Court find lawyer guilty of killing im wife and son to hide im multi-million dollar financial crimes

Dem don find one disgraced South Carolina lawyer guilty of murdering im wife and son to distract attention from im multi-million dollar financial crimes.

Di jury reason di mata for less dan three hours before dem convict Alex Murdaugh, wey be 54-years-old of two counts of murder for inside di trial wey last for six weeks.

E dey face 30 years life in prison without parole for each murder charge.

E shoot im wife and son, Maggi and Paul Murdaugh for close range near di dog house on dia family estate on 7 June, 2021.

Alex Murdaugh no show any emotion as di judge rule on im case during Thursday evening hearing for Walterboro.

"Di evidence of guilt too much," South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman tok as e reject one defence motion for a mistrial. E schedule sentencing for Friday morning.

Murdaugh bin plead say im no dey guilty of killing im wife and youngest son as e dey try hide years of financial corruption - fraud wey he imself bin acknowledge for court.

Afta di 12-person jury give dia verdict, dozens of spectators gada outside for di back of di court wia officers handcuff Murdaugh and put am inside one black van.

How di mata take happun

Di case – wey tok about di downfall of a family dem born to power and privilege – bin make national headlines, and inspire documentaries on Netflix and HBO.

Murdaugh, one-time na influential personal injury attorney for di state, and for plenti years until 2006, im family members bin serve as di leading prosecutors for di area.

But di trial hear say for years, e bin tiff from im law partners and clients to feed im addiction to painkillers plus extravagant lifestyle.

E take more dan one year for investigators to arrest Murdaugh as dem untangle di complex case.

For inside one risky move for any murder defendant, Murdaugh enta witness stand, to try convince di jury say pesin wey dey vex on top one deadly 2019 boating accident wey involve Paul fit be di pesin wey kill im son as revenge.

"I no go ever hurt Maggie, and I no go ever hurt Paul - ever - under any circumstances," Murdaugh bin testify.

Di case against am dey based entirely on circumstantial evidence. No direct evidence - tins like murder weapon, blood on im cloth and dem no present any eyewitness for trial.

Instead, di prosecution bin focus on one incriminating Snapchat video wey Murdaugh son take just before di murders.

Paul and im mama die for di dog house on di family large hunting estate, wey dey known as Moselle.

For 20 months afta dia murders, Alex Murdaugh tell law enforcement repeatedly say im no go di dog kennels at all dat evening, say im dey house dey sleep.

But for di Snapchat video wey Paul feem just minutes before di shootings, pesin fit hear di defendant voice for di background.

During di trial, Murdaugh admit say im lie, e say im long years of addiction to pain killers don make am dey paranoid.

Di court also hear how Murdaugh attempt to stage im own death inside one insurance fraud scheme just three months afta e kill im 52-year-old wife and 22-year-old son.

Pipo react to di judgement

38-year-old local resident Jessica Williams stand outside di court dey watch di proceedings on di fone wit her six-year-old daughter.

"I am so happy," she tell BBC News afta dem announce di verdict, she add say: "I remember wia I dey wen di verdict for OJ Simpson happun [in 1995]. Dis na di same tin."

How lawyers argue di case

Investigators tok say e tiff millions from clients and colleagues, including $3.7m (£3m) for 2019 alone. And for trial, Murdaugh admit say im commit wide-scale theft.

Prosecutors argue say na dis crimes make am commit murder – dem say e bin reason say di deaths of Maggie and Paul go help am gain sympathy over im oda misdeeds.

Murdaugh and im defence team bin argue for court say di theory no jell and financial problems no fit ever lead am to murder.