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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.
