Killer lawyer Alex Murdaugh — convicted of slaughtering wife, son — works prison job as court weighs bid for new trial
Alex Murdaugh is serving two life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. AP
Nearly three years after being convicted of killing his wife and son, Alex Murdaugh is keeping a low profile in prison while his legal team prepares an appeal.
The 57-year-old member of a prominent South Carolina legal family is serving two life sentences without parole for the June 2021 deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. In addition, he faces concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences for financial crimes.
According to South Carolina Department of Corrections records, Murdaugh has held a prison job as a wardkeeper’s assistant since August 2023. The role involves helping manage day-to-day operations in the housing unit. That same month, he was disciplined for sharing information with a documentary crew and lost phone privileges and canteen access for 30 days. He has had no further infractions since.
Murdaugh’s attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said his client spends much of his time focused on the appeal.
“You can talk to him, unlike normal clients who have no concept of the appellate process,” Harpootlian told the Daily Mail. “He is interested because he is a lawyer. We discuss the major issues and the weaknesses in the case.”
Harpootlian described Murdaugh as in good spirits. “I think Alex understands he did a bad thing in stealing all that money,” he said. “He is adamant he didn’t kill Paul and Maggie. He always has been, and when we get a fair trial, I think the jury will determine he didn’t do it.”
While hopeful about a new trial, the lawyer emphasized that Murdaugh remains cautious and “not confident of anything.”
Family relations appear strained. A source told the Daily Mail that Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, and daughter-in-law, Brooklynn, have stayed away. The source said Buster harbors “a lot of anger about the loss of his mom and brother” and avoids discussing the case.
“Whether or not Alex killed them, he definitely did enough to tarnish Buster’s name forever, and he’s angry about that,” the source said.
Murdaugh’s appeal is set for Feb. 11 in Columbia, where his legal team and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will present arguments before the state Supreme Court.
The appeal focuses on allegations that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill tampered with the jury during the murder trial. Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice, perjury, and misconduct in office after admitting she showed sealed crime scene photos to a reporter and lied about it. She also admitted to promoting a book about the trial while in office and was sentenced to probation. Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to prove jury tampering.
Murdaugh’s attorneys argue Hill’s actions tainted the trial, particularly because jurors were exposed to extensive testimony about his financial crimes. “By the time the jury heard two-and-a-half weeks of testimony about him stealing $12 million from invalids and orphans, he was so vilified it didn’t matter what he said on the stand,” Harpootlian said.
Prosecutors maintain the verdict was valid. A former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice, Jean Toal, previously ruled that Hill’s conduct did not affect the outcome.
Harpootlian also continues to assert that two shooters were involved in the killings. “There is strategic evidence to indicate that’s correct,” he said. “Two different guns shooting two different people… the forensics support two people committing the crime.”
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