Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

A jury in South Carolina reached a verdict of guilty on all counts after just three hours of deliberations in the case of disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in 2021.

Murdaugh was convicted on four counts: the murder of Maggie Murdaugh, the murder of Paul Murdaugh, and two counts of possession of a weapon during a crime. Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison without parole for each murder charge.

Sentencing is expected to take place on Friday. Murdaugh still faces another trial in the future over numerous financial crimes.

Jurors started deliberations Thursday afternoon following weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses in a sprawling case that culminated in a visit to the crime scene, the family's rural hunting estate Moselle, ahead of closing arguments.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-murdaugh-trial-verdict-reached-murder-case/

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Article updated.

Previous article -

A jury in South Carolina reached a verdict of guilty on all counts after just three hours of deliberations in the case of disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in 2021.

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. Those charges carry a potential penalty of up to 30 years to life in prison.

Sentencing is expected to take place on Friday. Murdaugh still faces another trial in the future over numerous financial crimes.

Jurors started deliberations Thursday afternoon following weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses in a sprawling case that culminated in a visit to the crime scene, the family's rural hunting estate Moselle, ahead of closing arguments.

Original article -

A jury in South Carolina has reached a verdict of guilty on all counts after just three hours of deliberations in the case of disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who is accused of murdering his wife and son in 2021.

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. Those charges carry a potential penalty of up to 30 years to life. Murdaugh still faces another trial in the future over numerous financial crimes.

Jurors started deliberations Thursday afternoon following weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses in a sprawling case that culminated in a visit to the crime scene, the family's rural hunting estate Moselle, ahead of closing arguments.

Over the course of the trial, the number of alternates dwindled to one, following dismissals for medical reasons and, in one case, speaking about the case. That juror was removed during closing arguments. Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his wife and son because he feared his years of stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and clients would be exposed and his lofty standing in the community toppled. They said he hoped their deaths would make him a sympathetic figure.

[oldsoftie]

1. Well, that was a lot faster than I expected. Certainly not a death penalty case.

too many questions.

[COL Mustard]

5. I'm surprised it came back that quickly

I almost thought he'd get a mistrial. Glad that didn't happen.

[Rebl2]

9. Same here

Thought deliberations would go on for a day or so.

[paleotn]

2. Whew! I felt another OJ coming on.

My better half kept up with the trial and surmised he was as guilty as sin. Circumstantial, but very strong circumstantial.

She's a true crime junky. As she says, that's an occupational hazard from being an ED nurse in a major city hospital. The stories she can tell.

[wnylib]

18. Wow. I'll bet she's got quite a few stories.

Seeing parts of life in a hospital setting like that, which many of us do not see, must be a real eye opener about human nature and also emotionally draining. Takes a strong person to do it day after day.

[tishaLA]

26. I was watching YouTube this morning (PT)

watching a lawyer named Emily who covers higher profile trial in real time, offering commentary, etc. (I found her during the Depp-Heard mess) and before the jurors came back from lunch, I went back to the channel to find her talking to....OJ SIMPSON! I didn't realize it was him at first because his video wasn't great, but eventually I realized that's who was there opining about a guy killing his wife.

When he got off the feed she said "today has been a strange day." Indeed.

[NJCher]

3. just watched the reading of the guilty verdicts

Last edited Thu Mar 2, 2023, 09:12 PM - Edit history (1)

He didn't show any facial expression until the last one, when he grimaced.

Nicki Batiste, CBS reporter, just said he faced 90 more charges?

Not sure on the number, but that's what it sounded like. Financial, I think.

Opioids: how to mess up your life in grandiose fashion. Did anyone hear how much he burned up a week in drugs? I think it was $50 grand a week.

How could his wife and family stay quiet? They had to know.

[COL Mustard]

6. Yeah I think he faces a lot more charges.

One observer said he should just plead guilty to those now. I think he admitted to many or most of them in this trial.

[exboyfil]

8. Make the sentence on them consecutive

Make sure he never gets out.

[Rebl2]

11. Maybe he

threatened them if they said anything. It would ruin their reputation as well, for what it was worth. Of course he ruined that before he killed them because of his financial crimes.

