saturday afternoon. watch one nation saturday night. >> i can do both of those. i do both of those anyway, brian. >> ask you something else. >> i'm sitting between two winners. they don't only work monday through friday, they work over the weekend, too. have a great weekend. bye. >> bill: thanks, guys, good morning. guilty on all counts. the jury convicting alex murdaugh of killing his wife and son in cold blood. the sentencing begins in 30 minutes. thats the next phase of this case. good morning, everybody. it's friday. we have almost made it. i'm bill hemmer live in new york. >> dana: amazing you were on with jesse last night when the verdict was read and getting insight was incredible. i'm dana perino and this is "america's newsroom." i wanted to jump in there. it was so quick and decisive. we'll get a lot more this morning in about a half hour. the trial lasted nearly six

weeks. it took less than three hours for the jury to announce a verdict. >> two counts murder. murdaugh faces a minimum sentence of 30 years. the judge has the option to put him away for life. >> it may have been his reversal on the witness stand. he admitted he was at the scene of the crime the night his wife and son were killed. that's the exact opposite of what he told police. >> bill: the verdict marks a stunning fall from grace from a prominent south carolina family. >> it doesn't matter who your family is. it doesn't matter how much money you have or people think you have. it doesn't matter what you think, how prominent you are, if you do wrong, if you break the law, if you murder, justice will be done in south carolina and i think south carolina has shown to the nation and the world how a process can work and work well.

>> dana: one of the jurors is peeling back the curtain on the deliberations. take a look here. >> we started deliberating going through the evidence and everybody was pretty much talking and about 45 minutes later we -- after all our deliberating it out. >> basically it took 45 minutes for you guys to come to a decision. that's reall>> evidence was cle. >> bill: very interesting interview. more coming up in a moment. trey gowdy with legal analysis and charles watson is in south carolina today and where we begin. what's next? >> good morning, bill and dana. we just saw alex murdaugh arrive to the courthouse a few moments ago wearing a brown prison jumpsuit and ankles shackled. the first time we've seen that

during the trial. as far as sentencing goes this morning the state will pursue life if prison without the possibility of parole when alex murdaugh is sentenced for the murders of maggie and paul. tough day for alex thursday. taken into custody almost immediately after yesterday's verdict and was led out of the courthouse in handcuffs for the entire world to see. the 54-year-old is staring at 30 years to life if prison after the jury came back in under three hours of deliberations with a unanimous verdict of guilty on two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. this after weeks of testimony, including testimony from alex himself who was forced to admit that he lied to police for almost two years about not being at the scene of the murders after his voice was caught on a snapchat video recorded by his son, paul, moments before he and maggie were killed.

the disgraced south carolina attorney didn't really show any emotion as the guilty verdicts were read. his son buster sat a few rows behind him with a deflated look on his fax. alex's lawyers tried to throw a hail mary with a request for a mistrial due to a lack of evidence but judge newman denied the motion before he applauded the jury for their six weeks of service on this case. the attorney general said justice was delivered for maggie and paul. >> our criminal justice system worked tonight. it gave a voice to maggie and paul murdaugh who were brutally mowed down and murdered on the night of june 7, 2021, by someone that they loved and someone that they trusted. >> we're hearing from some of the victims of alex' financial crimes. the attorney representing the

family of his former housekeeper said his power, prestige and money afforded him no special treatment. the people have spoken. alex' life of lies and deceit ended today. we expect the sentencing hearing to happen in about 30 minutes from now and we are expecting a press conference from alex' legal team shortly after. >> we're watching and waiting. good work down there throughout all this. back with you momentarily. >> dana: let's bring in trey gowdy host of sunday night in america. you know this area well. murdaugh verdict sent a low country message. no one is above the law. everything we understood is the murdaugh family was at one point considered untouchable. not so much anymore. >> they were. i'm not sure it was alex murdaugh, more his father and grandfather. i served with his father.

