Photo: Joshua Boucher/AP/Shutterstock
On March 2, 2023,Alex Murdaugh was found guiltyof murdering his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and his son Paul Murdaugh, 22. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before delivering the verdict. The following day, Murdaugh wassentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison.
Between the trial and theNetflix seriesMurdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, all eyes have been on the Murdaugh family for months.
Throughout the investigation and trial, Murdaughmaintained his innocence. In fact, he tried tocast suspicionon his cousin Curtis “Eddie” Smith, despite the"mountain of evidence"prosecutors had allegedly assembled against him.
Since the deaths of his wife and son, the once-wealthy and powerful attorney froma prominent South Carolina familyhas been disgraced in connection to his alleged involvement in illegal drug distribution, money laundering, theft, embezzlement and perjury.Murdaughhas struggled with severe opioid addiction for years, allegedly spending$50,000 a week on drugs. He is currently facing nearly 90 total charges for his various alleged crimes.
Murdaugh has also been accused of stealing millions from the family of his deceased former housekeeper, and for allegedly trying to arrange asuicide-for-hireto gain a $10 million life insurance payout for his surviving son,Buster, 26.
Buster has understandably been struggling since the traumatic deaths and legal fallout.
“Buster iscollateral damageto his father’s situation,” a lifelong friend told PEOPLE. “I think he’s developed this attitude of ‘I’m gonna shut people out before they shut me out.’ His circle of friends got really small really fast.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and alleged crimes.
Jan. 25, 2023: Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial begins
Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh.
In the opening statements, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said that authorities have GPS information from Murdaugh’s smart devices contradicting his alibi, andcell phone videoplacing him at the estate during the time of the murders. According to authorities,a video Paul tookat 8:45 p.m. picks up his voice, and the voices of both his parents, at the property’s dog kennels. Murdaugh originally told authorities he wasn’t near the kennels but later admitted he was lying.
Jan. 26, 2023: Alex Murdaugh wipes away tears when shown footage of his deceased family
Grace Beahm Alford/AP/Shutterstock
When footage froma responding officer’s body camwas shown in court, which showed Maggie and Paul’s bodies, Murdaugh was seen wiping away tears — though an officer who was called to the crime scene reported that Murdaugh didn’t seem upset, saying there were no “visible tears.” Paul was shot twice with a shotgun, but Maggie was shot in the back with an assault rifle, and then several more times when she was already on the ground.
Jan. 27, 2023: Police testify there was no blood on Alex Murdaugh’s clothes
Murdaugh’s lawyer, Jim Griffin, asserted that his client invited authorities to search the family estate,which pointed to his innocence, because no guilty person would be so transparent.
Griffin also cross-examined Det. Laura Rutland about the state of Murdaugh’s clothes, asking, “He didn’t look like someone who had just been within feet of blowing Paul’s head off, right?”
She responded, “I can’t say that. There are so many factors that you would have to take into account.” Though, she said that Murdaugh could have changed his clothes after the shooting.
“He’s sweating, and they’re dry, so I’d say yes,” she said.
Jan. 31, 2023: Alex Murdaugh allegedly said “I did him so bad” when shown photos of his deceased son
Jeff Croft, an agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified that Murdaugh was brought in for questioning days after the murders of Maggie and Paul. Croft claimed that during the police interview, Murdaugh got emotional and made a surprising statement when he first saw graphic photos of his slain son.
“It was so bad, I did him so bad,” Croft alleged that Murdaugh cried. “He’s such a good boy, too.”
Feb. 1, 2023: Details are revealed about Maggie Murdaugh’s phone
Britt Dove, from the computer crimes unit for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified aboutusage of Maggie’s phoneon the night of her murder, both before and after she died. She made a phone call at 7:50 p.m. that lasted three minutes; according to authorities, Maggie also sent messages to a friend that night as she headed to the property, saying somethingfelt “fishy"about Murdaugh’s behavior.
After her phone call, she didn’t use the phone again. At 9:06 p.m., after prosecutors believe Maggie was already dead, the phone’s camera activated for a second. “It appears the phone’s being moved and the camera’s activating in the background to see if it would recognize somebody’s face that would unlock it,” Dove said. In the subsequent hour, Murdaugh called his wife’s phone three times, and sent her a text saying “Call me babe.” Prosecutors claim those were an attempt to bolster his alibi.
