Murdaugh's lawyers appeal double-murder conviction
Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers appealed his double-murder conviction on Thursday, a week after the once prominent South Carolina attorney was convicted of the 2021 murders of his wife and son.
The initial filing, a notice of appeal in the South Carolina Court of Appeals, does not include any arguments.
A jury found Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old son Paul Murdaugh last week, after just under three hours of deliberation. He was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
Murdaugh initially called the police on June 7, 2021, to report the deaths of his wife and son, claiming he had found them dead on the family’s Colleton County property upon returning from a visit to his mother’s house. He was arrested and charged for their deaths a year later.
His story appeared to unravel in court, after prosecutors uncovered a video from his son Paul’s phone that suggested he was at the dog kennels on the night of the murders, contrary to prior claims. Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed near the kennels.
Murdaugh ultimately admitted to lying about his whereabouts that night while on the stand at trial, but maintained that he did not kill them. He blamed his dishonesty on paranoia from his drug addiction.
Prosecutors made the case that the disgraced lawyer killed his wife and son to distract from his financial woes.
Murdaugh, who still faces nearly 100 counts of financial crimes, also admitted to stealing from his clients and law partners while on the stand.