Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison in murder of wife, son

Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife Maggie, son Paul - The Washington Post
Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison on Friday morning, just 15 hours after he was convicted of killing his wife and son in a case that’s captured a worldwide audience. “Mr. Murdaugh, I sentence you to the State Department of Corrections on each of the murder indictments ... I sentence you for the term of the rest of your natural life,” Newman said. Murdaugh, dressed in a brown inmate jumpsuit gave a blank look as he exited the courtroom at around 10:05 a.m. Before he was sentenced, he maintained his innocence. “I’m innocent,” said Murdaugh said. He then addressed his wife and son, Paul, whom he referred to as “Paw Paw.” “I would never hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never hurt my son, Paw Paw.” During the sentencing, Newman said that Murdaugh would have to deal with the conviction and consequences of the murders “in your own soul.” “I know you have to see Paul and Maggie in the night time as you attempt to go to sleep,” Newman said. “I’m sure they come and visit you.” When Newman asked Murdaugh if he has a hard time sleeping, Murdaugh replied, “All day and night.” “And they will continue to do so and will reflect on the last time they looked you in the eyes,” Newman said. No victim impact statements were made in the sentencing, the prosecution said. The sentence came after South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) said that his office was seeking life without parole for Murdaugh. The case has drawn massive attention, aided by not only traditional local and national media but podcasts and docuseries from streaming giants like Netflix. People around the world now know the Murdaugh name. But that’s been the case for nearly a century in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The 54-year-old was once the patriarch of a South Carolina legal dynasty that includes a three-generation run as elected prosecutors in the area. Behind the esteemed public image, he was also the creator of a web of financial crimes that bilked millions of dollars from vulnerable clients of his law practice. The jurors took three hours to deliberate before deeming Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife Maggie and adult son Paul. Juror Craig Moyer told ABC News on Friday that it took the jury only about 45 minutes to reach a unanimous guilty verdict. While Newman said on Thursday that he reserved comment about the case, he did not hold back on Friday. The judge told Murdaugh that his testimony was “not credible, not believable.” At one point, Newman was empathetic toward Murdaugh regarding his opioid addiction and how the drugs could have played a role in the murders. Murdaugh had testified in the trial that bad land deals and an addiction to opiate pills helped put the family in desperate financial shape. Murdaugh acknowledged his years-long addiction to painkillers, saying he sometimes took more than 2,000 milligrams of oxycodone a day in the months leading up to the death of his wife and son. (The recommended dose for adults with acute pain is 5 to 15 milligrams every four to six hours, according to the National Institutes of Health.) On Friday, Newman wondered how that addiction impacted the crimes. “It might not have been you. It might have been the monster you become,” Newman said. “When you take 20, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills, maybe you become another person. I’ve seen that before — the person standing before me was not the person who committed the crime, though it’s the same individual. We’ll leave that at that.” The judge then offered a departing message about the testimony given by the former attorney and member of a South Carolina legal dynasty who has seen his life come crashing down. “If you made any such argument as a lawyer, you would lose any case like that,” Newman said. This is a developing story.