Alex Murdaugh's attorneys file notice of appeal in double murder case
Murdaugh was found guilty in the murder of his wife and younger son.
Alex Murdaugh's attorneys have filed a notice of appeal for the former lawyer's convictions and sentences, a week after he was found guilty of murdering his wife and younger son, court records show.
The notice was filed in the South Carolina Court of Appeals on Thursday.
Murdaugh, 54, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murdering Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, who were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's estate in June 2021.
The life sentences for each murder will run consecutively, Judge Clifton Newman said.
Murdaugh has maintained his innocence throughout the high-profile trial.
"I’m innocent. I would never hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never hurt my son, Paw-Paw," he said during his sentencing hearing on Friday.
Jurors returned a verdict after deliberating for nearly three hours.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview on "Good Morning America that cellphone video placing Murdaugh at the scene minutes before the crime "absolutely" made a difference in the guilty verdict.
The video contradicted Murdaugh's claim that he was never at the kennels that day.
During his testimony, Murdaugh admitted to lying to investigators about his alibi on the evening of the shootings and blamed it on his addiction to painkillers, which he said caused "paranoid thinking."
Prosecutors argued that years of lies and theft were about to catch up to Murdaugh and the murders were a way to divert attention.
The trial has documented the downfall of a once-powerful attorney from a family that for generations exuded power over the state's Lowcountry region. In the months following his wife's and son's murders, Murdaugh resigned from his law firm, which sued him for allegedly funneling stolen money from clients and the law firm into a fake bank account for years. He was also disbarred amid money laundering charges.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
