Alex Murdaugh Returns to Court to Argue He Didn't Do It

Alex Murdaugh has admitted he is a thief, a liar, an insurance cheat, a drug addict, and a bad lawyer. But even from behind bars he continues to adamantly deny he is a killer. The AP reports Murdaugh's lawyers will appear Wednesday before the South Carolina Supreme Court, asking the justices to overturn the two murder convictions and life sentence Murdaugh is serving for the shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, outside their home in June 2021. Their three main lines of argument:

• The defense argues the trial judge made rulings that prevented a fair trial, like allowing evidence of Murdaugh stealing from clients that had nothing to do with the killings but biased jurors against him.
• They also detail the lack of physical evidence—no DNA or blood was found splattered on Murdaugh or any of his clothes even though the killings were at close range with powerful weapons that were never found.
• And they said the court clerk assigned to oversee evidence and the jury in the case influenced jurors to find Murdaugh guilty to help her sell a book about the case. She has since pleaded guilty to lying about what she said and did to a different judge.

Prosecutors' brief counters there was solid evidence that helped convict Murdaugh, who told investigators for months he hadn't seen his wife and son for about an hour before they were killed. That story went unchallenged until investigators cracked the passcode on Paul Murdaugh's phone and found a video with a barking dog and Alex Murdaugh's voice admonishing it five minutes before the young man stopped using his phone.

While pointed questions may indicate which way the justices are leaning, there will be no immediate decision. Rulings usually take months to be handed down. Even if Murdaugh wins this appeal, he isn't going anywhere. Hanging over the 57-year-old's head is a 40-year federal prison sentence for stealing more than $12 million from clients intended for their medical care and living expenses after they suffered devastating injuries in accidents.