Maggie’s phone was discovered discarded beside the road outside the gates of the estate.
Feb. 2, 2023: Footage emerges of Murdaugh in two different outfits on the night of the murder
Alex Murdaugh.South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (2)
Evidence surfaced that Murdaughchanged his clothesat some point in the evening. Prosecutors showed a Snapchat video of the disgraced attorney wearing khakis and a blue button down about an hour before the murders, and he then spoke to the police later that night in a white t-shirt and shorts.
Feb. 6, 2023: A family caregiver testifies that Murdaugh attempted to influence her
From left, Buster Murdaugh, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh.Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook
On the stand, Mushelle “Shelley” Smith, a caregiver to Murdaugh’s mother, testified that he visited his mother’s home for 15-20 minutes on the night of the murders, but thathe instructed herto say that he was there for 30-40 minutes “if someone asked.” The timeline is important to both the prosecution and the defense, as authorities have stated that Murdaugh visited his mother to create an alibi for his whereabouts the night of the murders. If he did remain at his mother’s home for 15-20 minutes, prosecutors allege he would have had the time to commit the crime.
Smith also described Murdaugh’s behavior as “fidgety” that night, and said that he offered to give her money towards her wedding expenses in the same conversation.
For his alibi, Murdaugh told authorities that he had visited his ailing father in the hospital and spent time with his elderly mother, and had come home to the 1770-acre Islandton, S.C. estate to discover his wife and son dead, shot to death with separate firearms.
Feb. 7, 2023: Murdaugh’s former law firm colleague testifies she suspected he was stealing
Alex Murdaugh.Tracy Glantz/The State via ZUMA
Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO of the law firm where Murdaugh was a partner,testified under oaththat she suspected he was stealing money from the company, starting in May 2021, when he was writing company checks to a client, but depositing them into a personal account of his, opened with the client’s company name. She further testified that she confronted Murdaugh about the missing funds, totaling more than $2.8 million, on the day of the murders.
Feb. 8, 2023: Someone calls in a bomb threat to the courthouse
A few weeks into the trial, a bomb threat was called into the courthouse. Judge Clifton Newman abruptly dismissed the jurors for a “break” and declared that the trial would “be in recess until we discover what’s going on.”
Murdaugh was removed from the building through a different exit than usual as a safety precaution, and his family evacuated to waiting SUVs outside the courthouse.
Feb. 15, 2023: Murdaugh’s sister-in-law testifies about a strange conversation
On the stand, Maggie’s sister Marian Proctor testified that she foundher conversation with Murdaugh immediately after the deathsstrange, because he didn’t seem focused on finding who had murdered his family members.
“We never talked about finding the person who could have done it,” Proctor said. “It was just odd.”
She continued: “He said that his number one goal was clearing Paul’s name,” referring to hisson’s role in a 2019 boating accidentthat led to the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. “And I thought that was so strange, because my number one goal was to find out who killed my sister and Paul.”
Feb. 16, 2023: Murdaugh’s attorneys attempt to cast suspicion on his cousin
Defense attorney Jim Griffin suggested that Murdaugh’s cousin Curtis “Eddie” Griffin could have been involved with the murders, citing his involvement in supplying the disgraced attorney with drugs and his role in the botched suicide-for-hire plot. Because Murdaugh’s defense team introduced the scheme, which they also admitted he concocted, Judge Clifton Newman ruled thatthe previously inadmissible informationcould now be considered as part of the trial.
Feb. 21, 2023: Buster Murdaugh takes the stand
Buster Murdaugh.Grace Beahm Alford/AP/Shutterstock
In his testimony, Buster recalled when his father called him to tell him what had happened. “He said, ‘Are you sitting down?’ " he testified. “He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot.”
Buster also recountedhis father’s state of mindon the night of the double homicide that took his mother and brother away from the young man. “He was heartbroken,” he said. “I walked in the door and saw him, gave him a hug. He was destroyed.”
Buster also testified that his mother and brotherconfronted Murdaugh in the pastabout his drug use. Murdaugh has said he took up to60 pills a dayto feed his addiction. “I thought that he had handled it,” Buster said, after his father went to rehab in 2018.
