Experts are calling Thursday a great day for justice after a South Carolina jury found disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder.
“It’s as if the mind is tricking the eye; you see a beautiful seemingly happy family,” CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace said on Fox Nation following the verdict. “A man with so much…millions of dollars, three homes, a beautiful wife, and two sons. Why? That is what has plagued this jury.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the twelve Colleton County jurors reached a verdict at 6:41 p.m. after deliberating for nearly three hours. Murdaugh faces 30 years to life for each count of murder, in connection with the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
In addition to the two murder convictions, he was also found guilty of having a weapon in the commission of a violent crime. Judge Clifton Newman rejected the defense’s motion to declare a mistrial in this case. It is unclear whether the defense will appeal the conviction.
Newman has scheduled a sentencing hearing for 9:30 a.m. Friday.
While speaking with Grace, Jacksonville criminal defense lawyer Dale Carson said despite his status in the community, Murdaugh’s actions spoke louder than appearances, which is what ultimately swayed the jury to return a guilty verdict.
“It’s what he didn’t do,” Carson said, explaining that Murdaugh never once pushed for police to find his family’s killer. “He knew who the shooter was. It was him.”
“Twenty-eight days or less days of testimony reveals who this individual is.”
Carson said that there could be appeals and other factors that come into play and it’s “not over yet,” while Atlanta Cold Case Research Institute Director, Sheryl McCollum added that Murdaugh’s continuous lies caught up to him.
“They [the jury] knew he lied, he lied, he lied….One shooter, one liar, one killer.”
Watch the verdict reading below.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a previous episode on the case below.
[Feature Photo: Alex Murdaugh reacts to testimony during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool)]
