Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son, Buster Murdaugh, sat emotionless at Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday while the judge read out his dad’s guilty verdict. The disgraced lawyer was found guilty of murdering his wife and youngest son at their expansive South Carolina estate.
The eldest son of the disgraced legal scion sat blank-faced following his father’s conviction.
Pictures taken from inside the courtroom show 26-year-old Buster sitting with his head resting on his left hand as he listens to the jury’s verdict.
It took the jury members just three hours to decide on the guilty verdict as evidence has been stacking up against the disgraced lawyer in recent weeks.
Handcuffed and stone-faced, Alex Murdaugh was led out of the courtroom and didn’t once turn to look at his son, according to live courtroom footage.
Earlier in the weeks-long trial, Buster Murdaugh testified on behalf of his dad, insisting he was “heartbroken” and “destroyed” after finding the bodies.
The younger Murdaugh’s behaviour has been closely monitored throughout the trial but he has given little away except when he buried his head in his hands when his dad gave a cringeworthy testimony last week.
During which he admitted to lying to police about his whereabouts on the night of the murders and also let out a massive yawn when he stepped off the stand.
Murdaugh shot and killed his wife Maggie, 52, with a rifle and son Paul, 22, with a shotgun on June 7, 2021, at their Colleton County estate, in South Carolina.
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When giving evidence, Murdaugh maintained his innocence, claiming he would “never hurt Maggie” and “never hurt Paul – ever – under any circumstances.”
Prosecutors said Murdaugh killed his wife and son in a failed effort to keep his longtime embezzlement of millions of dollars from being exposed.
While on the stand last week, Murdaugh said he was “embarrassed” about lying to clients and partners at his law firm after he was accused of stealing over $10million over the years.
The money was reportedly used to fund his opioid drug habit.
Alex Murdaugh was known as a well-connected player in South Carolina.
Three generations of the Murdaugh family, including Alex Murdaugh’s father, served as the top prosecutor in South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit.
A new Netflix true crime series, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, delved into the notorious, powerful family’s past and the scandals surrounding them.
The disgraced dad’s sentencing hearing is set for 9:30am on Friday morning.
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