[womanofthehills]

17. Could be some more murders too

His housekeeper fell down the stairs at his house and died 2 weeks later. There was something about him swindling her sons out of money - and new findings are possibly connecting him to the death of a 19 yr old boy yrs ago - it sounded like hit & run

[Kennah]

36. I read about those

[Demobrat]

20. I just heard $60,000/week on CNN.

I didn’t know it was possible to spend $60,000/week on drugs.

[Iggo]

29. How do you do 60 grand of drugs every week?

I know he had the money, but it’s still the human body. Yikes!

[Demobrat]

30. He says he was talking up to 60 Oxycodone

pills a day. I don’t know much about opioids but I would think that would kill an elephant. Guess not.

[NJCher]

33. I've watched a number of opioid documentaries

Last edited Fri Mar 3, 2023, 03:32 AM - Edit history (1)

and that's pretty typical. One I saw was on Netlix and was called "Crime of the Century." This one was about the Sacklers.

Isn't it mind boggling? Wouldn't taking 50,000 pills take up most of your time each day?

Here's a link at which you will find a picture of 50000 fentanyl pills:



In one of the documentaries I saw, they showed a guy taking the pills. He grabbed a handful and gulped them down. These people did admit that this is about all they got done each day.

[Demobrat]

35. How does the average person support a habit like that?

This guy was stealing from his law firm and clients, but most people don’t have access to those kinds of funds, legal or illegal.

Maybe that’s where fentanyl comes in. A cheap substitute for legal prescription drugs.

[Kennah]

39. He was keeping a small cartel afloat

[ZZenith]

42. He wasn't doing anywhere near that amount.

As usual, he was lying.

Eventually they’ll find several million parked off-shore that he was trying to protect from the boat crash liability.

Rule number one with Alex Murdaugh - if he just told you something, he was lying about it.

[NJCher]

44. Common sense, please

A guy who kills his own wife and kid, who swindles his housekeeper’s heirs out of settlement money, who may have involvement in a hit and run and who was forced to resign over stealing millions from clients and law partners does not have the discipline to park several million off shore.

[ZZenith]

46. Is your eye roll directed at me?

Do you understand that he’s lying about his pill use because he needed to account for all the money that went missing? Yes, he has the discipline to park millions off shore and when the authorities asked him where all the money he stole went, he claimed to have spent it all on drugs.

It would take 114 years to consume $10m worth of pills.

Common sense, please.

[NJCher]

48. Stop!

Yer killin’ me!


Lifestyle
Bribes

Just a few ways to blow that kind of $$. But most important:

He did this for 20 years.

No way did he have the discipline, know how, or organization to park millions outside the country.

If that money was offshore, then why did he try to commit suicide so his family would have money after he was gone? He said that. Google it if you don’t believe it.

And he couldn’t even pull that project off because his relative hit man ratted him out. This man was a mess, just getting by on a day to day basis. His judgment was totally impaired by taking massive quantities of drugs. They have to take the massive amounts to achieve the state they desire.

If you don’t believe that, watch some of the documentaries I cite.

He did not park money offshore. The very thought is laughable.

Excuse me now. I have to go laugh myself silly. 😂
Again.

[ZZenith]

50. He didn't try to commit suicide.

You clearly haven’t been following this case very closely.

He tried to lure his cousin Eddie to a roadside ambush where he was going to frame him for the murder of his wife and son. Old cousin Eddie proved unwilling to go along with that plan. So the “failed suicide plot” story was concocted.

His law firm knew he was trying to stash money so the Beach family wouldn’t get any of it. You seem to think it’s some impossibly difficult task to hide money offshore. It’s easier to do that than it is to swindle millions of dollars from one’s clients, which he managed easily.

[Kali]

52. were you watching the trial?

guy fooled EVERYONE around him for YEARS. EVERYONE. and is STILL doing it.

[Kali]

51. I agree

he may have had a drug problem, but it was also a way/excuse for missing money.

[wnylib]

21. I haven't followed the details.

Any word on motivation, like getting insurance money from their deaths to cover financial needs?

[NJCher]

45. Even if there was

Slurp, slurp go the lawyers.

[BigmanPigman]

40. I thought I heard her say 99 more charges.

That entitled bastard knew what was coming. So did Buster. I hope the other possible victims are going to see justice for the deaths of their loved ones while they were in the company of that family (the housekeeper as well as a teenager who was friendly with the sons).

