The judge shoots back after Murdo maintains his innocence and then gives him the bad news

The once-famous lawyer’s downfall culminated in Alex Murdo, who was sentenced to life without parole on Friday after being found guilty of killing his wife and son.

Judge Clifton Newman asked Murdo if he had anything he wanted to say before sentencing him to two consecutive life terms, and a South Carolina attorney confirmed his innocence.

“I tell you again, I respect this court. But I’m innocent. I would never, under any circumstances, harm my wife Maggie and my son Paul Paul,” Murdo replied.

“Maybe it wasn’t you. It could be the monster you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills. Maybe you will become a different person, ”Newman replied, noting Murdo’s longstanding addiction to painkillers.

In lengthy comments, Newman asked Murdo what he meant when he said “oh what a tangled web we are weaving,” speaking in his own defense when he admitted to lying to investigators about being at the nursery where Maggie and Paul Murdo. .

“I meant when I lied, I kept lying,” Murdo replied.

“And the question is, when will it end? You kept lying and lying during your testimony,” Newman said.

Newman also touched on the history of the Murdo family as they stood in the courtroom at the lot where his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather sat on trial for over 80 years as elected prosecutors.

“A lawyer, a man from a respected family, who has controlled justice in this community for more than a century. The man whose grandfather’s portrait hangs in the back of the courthouse, whom I ordered removed to ensure a fair trial,” Newman said.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters said that none of the victims of the crime – members of the Murdo family, parents and relatives of his wife – did not want to speak on behalf of the prosecution before sentencing.

“The viciousness, callousness, selfishness of these crimes are striking. The lack of remorse and the way he sits effortlessly, including here, sitting right there in this witness stand – your honor, such a person, such a person as this person, should never be allowed to be among free, law-abiding citizens. , Waters said.

In front of the courthouse on Friday, Tracey Kinsinger, 58, had one goal: to make Murdo see his homemade “Killer” sign he made after his “crazy run” to Walmart for supplies. For Kinsinger, who came from Beaufort, South Carolina, the result was the legal system’s justification.

“The truth is that he dishonored himself, his family, society, his profession,” Kinsinger said. “It’s shameful.”

Prosecutors have asked for a life sentence to hold Murdo accountable for what they say are decades of lying, stealing and taking advantage of his family’s significant influence in their tiny county. A Colleton County jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdo guilty of killing his 22-year-old son with a shotgun and 52-year-old wife with a rifle on June 7, 2021.

Juror Craig Moyer told ABC News that when deliberations began, the jury immediately ran a poll that resulted in nine guilty votes. It didn’t take long to convince the other three.

The juror agreed with prosecutors that the key piece of evidence was a video recorded on his son’s cell phone over the course of a year – a video taken minutes before the murder in the same kennels near where the bodies were to be found.

The voices of all three Murdos are heard on the video, although Alex Murdo insisted for 20 months that he was not at the kennel that night. When he came out in his own defense, the first thing he did was admit that he had lied to investigators about being at the kennel, saying he was paranoid about law enforcement because he was addicted to opioids and had I had pills in my pocket. murders.

“Good liar. But not good enough,” Moyer said.

Prosecutors did not have the weapons used to kill Murdo or other direct evidence, such as confessions or blood spatter. But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including a video showing Murdo at the scene of the murder five minutes before his wife and son permanently stopped using cell phones.

With more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, the jury learned about devoted friends and clients, Murdo’s failed attempt to fake his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash involving his son, a housekeeper who died in a fall at Murdo’s house and a gruesome murder scene.

The now disbarred lawyer has admitted to stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needs the money to fund his drug addiction. Before he was charged with murder, Murdo was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges, from insurance fraud to tax evasion.

At a press conference after the verdict, South Carolina law enforcement chief Mark Keel said the case served as a notice to anyone who helped Murdo in dozens of other alleged crimes.

“Today is not the end. This is the next step on the long road to justice for everyone who has been a victim of Alex Murdo,” Keel said.

The Western Journal reviewed this Associated Press article and may have revised it prior to publication to meet our editorial standards.