Family Tragedy: A Look Into The Consequences Of Alex Murdaugh Being Found Guilty

Since 2014, the Murdaugh family has faced scrutiny for several wrongful deaths connected to them. As a legal powerhouse, they covered several murders and manslaughters, including a suspicious boating accident involving the late Paul's schoolmate.

In 2015, one of the family members was the suspected driver in a hit-and-run involving a gay teenager, Stephen Smith. A year before the boating accident, the family's housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died mysteriously.

The family's cup filled up in 2021 when the patriarch, Alex, fatally shot his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Despite his arrest that year, the 54-year-old's trial started this January.

The double-murder charge wasn't the only one against the ex-lawyer. Murdaugh faced 99 charges including, conspiracy to murder by suicide, embezzlement, and fraud against his clients.

The 54-year-old pled "Not Guilty" to the double-murder charge but admitted to committing perjury (lying on oath during a trial.) Alex said he lied about his whereabouts when his wife and son died.

After more than two hours of deliberation, the South Carolina jury returned with a "Guilty" verdict.

The accused got a life sentence for both murders rather than the minimum 25 years which he could've served concurrently. Here's what legal expert, Brian Buckmire, said about the life sentence.

Buckmire believes Judge Newman's decision to sentence Alex Murdaugh to two life imprisonments served consecutively (one after the other) meant the disgraced lawyer couldn't get away with murder.

A concurrent sentence means the offender would serve the time for their crimes at the same time while a consecutive sentence means they must complete the time for one crime before the other time begins counting.

If Murdaugh got a concurrent life sentence, it meant he could've appealed after the minimum time of 25 years elapsed. However, with a consecutive sentence, there's no end in sight. Once his first life sentence lapses, the second one begins.

Buckmire believes the offender's motive wasn't enough for the jurors to empathize. Per The New York Times,

Netflix released a documentary about the Murdaugh Murder which arrested the world's attention before the sentences. Everyone wanted to know what led an attorney of Murdaugh's caliber to commit such heinous crimes.

The Netflix Documentary, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Carolina Scandal captivated its audience by telling the true crime story with evidence as the bodies piled. It timed every suspense carefully and there was no unnecessary filler.

Netflix wasn't the only media to tell the Murdaugh Murders story as HBO Max released a docuseries in 2022. Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty focused on the family's influence over the South Carolina legal system.

The HBO docuseries used interviews from the Murdaughs' friends and their surviving family Stephen and Mallory to tell the story.

The late Paul allegedly caused his schoolmate's death during a boating trip but his father covered up his involvement. The surviving family believe Paul's actions triggered the chain of events that led to scrutiny on their family.

See the trailer above

The Netflix docuseries revealed that the Murdaugh's reach extended beyond South Carolina.

The docuseries only touched the tip of the iceberg on the Murdaugh family's criminal history. Hence, the life sentences were a huge win for their victims.