"Maybe it wasn't you - but the monster you became"

USA  

Lawyer Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to life in prison  

Of: 

Lukas Jacobson  

Published: Today 16.11  

Updated: Less than 3 hours ago  

NEWS  

In the summer of 2021, Alex Murdaugh's wife and son were found shot to death. 

Now the American lawyer is sentenced as guilty of the double murder.  

The sentence was double life imprisonment.  

The trial in the US state of South Carolina has been going on for six weeks. The verdict was handed down on Friday. Lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 54, is sentenced to double life in prison for murdering his wife and son in 2021, the BBC reports.  

He receives a life sentence for each murder, to be served consecutively, without the possibility of parole. Judge Clifton Newman says Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

Claims his innocence  

Wife Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and youngest son Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead in June 2021. They had been shot at the family's hunting lodge. 

Alex Murdaugh has maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He meant that he could never hurt his family. 

- Maybe it wasn't you who did it. Maybe it was the monster you've become, replied Clifton Newman.

Alex Murdaugh is brought to the courtroom. Photo: Chris Carlson/AP  

More accusations  

Since the murders, a variety of other criminal charges have been leveled against Alex Murdaugh. Among them are eco-crimes where millions of dollars were stolen from his clients and colleagues, drug abuse and a failed assassination attempt.  

After the double murder verdict, he will be prosecuted for the eco-crimes, writes the BBC. 

Alex Murdaughs comes from a powerful family. Within the family, there have been three generations of district attorneys in the Lowcountry, South Carolina. He himself was a successful lawyer in the state.