he was the district attorney when i was the district attorney but you know what? i heard a lot of questions about prominence and prestige. i don't think that matters to a jury. this case turned, dana -- remember the focus was on police work and blood spatter and the absence of d fricke a and blood & all of that changed when he talked his lawyers into letting him testify. then all of a sudden it was do you believe him or not? and dana, i will tell you, he is a good liar. but that is more of an observation than a compliment. the operative word in being a good liar is liar. i'll guarantee you the jury said we made up our mind when he had no explanation for changing his testimony. innocent people don't lie so you had a false statement which most prosecutors will tell you is better than a confession. it is a lie to get yourself out

of trouble that's proven to be a lie and this verdict was sealed when that snapchat video became available. >> bill: trey, listening to the juror on abc in an interview that aired this morning he said they took an initial vote which is what jurors do when they go into the deliberation room. nine voted guilty immediately. one voted don't know and two voted not guilty. and they debated about the body cam video that night teheran much when cops showed up. i guess a little after 10:00 at night. he said after 45 minutes all were in agreement. all 12 saying he was guilty. how does that strike you or what do you read from that in terms of where these jurors were in terms of hearing the evidence? >> it strikes me as about right and what you really don't want to do is ask all 12 what made you make up your mind. you will be stunned. it will not be anything that the

lawyers think that it was. i have talked to jurors after many, many, many trials and then i've stopped doing it because what they may base their verdict on had no semblance to what me and the cops thought they would base their verdict on. the amazing part. we're in an environment where if you get 49% of the vote you can become the president. we can't get our elected officials to agree even 51% of the time. and you get 12 citizens in less than an hour who focusing on the evidence decide that they can reach one accord, i mean, that's why many of us are such big fans of the jury system. they usually get it right. even if we don't want to know why, they usually get it right. they did here. >> dana: listen to judge newman what he said last night about the status how he sees the guilt. >> the jury has now considered

the evidence for a significant period of time and the evidence of guilt is overwhelming. >> dana: we're about 20 minutes away from the sentencing which the judge will preside over. i wonder what you read into when he said what he said last night about the evidence being overwhelming. >> this happens in every trial. any time there is a conviction the defense will say there is not enough evidence. the fact that the judge says there is enough evidence. there was plenty of evidence from which a jury could conclude guilt. so this was not cliff newman expressing his opinion. this was judge newman saying look, there is enough to find him guilty and i can tell you if the verdict had been not guilty he would have also said there is enough evidence to support that. i think we can all agree whether people like the performance of

the prosecutors or defense attorneys, cliff newman did an amazing job over the entire pendency of the trial. all of the pressure on him, dana, 30 years is the minimum. is there anything about this fact pattern that makes you think alex murdaugh should get the minimum sentence? that's the minimum for murder if south carolina. i think alex murdaugh will get double life sentences and life means life in south carolina. it is a pine box pardon. >> bill: thank you. may call on you again as we get underway here in 25 minutes or so. thank you, trey. one more thing about what this juror said. they looked at the officers' body cam video and the heart of their debate was the shotgun shells. the not guilty voters said it was evidence of his innocence but they turned within an hour. bear in mind this.

june 2021 the murders take place. they don't get access to paul's phone until april of 2022. that's where they found the snapchat video. now we're in 2023, february and march. that was the critical moment in april of 2022 and you have to think -- we're all thinking i have to change my story now and. >> dana: he tried and it did not work. all right. let's go back to east palestine, ohio to a town hall last night. listen here. >> has there been any talks about -- >> there has not. [inaudible] >> would your company be willing to pay for it if the epa found it was necessary? >> what i would state on this topic is right now this conversation that will go on for quite a while. >> bill: that from east palestine, ohio last night questioning the railway responsible for the toxic

chemicals. the epa ordered that the company attend. they didn't show up last time. garrett tenney with the latest today. >> this derailment happened a month ago today and so much that people in east palestine don't know what they are being exposed to, how safe it is and what the future looks like. a lot of frustration that came out last night since the railway didn't show up to the last town hall they were invited to. >> how long will it take? they are dying slowly now in front of my eyes. >> i went back to work i couldn't breathe. >> do i have to wait until i have cancer or my kids or grandkids are sick before you guys will do anything? that's not right. >> we are going to do. >> [inaudible]

