Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Wife & Son

Data collected from Murdaugh’s Chevy Suburban suggested he left the family lodge at 9:02 p.m to head to his mom’s house, prosecutors said at the trial. Murdaugh’s phone then made five missed calls to his wife between 9:04 p.m. and 10:03 p.m.

Murdaugh admitted to lying to authorities about his whereabouts that night, saying in court that he was “paranoid” because of his longtime struggle with opioids.

Prior to the murder trial, Murdaugh was known as a member of a prominent family in the Lowcountry region, with his great-grandfather founding the Hampton law firm in 1910.

However, the Murdaugh family has been embroiled in multiple legal cases in recent years, including the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in a boating crash in 2019. Paul, who was allegedly behind the wheel while drunk, pleaded not guilty to charges in the case, which were still pending when he was murdered. The charges, according to NBC News, were later dropped as a matter of protocol following his death. 

In Jan. 2023, a judge approved a settlement agreement for the wrongful death suit, which—according to local South Carolina outlet WCSC—officially dropped Buster Murdaugh as well as Maggie’s estate from the case.