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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Charlie Jones

Alex Murdaugh juror shares why jury took just 45 minutes to find double killer guilty

One of the jurors who found Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul has revealed why it took the jury just 45 minutes to make a decision.

Craig Moyer broke his anonymity to appear on Good Morning America and explain the workings behind the decision that will see Alex Murdaugh likely die behind bars.

With all the evidence weighed, the jury found the legal-scion turned addict responsible for killing wife Maggie and son Paul on their country estate of Moselle in June 2021.

He was later sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The jury needed to wade through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, hearing about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh's failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home and the grisly scene of the killings.

Craig Moyer appeared on Good Morning America on Friday morning (GMA)

Mr Moyer said: "He was a good liar, but not good enough."

He explained that when the jury entered the deliberation room, nine of the twelve were convicted of his guilt. Two thought he was innocent and another one was undecided.

He continued: "You start deliberating, going through the evidence and everybody was pretty much talking.

"About 45 minutes later, after all our deliberating, we figured it out. The evidence was clear."

Murdaugh is led to the Colleton County Courthouse by sheriff's deputies for sentencing (Chris Carlson/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

According to Mr Moyer, the key piece of evidence was a video filmed by son Paul moments before the murders. 

It placed Murdaugh at the scene of the crime and led to a later courtroom admission by the defendant that he had earlier lied to investigators.

Murdaugh lied about being at the kennels for 20 months before taking the stand on the 23rd day of his trial. 

He blamed his decades long addiction to opioids for making him paranoid, creating a distrust of police. He said that once he went down that path, he felt trapped in the lie.

The juror was also not convinced by Murdaugh's emotional testimony.

He explained: "I didn't see any true remorse or any compassion or anything. He never cried.

"All he did was blow snot. [There were] no tears. I saw his eyes."

They also noted that the defendant seemed overly prepared for every statement.

Mr Moyer said: "His responses, how quick he was with the defence, and his lies.... just steady lies."

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