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Murdaugh, 54, a member of a powerful South Carolina family, was
found guilty on March 2 on two counts of shooting his wife Maggie,
52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, on their family estate on June 7,
2021.
Attorneys for Murdaugh, who prosecutors said carried out the murders
as part of an attempt to hide a drug addiction and theft of millions
of dollars, filed a notice of appeal before the state's appeals
court.
Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman on March 3 sentenced Murdaugh to
prison for the remainder of his life, with terms for both murders to
run consecutively. It was the sentence requested by prosecutors, who
did not seek the death penalty.
The scion of an influential legal family in an area west of
Charleston, Murdaugh had faced a minimum of 30 years in prison for
each of the two counts of murder under South Carolina law, as well
as up to 10 years for two related firearms charges.
For decades until 2006, Murdaugh family members served as the
leading prosecutor in the area, and Murdaugh was a prominent
personal injury attorney in the state.
Murdaugh has maintained his innocence.
During his trial, prosecutors said Murdaugh fatally shot his wife
and son to distract from an array of financial misdeeds, including
the theft of millions of dollars from his law partners and clients,
money used to feed a years-long addiction to opioids and support an
expensive lifestyle.
Murdaugh's lawyers tried to paint their client as a loving family
man who, while facing financial difficulties and a drug addiction,
would never harm his wife and child.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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