Jury Finds Former Attorney Alex Murdaugh Guilty of Murdering His Wife and Son in 2021

A jury in South Carolina has found former attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son in 2021.

The 54-year-old was convicted Thursday of two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the family’s rural hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina. The jury reached a verdict of guilty on all counts after just three hours of deliberations.

The trial included weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses and a visit to the crime scene. Murdaugh was charged with four counts: the murder of Maggie Murdaugh, the murder of Paul Murdaugh, and two counts of possession of a weapon during a crime. He was also found guilty on two counts of possessing a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Murdaugh, who had been a prominent attorney in South Carolina’s Lowcountry region for generations, now faces 30 years to life in prison without parole for each murder charge. Each count carries a sentence that can range from 30 years to life in prison.

The verdict was met with emotion in the courtroom, as Murdaugh wept while a prosecutor described the killings during closing arguments on March 1. The case has been a tragic one for the Murdaugh family, and the verdict brings an end to a long and difficult trial.