THE DAILY BEAST
Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina lawyer accused of murdering his wife and son in a deranged scheme to hide his financial crimes, is set to take the stand in his own defense Thursday.
“I am going to testify. I want to testify,” Murdaugh told Judge Clifton Newman in a hearing prior to court, noting he had spoken with his lawyers.
Murdaugh, 54, is facing four charges in connection with the June 2021 slayings of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul. Prosecutors allege the grisly slaying was prompted by a desperate attempt to garner sympathy and evade questions about his years-long financial crimes.
A spokesperson for Murdaugh’s defense team told The Daily Beast prior to the court that the former lawyer “want[ed]” to testify but that it was going to be “a last-minute decision this morning.”
Ultimately, the spokesperson noted, the “final decision was up to Alex.”