03 March 2023 , 12:51
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Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh was found guilty after a six-week trial - thanks to five key clues which led to his conviction.
The jury took less than three hours to find the disgraced 54-year-old South Carolina lawyer guilty after he shot dead his wife Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their younger son, Paul Murdaugh, 22 in June 2021.
The pair were found dead near the dog kennels on the family’s rural hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, US.
Prosecutors alleged Mr Murdaugh committed the horrific murders to distract from his financial situation after he was accused of stealing millions of dollars from clients and his law firm.
The information was about to be exposed on the day of the killings which prosecutors believed was his motivation behind the murders.
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However, Mr Murdaugh always maintained he didn't kill his wife or son but there were critical clues shown which showed otherwise.
The case captivated the US and the world with the case highlighted in the Netflix documentary Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
Video of Murdaugh proved he was at crime scene
Alex Murdaugh had denied for more than 20 months that he was at the dog kennels where his wife and son were found dead.
However, after testifying he finally revealed he had been lying and was at the kennels the night the murders before for a brief period of time.
But his admission only came after video captured by his own son, Paul, showed he was at the crime scene.
The dog kennels where the disgraced lawyer shot dead his wife and son (AP)Mr Murdaugh claimed he had only been there for a few minutes and left after he went to check on his elderly mum who lived 15 minutes away.
When he came back an hour later he said he found his wife and son dead.
He blamed his lies on paranoia after admitting he didn't trust the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Mr Murdaugh admitted: "I lied about being down there. And I’m so sorry that I did.”
Murdaugh accused of stealing firm's money on day of killing
Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing nearly $800,000 (£666,000) in lawyer fees on the day of the killings.
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He was supposed to have deposited the money into his law firm's account but had failed to do so, according to prosecutors.
He was convicted of two counts of murder (AP)His law firm confronted him on the day of the killing and he was about to be exposed, which prosecutors believed was his motivation behind the murders.
And since the trial, prosecutors have accused Mr Murdaugh of stealing nearly $8.8 million (£7.3million) including stealing $3.7million (£3 million) in 2019.
He changed his shirt hours before the killing
The disgraced lawyer was seen in video, which was filmed by his son, in a different shirt just hours before the killings occurred.
During the video he was wearing a light blue shirt and khaki trousers as he attempted to plant a tree on the property.
Alex Murdaugh was seen talking to cops in a white t-shirt (SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION)But just an hour later after Mr Murdaugh called cops claiming he had arrived home to find his wife and son dead, he was in a white plain t-shirt.
The shirt was different to the one he was in just an hour before.
Prosecutors pointed out the change of clothes to the jury but his defence offered no explanation to it as they failed to explain his outfit change.
Wife's wedding ring found morning after murders
Maggie Murdaugh’s wedding ring was found by the family's housekeeper just days after the murders.
Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, the family’s long-time housekeeper, discovered the ring under the driver’s seat of Maggie's car.
She revealed Maggie had not been wearing her wedding ring on the night of the murder - despite there being no reported martial issues between the pair.
Maggie was found without her wedding ringProsecutor's believed this was intentional as Mr Murdaugh's defence struggled to come up with a reason why.
Jail phone call where he joked "I've done some illegal stuff"
Mr Murdaugh was caught laughing during a jail phone call with his son after admitting he had “allegedly done illegal stuff.”
He was talking to his son Buster Murdaugh from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County after the tapes were released by the local newspaper The State.
Mr Murdaugh's legal team tried to stop the tapes from being released but the judge threw out their claim.
Alex was caught laughing during a jail phone call with his son Buster (AP)Son Buster can be heard saying his dad has done “illegal s***” during a conversation about a search warrant.
His dad laughs and then jokes: "Allegedly done illegal stuff.”
Prosecutors believed this was key evidence which showed he had lied about taking money from his law firm and clients.
In addition, to him denying he was at the scene of the crime.
It enabled the prosecution to build a case showing Mr Murdaugh was untrustworthy and had a track record of lying.