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Judge Clifton Newman addressed Alex Murdaugh at length during his sentencing hearing in a South Carolina courtroom on Friday, calling the case one of the « most troubling » he has seen and positing that « the monster » the former lawyer became while on drugs could have been the one responsible for the brutal murders of his wife and younger son.
Newman, 71, has presided over the high-profile trial, which after nearly six weeks of dramatic proceedings culminated in Alex Murdaugh being convicted by a jury on all charges — two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in the commitment of a violent crime.
The judge imposed two sentences of life in prison, to be served consecutively for the murders of Margaret « Maggie » Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, who were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family’s hunting estate in June 2021.
Before imposing the sentence, Newman — regarded for his calm, thoughtful demeanor on the bench — told the court that this has been « one of the most troubling cases, not just for me as a judge, for the state, for the defense team, but for all of the citizens in this community, all citizens in this state. »
The trial has documented the downfall of a once-powerful attorney from a family that for generations exuded power over the state’s Lowcountry region. Alex Murdaugh, 54, comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys, where three generations of the family had been state prosecutors in the Hampton County area for more than a century. He was a partner at the family law firm before resigning and being disbarred amid money laundering charges.