>> the railways representatives say at this point there hasn't been any discussion about buying people's homes and paying for them to move. since they're worthless now most folks are stuck and can't leave and still getting sick. no one has been able to tell them why since the data suggests the air and water are safe. a special team from the cdc arrived to looked into that. last night they said it will take three weeks to collect the data they need before they are able to start trying to figure it out. late yesterday a month after this disaster president biden said at some point he will be visiting there. no date or details when it will be. it comes after a lot of bipartisan criticism for not making that trip sooner. i can tell you there are a lot of mixed feelings from folks in east palestine about the president potentially coming. >> bill: very interesting if and when it happens. garrett tenney on that today. frnlts we have what the

president said about going. listen here. >> discuss the situation with the train derailment in the people -- >> president biden: talked to every official in ohio, democrat and republican on a continuous basis. >> dana: i think that the white house wished they had done this differently. they can't turn back time. if he goes, i think he will have to have some deliverables because the people are very upset. >> bill: the longer you wait, the more grief you feel, right? when you do go, taking a chance here. those folks are not happy and you have to be ready for that. we'll see if and when it happens. he says at some point which is the message he delivered when he came home from eastern europe. we shall see. >> dana: the recorder of an hour past 9:00 and we're driving to 9:30. the government cracking down on an animal tranquilizer. we told you about this made in

china and it is behind a surge of deadly overdoses. is the government action too little too late? >> bill: aoc at the center of at ethics investigation and why that review is being extended. >> dana: how president biden is breaking with progressives on crime and handing republicans a victory in the process. >> prominent democrats spent years, years, amplifying anti-police rhetoric that hurts law enforcement and leads to more crime.

i'm christine mahon. i'm retired from public health nursing and from the army reserve. my retirement funds allow me to enjoy what i love to do. i volunteer with the medical reserve corp. as long as you can make an impact, why stop? if your business kept on employees through the pandemic, getrefunds.com can see if it may qualify for a payroll tax refund of up to $26,000 per employee. all it takes is eight minutes to get started. then work with professionals to assist your business with its forms and submit the application. go to getrefunds.com to learn more.

veteran homeowners: to combat today's rising prices, lower your monthly payments with the 3 c's. pay down your credit cards. pay off your car loan. consolidate your debt with a va home loan from newday.

>> bill: watch this story out of washington. president biden saying he will not veto a republican bill that would block the dc city council

from significantly softening its criminal code. that decision on behalf of the president giving republicans a major victory in their fight against this woke agenda. chad pergram is on the hill on this. bring it to us. what's happening next? >> good morning, bill. even liberal democrats in the nation's capital have gone too far for president biden. he brooks with the left wing of his party standing by a gop bill to block the d.c. city council for changes in the city's crime code. a vote in the senate next week. >> the left's soft on crime campaign has even infiltrated the legal system itself. far left political donors have worked to get radical district attorneys elected in and around major cities. many of them have promptly instituted what amounts to a blanket amnesty for whole classes of crimes. >> mr. biden's move awarded congressional republicans their

first win in their quest to fight what they see a progressive policies. congress can intervene in the district of columbia because the city is a federal enclave. the president supports local control in d.c. but this went too far. >> when it comes to what this proposal brings forth which is really lowering penalties for carjacking. that's not going to -- he doesn't believe it will keep our community safe. >> president biden's move infuriated the left. caught many off guard. >> he had not issued a veto threat but he has said he was not for it. so this is news to me and i'm very disappointed in it if he will not veto. i hope he continues to say that he will oppose it. >> several senate democrats will side with republicans on the plan. the bill is not subject to a filibuster due to a special carve out just for washington, d.c. the president hopes this will curb the gop argument that he is

soft on crime. >> bill: it will be interesting to watch this vote to see how many democrats vote with republicans in the senate. we'll be watching. thank you, chad, on the hill. >> next wednesday or thursday. vert let's bring in fox news contributor james freeman on this. the "wall street journal" you wrote about it today saying biden doesn't want to give republicans an easy opening on crime in 2024. if he doesn't veto republicans won't have the election issue last year but doing a great service for making the capital safer for visitors and residents. he can look like biden is tough on crime doing what the mayor wants him to do and he could say to republicans how can you say i'm not -- >> bill: it is a horrific crime wave in d.c. homicides up. car thefts up over 100%.

