As I reported on Thursday after the news broke that the South Carolina jury had spent less than 3 hours to convict him of the double murder, Friday was Murdaugh’s day of judgment.

The judge handed Alex Murdaugh what is the equivalency of a “death in prison” sentence. Murdaugh was handed two consecutive life sentences. Alex Murdaugh and his family had been a prominent fixture in the state of South Carolina. The family had retained power, wealth, and influence for the better part of three generations until the last few years when Alex Murdaugh’s family and his own life, spiraled out of control.

He admittedly stole from clients, and in one instance justified that theft because Alex thought the client had stolen from him. With his professional life in shambles his youngest son sued for killing a young woman while apparently driving a boat intoxicated, and his wife ready to divorce him, Alex Murdaugh took the worst course of action. To cover his many misdeeds and web of criminality and theft that was about to be publically revealed, Murdaugh killed his wife and youngest son to cover his tracks.

During the trial, Murdaugh’s main argument was: “I’m hooked on painkillers, and I don’t remember the details about my family’s murders, but I remember everything else.” For me as a trial attorney, Murdaugh came across as a sociopath. A cold and calculating liar. A professional liar. But, fortunately, the jury didn’t buy that argument.

The judge said:

 “might not have been you. It might have been the monster you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 opiate pills. Maybe you become another person. I’ve seen that before.”

Since writing about the “breaking news,” I received multiple emails from readers. One pointed out that he lived in the area and that he wasn’t buying the prosecution’s case. That reader was the “that” person Murdaugh’s legal team was banking on. A hung jury was what he was after. Just one juror to say “No I’m not buying the timeline.”  Fortunately for justice, the 12 people selected to hear the evidence saw Murdaugh as the monster had become, and convicted him in short order.

With respect to appeals, Murdaugh burned most of the bridges had to appeal. By taking the stand Murdaugh allowed for, and spoke about, everything that might not have been permissible and was likely prejudicial. He allowed all the bad character evidence to come in. Perhaps an appeal will offer that he wouldn’t have taken the stand but–for the character evidence but I don’t think that type of claim carries water. In short, Alex Murdaugh will not, in my opinion, win any appeal. He will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. And. if justice is served, he will die there.