Judge Gergel called the crimes “reprehensible,” emphasizing the decades-long deception that targeted vulnerable clients, including accident victims. Prosecutors say Murdaugh’s greed funded a lavish lifestyle and sustained his addiction to opioids — with $6 million still unaccounted for.
Alex Murdaugh Murder of Wife and Son
The federal sentence will run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year state sentence for similar financial crimes, handed down in November 2023. But even those decades pale in comparison to his life sentence for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, at the family’s Colleton County estate.
Prosecutors in that trial alleged that Murdaugh committed the murders to divert attention from his financial ruin and legal troubles. The double homicide gained massive national attention due to the Murdaugh family’s generations-long influence over South Carolina’s legal and political systems.
As CNN noted, the murder convictions have left Murdaugh serving life without parole, with no foreseeable release date.
A Controversial Lie Detector and Appeal Plans
Days before his latest sentencing, federal authorities revealed Murdaugh failed a polygraph test in October 2023, allegedly lying about the missing millions and implicating another attorney. Prosecutors said in a March 26 filing that Murdaugh’s deceit was “staggering” and used the results to challenge his plea agreement.