the whacky city council says let's reduce maximum sentences and dramatically reduce in some cases. knocking down the top sentence for armed robbery by 25 years -- yeah, 25 years. so this is just a law that as you mentioned the mayor vetoed it. city council overrode the change. the mayor for d.c. statehood so she didn't like the method but clearly this is the first step away from wokeness. >> bill: they didn't just override her they outvoted her 12-1. they were going to change everything. a car janning, the sentence is reduced. a miss demeanor you get a jury trial. how will that work in the legal wheels of justice? >> yeah. some people might look at this and say the maximum for armed robbery is going from 45 to 20. they might say 20 is still a lot

of years. you need to know the context which is when you have the max at 45 it means people are getting in the teens. if you knock the max down to 20, you are probably getting a much lower sentence on the rest of it. when you look at the crime wave in the district, it is clear the deterrent effect has not been significant enough to address this crisis. >> dana: the left and progressives have always had an uneasy relationship with biden and pushed him further left. on this they will be mad and now there is this headline that democrats are open to ditching biden in 2024 and goes on to say polling suggest dems aren't thrilled with biden as the nominee. they might not have a choice. if he decides to run that's what they will get. i want to know what you think about that pullback on the left side of things. you have moderate democrats who are trying to tell the left you cannot be like this on crime. look at lori lightfoot. she just lost.

>> it is interesting. there are two big pressures on him. one is voters giving the house to republicans in the fall pretty clear message. chicago pretty clear message like we got in the new york mayoral race. crime is a problem. but on the other hand, the reason i think you have not gotten the challenge to biden is that progressives can't complain too much with his record so far. he has enacted big spending, tried to get more. they can't say he has not pushed their agenda hard. student loans. so this does raise a question of does it start to invite people among the let's say the donor class, the insiders, democratic voters have been saying for a while they don't think he should be the guy in 2024. >> bill: maybe. maybe. 31 house democrats voted with republicans on this measure. again watch how many democratic senators vote with republicans next week. elizabeth warren said the pieces are together.

he will run again and get full support from the caucus. how about that? >> dana: future treasury secretary is what she is hoping. >> bill: day of reckoning for alex murdaugh. sentencing for killing his wife an sons is moments away. take you back inzoo i had the courthouse for another day. tornadoes taking aim at texas and louisiana leaving tens of thousands without power. we're there live coming up for the after math. >> oh, that's a tornado. that's the wind. that is a tornado. but i struggled with uncontrollable movements called td, tardive dyskinesia. td can be caused by some mental health meds. and it's unlikely to improve without treatment. i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. ingrezza is a prescription medicine to treat adults with td movements. ingrezza is different. it's the simple, once-daily treatment proven to reduce td that's #1 prescribed. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose

of most mental health meds. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. it's nice people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. learn how you could pay as little as zero dollars at ingrezza.com ♪ ingrezza ♪ -that's it? -yeah. progressive's homequote explorer makes it easy to compare home insurance options. man...i told my wife i'd be in here for hours. what do we do now? we live... ♪ save time and money with progressive's homequote explorer. what you do afterwards, is up to you. oh, whoa, i was actually just thinking i would take a nap.

pretty tired. okay.

science proves quality sleep is vital to your mental, emotional, and physical health. and we know 80% of couples sleep too hot or too cold. introducing the new sleep number climate360 smart bed. the only smart bed in the world that actively cools, warms, and effortlessly responds to both of you. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. proven quality sleep. only from sleep number.

are you feeling sluggish or weighed down? metamucil's new fiber plus collagen can help. when taken daily, it supports your health, starting with your digestive system. metamucil's plant-based fiber forms a gel to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down, helps lower cholesterol and promotes healthy blood sugar levels. while its collagen peptides help support your joint structures so, start feeling lighter and more energetic by taking metamucil every day. feel less sluggish and weighed down after just 14 days. sign up for the 2-week challenge at metamucil.com. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. ♪ i like to move it, move it ♪ ♪ you like to... move it ♪ we're reinventing our network. ♪

♪ ♪ fast. reliable. perfectly orchestrated. the united states postal service. veteran homeowners: want to lower your monthly payments? pay off your high-payment car loan with an affordable home loan from newday and save hundreds every month. there are no upfront fees to apply. >> dana: alex murdaugh will be sentenced this morning. a moment ago he arrived at court. you can see him there getting out of the black fully armored van and he is in a khaki-colored jumpsuit and orange slides on with white socks and he is any moment now going to be back in that courtroom.