After testifying, Buster squeezed his father’s hand.
Feb. 23, 2023: Alex Murdaugh takes the stand in his own defense
In a teary assertion of his innocence, Murdaughdenied committing the murders. “I did not shoot my wife or my son,” Murdaugh said. “I could never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them, not ever.”
Feb. 23, 2023: Alex Murdaugh admits to lying to police
Joshua Boucher/AP/Shutterstock
“I lied about being down there, and I’m so sorry that I did,” Murdaugh said.
Feb. 24, 2023: Murdaugh takes the stand for a second day
During his second day of testimony, Alex Murdaugh detailed his drug use, saying he took up to 2000 milligrams of painkillers a day, and that he had a"pocket full of pills"when he spoke to the police on the night of the murders. He also said that Paul had confronted him a month before his murder about pills that Maggie found in Murdaugh’s computer bag.
Feb. 28, 2023: Alex Murdaugh’s brother sheds tears while recounting cleaning up his nephew’s remains
John Marvin Murdaugh.Andrew J Whitaker/AP/Shutterstock
Murdaugh’s younger brother John Marvin Murdaugh took the stand as the defense team’s last witness before it rested its case. John recounted how hecleaned up the remains of his nephew’s bodyat the crime scene, telling jurors it was “the hardest thing” he had ever done.
‘I saw blood, I saw brains, I saw pieces of skull, I saw tissue,” he said during his testimony. “And when I say brains it could just be tissue. I don’t know what I saw, it was just terrible.
John testified that on the morning after the murders, he received permission from a friend in law enforcement to visit the crime scene, and was shocked to find that it was still covered with blood and skull and brain fragments.
While he started cleaning, he also vowed to find his nephew’s killer.
“I told Paul I loved him, and I promised him I’d find out who did this,” he testified.
March 1, 2023: Jurors visit the crime scene
After testimony concluded at the trial, jurors took a visit to the home where Maggie and Paul were murdered. Per theNew York Times, jurors spent around an hour on the property examining the areas where the crimes took place.
March 2, 2023: Alex Murdaugh is found guilty of murdering his wife and son
After deliberating for less than three hours,jurors found Murdaugh guiltyof the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul.
The defendant very slightly rocked his head back and forth as the guilty verdicts were read.
“I want to thank the jurors for their service and the justice they delivered to Richard Alexander Murdaugh today,” Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waterssaid in a news conferencefollowing the verdict.
“Alex Murdaugh tried one last con to prevent the accountability he has never had to face in his life, but the jury saw through that and properly found he murdered his wife and son in cold blood,” Waters added.
March 3, 2023: Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to two life sentences in prison
The day after Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and son, the disgraced attorney wassentenced to two life sentences in prison, which will run consecutively.
Just before handing down the ruling, Judge Newman told the defendant, “It might not have been you. It might have been the monster you become. When you take 20, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills, maybe you become another person.”
March 6, 2023: Jurors speak out following Alex Murdaugh’s trial
Three jurors who took part in the Alex Murdaugh trial, Amie Williams, Gwen Generette and James McDowell,shared details from the trialduring an appearance on theTodayshow.
While speaking to co-hostsSavannah GuthrieandCraig Melvin, Williams revealed the piece of evidence that made her feel the guilty verdict was accurate. “Well, witness testimony was very believable, and the kennel video definitely played a major part,” she explained.
Generette said that she “couldn’t believe” Murdaugh took the stand, adding that when she heard his voice in person, it “sealed the deal” that it was indeed him in the dog kennel video.
Another juror, Craig Moyer, had appeared onGood Morning Americaa few days earlier, stating that cell phone evidence introduced early on in the trial iswhat convinced him of Murdaugh’s guilt.
“I was certain it was [Murdaugh’s] voice,” he said. “Everybody else could hear [Murdaugh’s voice] too.”
March 9, 2023: Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers announce they are appealing his conviction
Murdaugh’s defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, announced on Twitter that he and Jim Griffin areappealing their client’s conviction as well as his prison sentences.
“This is the next step in the legal process to fight for Alex’s constitutional right to a fair trial,” his tweet read.
“No amount of vitriol or misguided attacks will stop us from pursuing due process for Alex to the fullest extent of the law,” Harpootlian wrote in a follow-up tweet.
source: people.com
