March 3, 2023 Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison

Judge Clifton Newman spoke about Alex Murdaugh's lies during the investigation, saying that his slain wife and son must "come and visit" while he is trying to fall asleep, to which Murdaugh responded that he sees them "all day and every night."

Newman said Murdaugh's murder conviction qualifies for the death penalty.

The judge then asked Murdaugh about his statement during testimony about lying to investigators about his whereabouts on the night of the murders.

"Remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. ... 'Oh, what tangled web we weave.' What did you mean by that?" he asked, and Murdaugh responded, "I meant that when I lied, I continued to lie." 

The judge then said, "And the question is, when will it end? When will it end? And it has ended already for the jury, because they've concluded that you have continued to lie and lied throughout your testimony." 

Murdaugh said he sees his wife Maggie and son Paul "all day and every night."

"And they will continue to do so and reflect on the last time you looked them in eyes, as you looked the jury in the eyes," Newman said.

Murdaugh again said he is innocent.

Before giving his sentence, Judge Clifton Newman spoke of the opioid addiction that Alex Murdaugh admitted on the stand.

Some background: During his trial, Murdaugh said he sometimes took more than 2,000 milligrams of oxycodone per day in the months leading up to the deaths of his wife and son.

It is virtually unheard of for a doctor to prescribe a patient more than 100 milligrams of oxycodone a day, even for the most severe acute or chronic pain.

While 2,000 milligrams sounds astronomical in comparison, taking that much daily is medically possible, according to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta.

Judge Clifton Newman said that Alex Murdaugh's trial was "one of the most troubling cases" for him as a judge, as well as for the state, defense team and the community.

Newman acknowledged he saw Murdaugh on various occasions, since they are both part of the legal community.

"It is also particularly troubling, Mr. Murdaugh, because as a member of the legal community ... we have seen each other at various occasions throughout the years," Newman said. "And it was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go, in the media, as a grieving father who lost a wife and son to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them."

He added, "You have engaged in duplicitous conduct here in the courtroom, here on the witness stand, and as established by the testimony, throughout the time leading from the time of the indictment and prior to the time of the indictment to this point in time."

Newman said he does not expect Murdaugh to confess.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters offered condolences to the Murdaugh family and also recommended the maximum sentence for Alex Murdaugh during his sentencing hearing.

"This is a very complicated situation, and I want to offer my condolences to the family that has suffered here," he said.

"The reality remains is that despite all this attention, this case is about Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh, and I'm so thankful that the jurors gave them a voice," Waters added. 

Waters claimed that Alex Murdaugh "liked to stare me down" while they passed each other in the courtroom during the trial.

"I could see the real Alex Murdaugh when he looked at me. The depravity, the callousness, the selfishness of these crimes are stunning. The lack of remorse and the effortless way in which he lies, including sitting right over there on this witness stand. Your honor, a man like that, a man like this man, should never be allowed to be among free, law-abiding citizens again," he said. 

"I would submit to you that the only just sentence here to give justice for Maggie and Paul is the maximum, and that would be two consecutive life sentences," Water said.

Before the judge sentenced him, Alex Murdaugh spoke in court, again saying he did not kill his wife and son.

The sentencing hearing for Alex Murdaugh — the disgraced South Carolina attorney found guilty of murdering his wife and grown son — just started.

After more than a month and dozens of witnesses, jurors on Thursday convicted Murdaugh of two counts of murder in the June 2021 killings, as well as two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Prosecutors have indicated they will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, sparing Murdaugh the death penalty.

Alex Murdaugh's legal team says it will not be commenting prior to sentencing Friday. 

Following the sentencing hearing, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin will address the media, according to the legal team. 

"The expectation for that press conference is for it to occur about an hour after the completion of the sentencing hearing but more specifics will be provided tomorrow morning," Murdaugh's legal team said in an email.

CNN reported, after deliberating for less than three hours, a jury found Alex Murdaugh guilty of the murder of his wife and son.

The disgraced South Carolina attorney was convicted on all four counts that he was facing — two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime.

Judge Clifton Newman denied the defense's motion for mistrial on Thursday, saying that there has been an "overwhelming amount of testimony and evidence" presented to the jury.

He said this was a matter for the jury to determine and the court found that there "was sufficient evidence to find the defendant guilty if the evidence was believed by the jury."

Alex Murdaugh was found guilty on two counts of murder in the killing of his wife and son. The jury deliberated for under three hours after hearing weeks of testimony by dozens of witnesses.

Alex Murdaugh will be released into the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections following his sentencing hearing today.

According to the South Carolina Attorney General’s office, Murdaugh will begin intake and evaluation processing, which is expected to last for several weeks. The average time is normally about 45 days.

During this time, Murdaugh will be in a holding facility in Columbia, South Carolina, according to a South Carolina legal source with knowledge of the situation.