>> bill: there will be an opportunity for character witnesses to testify on his behalf. you wonder will his surviving son testify on behalf of his father? buster was without emotion when the verdict was read and his father was led out last night. we'll get you back there when it gets underway. the fda says it's restricting imports of an animal tranquilizer commonly manufactured in china. it has been found in drugs like fentanyl and heroin. resistant to overdose treatments like narcan. it is bad stuff. alexis mcadams with more on this. hello. >> we were talking about tranq the other month in a few clicks you can order some for less than $20. now the fda is working to change that as we witness the devastating effects it is having across the country. we saw it on the streets of

philadelphia people shooting up on nearly every single block. an animal tranquilizer strong enough to sedate a horse but cut into much of the country's illicit drug supply. it extends the high and doesn't respond to narcan and eats away at user's skin leaving massive wounds that require amputation of the user's arms and legs. we talked to people who said their arms will have to be amputated but they couldn't stop using. it is not a controlled substance. the fda is trying to crack down saying in part this action aims to prevent the drug from entering the u.s. market for illicit purposes while maintaining availability for legitimate uses in animals. across the country the damage, though, is done and growing. the dea tells us tranq is already responsible for thousands of overdose deaths. community advocates are sounding the alarm. >> it is not regulated. it is not scheduled in any way. it is easily accessed on the

web. we need research and case studies around why it is negatively impacting my community and we need to prepare the rest of our country for what it will look like when it ill filtrates their supply. >> the dea is working to schedule it as a controlled substance. the government would control manufacturing and distribution. it's in so many communities and not just a philly problem. >> bill: thank you. we see it in new york. thanks. >> right here, guys. crossing street right in front of us. yep. >> that's very violent. >> dana: this time of year violent tornadoes ripping through southern communities leaving thousands without power and cleaning up millions in damages. the storms are picking up this weekend. one area hit shreve port,

louisiana where brandi campbell is. these storms are really hitting that region very hard. >> that's right. it has been week after week here in shreve port. the damage we're seeing behind me is from a tornado reported in the 5:00 p.m. hour yesterday. it was just from the first round of storms that came through. so behind me this is damage at a land -- laundromat. work was done to this insurance office right here. the left side of this building was left exposed. they immediately came out, tarping it up getting ready for the second round that came overnight. i want to walk here and show you the front of this building. cars were damaged. you have wood sticking out the front of this car. this vehicle right here, the sign fell on top of it and we were told there were two kids inside this vehicle when it happened. they both got out.

they were fine. no hospital visits out of that. this is the front of the laundromat. they have a lot of water damage in here. one of the owners of the building told me they weren't sure if they want to walk in there because they aren't sure about the stability of this building. right now a lot of people starting to get out continue this cleanup work. we're seeing crews out repairing the red lights up here. there is a bank over here. they are fixing the roof. the good news is there were no injuries out of this reported tornado here in shreve port but 6,000 homes and businesses still out of power. >> dana: that's amazing there were no injuries out of all that damage you showed us firsthand. thank you. >> exactly. >> bill: alex murdaugh moments away from finding out his fate. his family just got to the courthouse including his surviving son buster.

the disgraced lawyer arriving in a brown prison jumpsuit and wearing what looks like pink crocs. >> dana: over slides. >> he is facing 30 years to life. the judge will put this case to rest after months of testimony. want to bring in jonna spilbor, defense attorney. you have been with us from the beginning on this. what did you think of last night? it was something, right, three hours done. >> you know, not a lot surprises me but this does. specifically the speed with which this jury came back. think about it you guys. we had six weeks of testimony, somewhere around 75 bit necessarys, countless exhibits. an entire trial inside a trial and this jury came back with a unanimous guilty verdicts. how carefully did they

