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The disgraced South Carolina attorney, Alex Murdaugh, was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole on Friday, March 3, 2023. He was found guilty of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul.
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed near the dog kennels at the Murdaugh family's hunting estate in South Carolina in June 2021.
In the murder trial, which lasted nearly six weeks, the jury was presented with 800 pieces of evidence and reviewed testimonies from 75 witnesses. These included Bubba, a yellow Labrador retriever, who was at the dog kennels when Maggie and Paul were killed on June 2021.
Shortly before issuing their verdict, jurors also visited the dog kennels in the family's South Carolina hunting estate known as Moselle. The jurors visited the kennels to see where Alex Murdaugh's wife and son were killed.
The dog kennels played a pivotal role in convicting Alex Murdaugh
During the course of the trial, the dog kennels played a pivotal role in convicting Alex Murdaugh. The former attorney lied to the authorities and said that he wasn't anywhere near the dog kennel on the night of the murder in 2021.
However, prosecutors presented a Snapchat video shot by Paul minutes before the shooting. The video placed Murdaugh near the dog kennels where he was heard snatching a chicken away from Bubba, the family's yellow labrador retriever. When confronted with the evidence, Alex Murdaugh admitted to being near the kennels with his family.
After the conviction, many believe that the dogs were partially responsible for incriminating Alex Murdaugh in the murder as the Snapchat video. The video, presented as a crucial piece of evidence in the case, was only documented by Paul to assuage the concerns of his friend Rogan Gibson. Gibson's dog, Cash, was staying temporarily in the Murdaugh kennels.
Maggie Murdaugh spent a lot of time at the kennels
According to several reports, Alex Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, was allegedly spending a lot of time at the kennels in the months leading up to her death. This was attributed to the marital issues she and Alex had been having which stemmed from their monetary troubles.
A source told Ok Magazine, that Maggie was growing increasingly unhappy in the marriage. The source revealed that this was due to Murdaugh's opioid addiction and the onset of financial issues that began to plague the family’s lifestyle.
As per the source, Maggie, who would visit the kennel at least once a week, brought along her son Paul to keep him out of trouble. Maggie was concerned he had inherited his father's addiction issues.
The source said that at the beginning of the summer of 2021, Maggie grew increasingly worried about Paul beginning to drink more and party harder.
They added that the 52-year-old asked Paul to spend more time with her at the kennels, claiming that she wanted to make sure that the dogs were okay. This was reportedly so that she could keep an eye on the 22-year-old.
Following the murders, the dogs were reportedly moved out of the kennels. While the whereabouts of most of the dogs is unknown, the star witness in the case, Bubba, is living with Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson. Blanca is a former employee of the Murdaughs, who also testified during the trial.
