Alex Murdaugh, the prominent South Carolina lawyer and scion of a legal dynasty, testified in his own murder trial on Thursday, adamant that he had never harmed his wife and son. The June 2021 double murders had him in the national spotlight for more than 20 months, and Alex's testimony on Thursday was a gamble that could determine his acquittal or life in prison.

Though Alex was willing to admit to lying and stealing, he firmly denied responsibility for the murders of his wife and son. In his statement, he claimed paranoia caused by his drug addiction led him to lie to the police about his whereabouts on the night of the killings. When asked if he had taken a shotgun to shoot his son, he replied, “I didn’t shoot my wife or my son at any time -- ever.”

Alex also admitted to stealing from his law clients, as well as pocketing a