deliberate in this very convoluted case and what turned them? if they had their minds made up when they went back into the deliberation room, when were their minds made up? because look, the prosecution did a great job painting alex murdaugh as a liar, cheat, the lowest of the low kind of lawyer. i still see gaps in the evidence. i wonder what did it for this jury? >> dana: you listen to allen wilson, the attorney general of south carolina. listen here. >> criminal justice system in the world. our criminal justice system worked tonight and gave a voice to maggie and paul murdaugh. >> dana: the other thing that will happen today is there could be character witnesses that speak on behalf of alex murdaugh. tell us a little about that before we lose you. >> normally we do. you are allowed to have character witnesses. i don't think it will matter in

this case. the judge told us last night in not so many words he will throw the book at alex murdaugh. he told the jury and thanked them and lauded the jury for getting it right. i don't think any character witness will make a difference. >> dana: stand by. we'll be right back. with inflation high --. learn more at getrefunds.com. when it comes to reducing sugar in your family's diet, the more choices, the better. that's why america's beverage companies are working together to deliver more great tasting options with less sugar or no sugar at all. in fact, today, nearly 60% of beverages sold contain zero sugar. different sizes? check. clear calorie labels? just check. with so many options, it's easier than ever to find the balance that's right for you.

more choices. less sugar. balanceus.org you've worn many hats, from past jobs in fact. now, you can trade in those hats to help earn your grad cap. your past experience can help you earn your degree faster and for less.

>> bill: here we go. the court has resumed here.

alex murdaugh back in his chair. this is the prosecutor for south carolina now speaking. >> including his friends and family, his partners, his profession but most of all maggie and paul. this is a very complicated situation and i want to offer my condolences to the family that has suffered here. we have tried very hard to be respectful and sensitive regardless of what position any person took because this family has suffered and they've had to suffer in the public eye and i want to offer my condolences to this family. i want to offer it for maggie and paul and mr. randolph, too, who i had the pleasure of working with on one occasion. but the reality remains is that despite all this attention, this case is about maggie murdaugh and paul murdaugh and i'm so

thankful that the jurors gave them a voice. you heard about paul. there was the tape but you heard him described as a fun-loving young man, a person who loved life and a person would do anything for his friends or anyone. he is cut down as he was just starting to live his life. you heard about maggie. you heard how sweet she was and she was a girl's girl who adopted to the outdoorsmen life of her sons and how much she loved her sister and her brother-in-law and their children. and she was cut down in the prime of her life. both of them, like everyone else, was unaware of who he really was. no one who thought they knew this man, no one who thought they were close to this man knew who he really was and that's chilling. i have looked in his eyes and he

liked to stare me down as he would walk by me during this trial and i could see the real alex murdaugh when he looked at me. the depravity, the callousness, the selfishness are stunning and the lack of remorse and how he lies including here sitting right over there in this witness stand. your honor, a man like that, a man like this man, should never be allowed to be among free law abiding citizens again. i would submit to you the only just sentence here to give justice for maggie and paul is the maximum. that will be two consecutive life sentences. thank you, your honor. >> you indicate that no one -- no victim would like to speak at

this time. would any victim like to speak at any time during these proceedings? >> one of the things we did early on as i said it is a very complicated situation, but we made the decision early on we've had our victim advocate here doing a wonderful job regardless of the viewpoints of any individual family member to provide aid and service to them and we made that decision. i'm informed by our victim advocate that none of them wish to speak. the defense can certainly address that. that's what i'm informed. they were offered the opportunity as is required and i want to commend our victim advocate on the excellent job she did in handling this complex situation. we wanted to be sensitive to. none of us are not mindful of the fact of the suffering of this family. >> i notice -- is here.

would you like to address the court in any matters, chief? >> no, sir. we're proud of our agents work and proud of the partnership we have had with the attorney general's office as we had for many years and again we're here to see that justice is served and we believe it has been. >> thank you. >> for the defense. >> your honor, mr. griffin and i would have no comments. the defendant would like to address the court, though. >> mr. murdaugh. >> good morning, your honor. i'm innocent. i would never hurt my wife, maggie, and i would hurt my son, pawpaw. thank you. >> anything further?

