WALTERBORO, S.C. (NewsNation) — Ahead of Alex Murdaugh’s sentencing hearing, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson praised the prosecution and jurors for their work that influenced the outcome of the double-murder trial.
“This is a great day for the people of South Carolina where they get to see justice delivered to someone who desperately needed a measure of it,” Alan Wilson told “Morning in America” host Adrienne Bankert.
Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty of murdering his wife and youngest son. He was convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and now faces 30 years to life in prison without parole for each murder charge.
When rating the case on a scale of 1 through 10 on the scale of most horrendous cases he’s seen, Wilson told NewsNation it was a 20.
“The crime scene was graphic. It was horrific,” he said. “The facts around it were horrific and the decades building up to it were very interesting and complicated … There was no doubt in my mind that he did it. And I believe with all my heart that we could bring him to justice.”
The attorney general said that one of the jurors did an interview and revealed that during deliberation it was initially 9-2-1: Nine jurors said Murdaugh was guilty, two felt he was not guilty and one was unsure.
Wilson said he was overall grateful and proud of the outcome of this trial. He explained that this case was the longest and most complex criminal trial in South Carolina history and was proud that the prosecution was able to deliver justice.
But the attorney general said he wants people to stop and take moment to realize the reality of the situation, with all the sensationalism aside.
“Two people were brutally murdered, a family was destroyed and a community was torn apart,” he said. “And we were able to deliver justice. Hopefully, for those who thought some were above the law, they know that no one is above the law now and that we were able to deliver justice to Alex Murdaugh.”
Wilson previously said that it was a fatal decision for Murdaugh when he decided to testify. He explained that Murdaugh made a career out of giving closing arguments to a jury, and was able to win major verdicts out of juries by appealing to them. Wilson said he believed in Murdaugh’s mind, his testimony was his closing arguments and he was hoping to convince the jury he was not guilty.
“But when they saw the kennel video, and they saw the lie after lie after lie, and then heard him get up there on the stand, I just don’t think it resonated with them. I think that probably is what put the nail in his coffin,” the attorney general said.
Wilson said he can’t thank the jury members enough for deciding the verdict that they did.
The attorney general wouldn’t comment on the sentencing ahead of the hearing but wanted to emphasize the “amazing work” of all the people, everyone in law enforcement and the prosecution office that brought justice to Murdaugh.
