Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney convicted of murdering his wife and son, has been moved into the protective custody unit in the prison where he’s being held.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) announced late last week that Murdaugh had been processed through the system and was recommended for protective custody. A four-panel board that includes SCDC security, as well as mental health and classification experts, made the recommendation.
“Inmates in this unit have validated protective concerns and are placed in a specialized unit to separate them from the general population. Their location is not disclosed for safety and security reasons. This unit has 28 inmates currently,” SCDC said in its statement. “Murdaugh will be in a single eight by ten cell that contains a bed, toilet and sink. Inmates in this unit receive all privileges afforded those in the general population inside this self-contained unit.”
A spokesperson for the SCDC told CBS News that Murdaugh would stay in the protective custody unit for the next year, at which time it will be reassessed whether he would remain in the unit.
Murdaugh was found guilty last month of murdering his wife and youngest son in an alleged attempt to distract from his numerous financial crimes, for which he still faces prosecution. The decision came after just a few hours of deliberation and a six-week trial where more than 70 witnesses testified.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters explained to Judge Clifton Newman during sentencing that the evidence in the trial “shows [Alex] to be a cunning manipulator, a man who placed himself above all others, including his family, a man who violated the trust of so many – including his friends, his family, his partners, his profession, but most of all Maggie and Paul.”
Waters requested the consecutive life sentences, saying Murdaugh’s family, “like everyone else, was unaware of who he really was.”
Murdaugh’s attorneys declined to comment during the hearing, but Murdaugh himself once again proclaimed his innocence.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
“I’m innocent. I would never hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never hurt my son Paul,” Murdaugh said, according to Avery Wilks, chief investigative reporter for the Post and Courier.
Judge Newman excoriated Murdaugh for his repeated lies, including his insistence that he was never at the dog kennels — where Maggie and Paul were murdered — on the day of the crime. Cell phone evidence proved that was a lie, and Murdaugh admitted to lying while testifying in his own defense during the trial.
Murdaugh has since filed a notice that he would be appealing the convictions and sentence, though the notice contains no arguments, NBC News reported. Murdaugh’s attorneys had previously argued at trial that investigators didn’t properly secure the crime scene, suggesting they only focused on Murdaugh for the crimes and didn’t seek other possibilities.