Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, former South Carolina attorney and member of an influential South Carolina family, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the June 2021 murder of his wife and son. Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty of two counts of gunning down wife Maggie, 52 and son Paul, 22, on the family estate. A jury took less than three hours to reach the decision after a five-week trial. Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to life in prison, with terms for both murders to run consecutively, which is the sentence requested by prosecutors who did not seek the death penalty.

Murdaugh’s lawyers plan to appeal the conviction. The extensive media coverage of this case is not surprising given the family's powerful political status, especially in Colleton County, South Carolina, where the trial took place. Members of