United States: influential lawyer Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison
Alex Murdaugh and his lawyers before being sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
AP - Joshua Boucher
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
Alex Murdaugh, American lawyer, was sentenced this Friday, March 3 to life in prison for the murder of his wife and son in 2021. Coming from a large family in South Carolina, his trial fascinated the United States and made the front page of the most prestigious media.
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Coming from a long line of highly influential local judges and prosecutors, Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing huge sums of money from his law firm, friends and even his housekeeper's son.
He was also suspected of shooting his relatives to avoid exposure.
He was found guilty of the murders on Thursday March 2.
Judge Clifton Newman sentenced him to two life sentences which will apply one after the other.
Lies, addiction to opiates and suspicious deaths, the extent of the forfeiture of Alex Murdaugh was revealed throughout the six weeks of hearings.
Before pronouncing the sentence, the magistrate addressed him at length, expressing his incomprehension at the “
duplicity
” of a lawyer who had pleaded before him before crossing over to the other side and becoming an accused himself. .
For his part, Alex Murdaugh, 54, again claimed his innocence.
“
I respect this court, but I am innocent.
I would never hurt my wife Maggie and my son Paw Paw
”, nickname of his son Paul Murdaugh, of whom he was convicted of murder, he assured.
A “
cunning manipulator
”
Thursday, March 2, the jurors at the court in Walterboro, South Carolina, only needed a little less than three hours to render their verdict.
“
The evidence of guilt is overwhelming
,” commented the judge upon reading the verdict.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters spoke on Friday of a "
cunning manipulator
" about Alex Murdaugh.
“
A man who violated the trust of so many people, including his friends, his family, his partners, his profession.
And more than anything, from Maggie and Paul.
No one knew who this man really was.
And, Mr. Justice, it is frightening
, ”added the prosecutor.
If he admitted the thefts, intended according to him to feed a costly addiction to opiates and to compensate for bad investments, Alex Murdaugh never admitted to the murders of his wife and son.
According to the prosecution, the disgraced lawyer shot and killed Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, with two separate rifles on June 7, 2021 in Colleton County, South Carolina, near the kennel of their sprawling property, dubbed Moselle .
The jurors went there on Wednesday March 1 to better understand the layout of the premises.
A case that fascinates the United States
In the United States, the media, including the most serious, have dissected the life of this opulent family, proud of its three generations of local prosecutors and judges, as well as the vertiginous fall of the father.
Several podcasts have already covered the case and a documentary,
The Blood of the Murdaughs: Scandal in South Carolina
, is now one of the most-watched programs on Netflix, with 40 million hours watched in the country last week.
Throughout the trial, news channels broadcast live the parade of defrauded colleagues and friends, who recounted how Alex Murdaugh stole millions of dollars from them for years without their realizing it.
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To read also
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United States: the police charged after the death of Tire Nichols plead not guilty
(With AFP)
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