[sheshe2]

4. Good!

[Botany]

7. Good now can we never ever hear his name again?

n/t

[Iggo]

28. Here's hoping.

[Kennah]

37. Wagers?

[ZZenith]

43. Not until all his good old boy cohorts are sweltering in the jail with him, please.

They need a whole bunch of sunlight in the Lowcountry and hopefully this is jut the beginning.

[FakeNoose]

10. This is justice - he got what he deserves

The jurors did a great job.

[Goonch]

12. GUILTY AS SIN

.

[hamsterjill]

13. The press conference by the South Carolina Attorney General

Made my skin crawl. I have no doubt that the guilty verdict was correct. But this was not an Oscar’s acceptance speech. I felt the AG went way overboard and was just enjoying sending someone to prison a little too much.

It’s fine to be proud of the team you work with, but again, he acted like he had won the Super Bowl.

[SCantiGOP]

16. SC AG is one of the worst in the country

Guess who his Stepfather is - Joe “you lie!” Wilson.

Alan Wilson is going to run for Governor in 2026, so this was an opportunity he wasn’t going to pass up. It is almost unheard of for an AG to be present at a trial.

[hamsterjill]

23. I didn't know that he was related.

Makes all the sense in the world now.

I’m not saying the verdict was wrong. But the zeal that this AG was showing was just gross. I mean, yes, we need justice. But you still shouldn’t ENJOY that people died and now a person will go to prison.

This AG was absolutely gleeful. Yuck.

[SCantiGOP]

34. He was a child when his Mom remarried

He didn't change his name to take his Congressman Dad's name until he started Law School, and figured he would pursue a career in law enforcement.
He is as bad as any of our State officials, and that is a pretty damning statement when talking about South Carolina.

[Kali]

53. oh that explains creepy news conference

he wasn't bad doing cross exam, but even so it was so weird he was there.

[Demobrat]

31. Yeah he was preening.

Like he just won best actor.

[wiggs]

14. Surprised! heard a bit of defense closing argument today...articulate and convincing (at least

to someone who hasn't seen the rest of the evidence) that there should be some doubt. Very quick, so evidence must have been clear.

[Paladin]

15. Good. (nt)

[maddogesq]

19. A Grisham novel in real life.

It has it all:

Takes place in the south.

Corrupt lawyers and system that allows pricks like this to literally get away with everything for years.

Mr. Grisham, are you writing the screenplay as we speak?

[COL Mustard]

47. Yeah, a better author for this story than

Faulkner or Williams, imo.

[JohnnyRingo]

22. Fast decision, but really fast sentencing.

Usually they have a pre-sentencing investigation, I thought. It seems the courts have heard enough of him for the rest of his life.

[Martin68]

25. You mean the jury?

[JohnnyRingo]

55. No, the judge who will sentence him.

The jury's work is done, now it moves to sentencing, but I've never seen the phase move so quickly that it will be decided the same week unless the defendant pleads guilty. Usually, they investigate background and give the judge a recommendation based on that.

Maybe I read it wrong, but I think he's facing sentencing as early as today. Perhaps the court has heard all it needs to put him away for a definite amount of time.

[twodogsbarking]

56. The jury must have been as sick of this POS as everyone else.

They were definitely in the fast lane. Sentencing today. That too seems rather quick.

[Martin68]

57. There was a lot about character during the trial, all of it extremely negative.

I think character, and prior convictions, are the main criteria for adjusting sentencing decisions. He clearly had been carrying out criminal activity for years.

[Martin68]

24. Our justice system still works in most cases. When if fails, it fails big time.

[Iggo]

27. Finally!

Glad that’s over.

[Mr. Evil]

32. When greed turns to bloodlust.

I mean, killing your wife and one of your own children as a cover (to gain sympathy and to and throw off the dogs) is about as sick as one can get. What a heaping, steaming, stinking pile of shit. Really hoping he gets everything he deserves.

[Kennah]

38. He did it for love--Love of money

[ZZenith]

41. YES!!!!!

There is hope that the Good Ole Boy network might be defeated yet. One small victory but an important one for that part of the world.

[SunSeeker]

49. Good. nt

[twodogsbarking]

54. The entire saga is more than my simple brain can process.