>> i don't think further comment is necessary, your honor. >> if you'll come before the court for sentencing. this has been perhaps one of the most troubling cases, not just for me as a judge, for the state, for the defense team, but for all of the citizens in this community, all the citizens in this state and as we have seen based on the media coverage throughout the nation. you have a wife who has been killed, murdered, a son savagely

mur murdered, a lawyer, a person from a respected family who has controlled justice in this community for over a century, a person who's grandfather's portrait hang at the back of the courthouse that i had to have ordered removed in order to insure that a fair trial was had by both the state and the defense. and i sat through the trial not only having sat through the trial but also as the presiding judge of the state grand jury,

sat through and participated in the issuance of search warrants of various sorts, bond hearings and have had to consider many th things. and we have this case and i'm also assigned to preside over 99 others, at least. 99 other cases and testimony has come up regarding many of those other cases, i will not make any comment with regard to any other pending matter as i have been assigned those cases as well. it's also particularly

troubling, mr. murdaugh, because as a member of the legal community and a well-known member of the legal community, you practiced law before me and we've seen each other at various occasions throughout the years and it was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go in the media from being a grieving father who lost a wife and a son, to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them. and you've engaged in such duplicitous conduct here in the

courtroom, here on the witness stand, and it's established by the testimony throughout the time leading from the time of the indictment and prior to the indictment, throughout the trial, to this moment in time certainly you have no obligation to say anything other than saying not guilty. and obviously as appeals are probably expected or absolutely expected, i would not expect a confession of any kind. in fact, as i have presided over murder cases over the past 22

years, i have yet to find a defendant who could go there, who could go back to that moment in time when they decided to pull the trigger or to otherwise murder someone. i have not been able to get anyone, any defendant, even those who have confessed to being guilty, to go back and explain to me what happened at that moment in time when they opted to pull the trigger, when they opted to commit the most heinous crimes known to man. in this case qualifies under our death penalty statute based on statutory -- the statutory

aggravating circumstances of two or more people being murdered by the defendant by one act or pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct. i don't question at all the decision of the state not to pursue the death penalty. but as i sit here in this courtroom and look around the many portraits of judges and other court officials and reflect on the fact that over the past century, your family, including you, have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom and many have received

the death penalty. probably for lesser conduct. remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. was it tangled >> tangled web we weave. >> oh what tangled web we weave. what did you mean by that? >> it meant when i lied i continued to lie. >> and the question is when will it end? when will it end? and it's ended already for the jury because they've concluded that you continued to lie, and lied throughout your testimony. and perhaps with all the throng

of people here or 99% believe that you continue to lie now when your statement of denial to the court. perhaps you believe that it does not matter that there is nothing that could mitigate a sentence given of the crimes that were committed. notice of alibi was filed in this case by counsel in november and we conducted a hearing, pre-trial hearing in which you claimed to have been someplace else at the time the crime was committed. and then after all of the

witnesses placed you at the scene of the crime, at the last minute, last minutes or days, you switched courses and admitted to being there. then that necessitated more lies and continuing to lie, and will it end? it's already ended for many who have heard you and concluded that it will never end. but within your own soul you have to deal with that. and i know you have to see paul and maggie during the nighttime when you are attempting to go to sleep. i'm sure they come and visit you. i'm sure. >> every day and every night.

>> i'm sure. and they will continue to do so. and reflect on the last time they looked you in the eyes as you looked the jury in the eyes. i don't know a person who has always been such a gregarious, friendly person and caused their life to be tangled in such a web, such a situation that yours spun into and it is so unfortunate. because you had such a lovely family, such friendly people, including you. and to go from that to this.

your license to practice law has been stripped away from you, you turned from lawyer to witness, and now have an opportunity to make your final appeal as an ex-lawyer and it is really surprising that you are waiving this right at this time. and if you opt to do so, it is on you. you are not compelled to say anything, but you have the opportunity to do so. >> i say again i am stating to this court that i am innocent and that i would never under any

circumstances hurt my wife, maggie and i would never under any circumstances hurt my son, pawpaw. >> and it might not have been you. it might have been the monster you had become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills. maybe you become another person. i've seen that before. the person standing before me was not the person who committed the crime though it's the same individual. we will leave that at that. before announcing sentence on these cases, with regard to all of the other pending cases