a family of judges and lawyers, to two consecutive life sentences for the 2021 murders.
Alex Murdaugh, a lawyer for a wealthy family in the American South, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for killing his wife and child in a case that has kept the country on edge.
Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh, 54, who comes from a family of judges and lawyers, to two consecutive life sentences for the 2021 murders.
In a calm but firm tone, the judge spoke at length, addressing him before passing sentence. He called the disgraced attorney’s claims “unreliable” and said he could “see Paul and Maggie at night when he’s trying to sleep”. “I’m sure they’ll come visit you,” he exclaimed.
Bitten, handcuffed and dressed in prison uniform, he again asserted his innocence. His son Buster was in the room.
“I respect this court, but I am innocent. I will not harm my wife, Maggie, and … my son,” he said.
“The evidence of guilt is overwhelming,” the investigating judge said on Thursday after the jury unanimously found him guilty. Murdu listened to the verdict as he rose to his feet, unfazed though he blinked continuously.
In less than three hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdow, 22, on June 7, 2021 near the kennel on their sprawling property. name. Moselle.
He is accused of stealing large sums of money from the law firm, friends and even his housekeeper’s son, and executing his relatives to avoid detection.
The case captivated the United States, where the documentary The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal was among the most watched films on Netflix, with 40 million views last week.
“drugs”
During the trial, the news networks aired a program of fraudulent colleagues and friends who told how Alex Mordo stole millions of dollars from them.
Murdaugh has admitted to these frauds, which he attributes to bad investments and opioid addiction, for which he will be tried later.
The shadows over Alex began after the death of a young woman in a boat accident in which her son was driving under the influence of alcohol in 2019. Justice was interested in the father’s financial condition to find out if he would be able to pay compensation and possible damages.
District Attorney Creighton Waters claims Murdaugh killed his relatives to buy time before attempting suicide. In early September, he asked his partner to kill him so his son could collect $10 million in life insurance. But the bullet barely hit him.
The prosecutor said that Alex Mordeau used his professional experience to search the crime scene, change his clothes and erase the record of the conversation. Waters said he also “provided an alibi” by visiting his elderly mother and making phone calls immediately after the crime.
But in a video recorded by his son minutes before his death, his father’s voice can be heard, despite his constant denial of being near the doghouse that day.
Last week, the defendant admitted that he lied, but said it was due to paranoia stemming from his drug addiction. (AFP)
