If, like millions of other Americans, you’ve been fascinated by the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, then today is a day you’ve been waiting for with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
The prosecution and defense have rested and now, the jury has begun deliberations in what some observers are calling the “trial of the century” in South Carolina.
Murdaugh, accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, faces 30 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
And this is not the end of the legal issues.
Regardless of what happens in the murder trial, Murdaugh will soon be back in court to face more charges, most of them related to unethical business practices.
All told, Murdaugh faces 99 counts of fraud and other financial claims.
The most serious charges involved an alleged plot in which Murdaugh hired a hitman to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, could obtain a $10 million life insurance policy.
Murdaugh has also been accused of taking millions in insurance payments intended for the former housekeeper.
In other words, it is unlikely that he will defeat all the charges against him – but it is not impossible.
Until the jury renders a verdict, anything is possible, and those who have been following the case closely expect a short deliberation and a conviction on all charges.
This morning jurors toured the 1,770-acre hunting property in Islandton, SC where Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son with 300 rounds of Blackout bullets from an AR-style rifle in June 2021.
After the victim’s body was found, police quickly realized that Murdaugh’s alibi did not match the data they received from cell phone towers and GPS trackers.
Murdaugh admitted to lying to investigators, but he blamed the subterfuge on mistrust of police stemming from a 20-year opioid addiction.
“I lied to him,” said the 54-year-old former lawyer.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t think I could reason, and I lied if it was out there, and I’m sorry if I did.
“I think people are still shocked at how big it was and how sick and greedy it was,” said a former Murdaugh family friend. people magazine.
“How did he just think he was going to get away with all this?”
Nowadays, the name of a respected lawyer is synonymous with scandal.
It seems almost certain that the jury will convict him on all counts, but until that happens, the legal community of South Carolina will be in a state of high anxiety.
We will have more updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
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