More than 20 months after Maggie and Paul Murdoch were found dead on their family’s sprawling South Carolina hunting ranch, the public has been drawn to Alex Murdoch and the murder charges against him — husband, father and member of a multigenerational legal dynasty. He came across in a very public fashion.
Murdoch, 54, who has been at the center of global media headlines for months, took the stand this week to give his account of what happened on June 7, 2021, the day his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were killed. His defense attorneys argued during the murder trial that they did not connect Murdoch to the crime scene, and prosecutors took issue with what they say were his financial situation, opioid addiction, lies to authorities and struggles. To recall important events. If convicted, Murdock could be sentenced to life in prison.
Alex Murdock pleads not guilty in murder case that sparked popular documentaries on Netflix and HBO Max; CNN and Court TV carried the trial live, and the media covered it aggressively since it began on January 25.
As the trial looks set to wrap up in the coming days, here are the background and facts of the case: