Alex Murdaugh appeals conviction, life sentence for murdering his wife and son

Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, the South Carolina attorney who was convicted last week of killing his wife and son, appealed his conviction and life sentence Friday, according to court records.

Murdaugh, 54, a member of a powerful South Carolina family, was convicted on March 2 of two counts of shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, in the family home on June 7, 2021.

Attorneys for Murdaugh, who prosecutors say committed the killings as part of an effort to hide his drug addiction and steal millions of dollars, filed an appeal before a state appeals court.

Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman was sentencing Murdaugh to prison for the rest of his life, with the requirement for the two murders to run consecutively. That was the sentence requested by the prosecutor, who did not seek the death penalty.

Descendant of an influential legal family in the western area of ​​Charleston, Murdaugh has faced a minimum of 30 years in prison for each of the two counts of murder under the law of South Carolina, as well as up to 10 years for two related firearms charges.

WATCH | Judge Murdaugh’s sentence:

Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, son

South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to two consecutive terms on Friday for the 2021 murders of his wife and son.

For decades until 2006, members of the Murdaugh family were the top prosecutors in the area, and Murdaugh was a prominent personal injury attorney in the country.

Murdaugh has maintained his innocence.

During the trial, prosecutors said Murdaugh shot his wife and son to distract him from various financial wrongdoings, including stealing millions of dollars from law partners and clients, money he used to feed his years-long opioid addiction and support an expensive lifestyle.

Murdaugh’s lawyer tried to portray his client as a loving family man who, in the face of financial difficulties and drug addiction, would not harm his wife and children.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty. The South Carolina attorney also stole millions of dollars from the settlements of his mostly impoverished clients and was scrambling to secure his surviving son, Buster, $12 million in life insurance payments, according to authorities.