Alex Murdaugh Found Guilty Of Murdering Wife, Maggie, And Son, Paul

The disgraced South Carolina lawyer was found guilty of murdering his wife and son. Alex was first charged with their deaths in July 2022, but he stood trial in January 2023. In June 2021, Alex called 911 and said he found his wife and son dead.

Their lifeless bodies were found at the family's hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, near the dog kennels. Both Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were shot multiple times. The gruesome murder case would go on for over a year before the pieces began to fall into place.

During the trial, Alex confessed that he lied about his whereabouts on the night of their deaths. He blamed a painkiller addiction for making him mislead the police during the investigation.

One of the jurors involved in the case was also replaced on the day of the closing arguments. Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman shared that the juror partook in improper conversations outside the courtroom.

However, the case was concluded and Alex was found guilty. After the news went out, the Murdaughs family became a national media sensation. Many followed the case since the inception

Alex was the heir to a prominent legal empire in Hampton County, South Carolina. The 54-year-old's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were big-shot lawyers in the region. They also go back to almost a century ago.

Alex also had his own law firm, PMPED (Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick), which carried on his family's legal prowess legacy. The lawyer and Maggie met in college and later got married. They had two sons, Paul and Buster and all lived in Islandton, South Carolina. 

These days the Murdaugh legacy has experienced a shift from what it used to be known for, as Alex's cries made it to the spotlight. His case is a high-profile one, and even more global due to Netflix's true crime docuseries, which revolves around his fall from grace.

The now disgraced lawyer was accused of killing his wife and one of their sons, Paul on June 7th, 2021. When he called the police, Alex claimed he had just returned from visiting his elderly parents. For thirteen months, a suspect was not named for the murders. However, in July 2022, Alex was charged with being responsible for their deaths. The trial started on January 23, 2023, and a verdict was reached on March 2, 2023. 

Investigators proved Alex was home at the time of the killings. The lawyer's voice was heard in the background of a video taken by Paul some minutes before he was killed. Although the murder weapons are missing, mobile phone data and gunshot residue served as evidence. Alex was then accused of shooting Maggie and Paul at close range with an AR-style rifle and a shotgun. 

During the trial, Alex's defense team claimed he was a family man and could not commit such a crime. Alex's other son, Buster was also a witness and maintained that his father was heartbroken after Maggie and Paul's death.

The defense team also argued that Alex did not have enough time. Hence, he could not have committed the murders, dispose of the evidence, and then driven to his parent's home. As reported by ET, his lead defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian stated to the jury, "He is presumed innocent. Your mental framework is, he didn't do it, they have to prove it to me beyond a reasonable doubt." The defense also felt there was no hard proof or real witnesses regarding the investigations while terming it all a "theory."

During Alex's trial, Alex however revealed that he was home shortly before the murders took place. Still, on the stand, he admitted to one of his other crimes. The attorney whose license was revoked stated that he lied to investigators due to the influence of opioids.

Alex stated that it made him paranoid. He confessed to years of theft from clients at his law firm, PMPED. However, he stressed that he was not guilty of Maggie and Paul's death. At the end of the six-week trial, Alex was sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole for each murder.

South Carolina's top prosecutor, Attorney General Alan Wilson addressed the court after the verdict was reached. Wilson shared that no one "no matter who you are in society, is above the law." 

The double murder allegations are not the only crimes Alex was accused of. On September 4, 2021, three months after the murders, Alex allegedly paid a hitman to shoot him. His intention was for his son, Buster to Inherit his life insurance of 10 million dollars.

The alleged hitman shooting later resulted in Alex being shot in the head which he survived. A day before the shooting, the lawyer was accused by his law firm of stealing almost $8.5m from clients.

Another look into the Murdaugh family's criminal history is the mystery behind Alex's housekeeper's death, Gloria Satterfield. The issue with Sattfiled's death was even more eyebrow-raising because he owed one of her family members. This happened due to the fraud he was involved in.

Satterfield was said to have later accidentally died in his family's home. Alex asked her family to file a wrongful death lawsuit and this resulted in an insurance payout. However, Sttserfiled's family suspected foul play because the insurance paid 4.3 million, but Alex did not remit to them.