‘It Might Not Have Been You’: Judge Responds To Murdaugh After He Claims He Is Innocent

 Disgraced former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh claimed Friday he was innocent after having been found guilty of murdering his wife and son, with the judge responding to his claims.

“I would never, under any circumstances, hurt my wife Maggie,” Murdaugh said. “And I would never, under any circumstances, hurt my son Paw-Paw.”

“Well, and it might not have been you,” Judge Clifton Newman said. “It might have been the monster you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills. Maybe you become another person. I’ve seen that before, you know, the person standing before me is not the person who committed the crime, though it’s the same individual. We’ll leave it at that.”

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Newman also called the case “one of the most troubling” not just for him, but “all of the citizens in this state and as we have seen, based on the media coverage, throughout the nation.”

Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the June, 2021 murders of his 55-year-old wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son Paul.

Murdaugh admitted in trial he lied about his location minutes before the murders, having originally said he was visiting his mother. He later admitted he had been at the scene of the crime after a video recording from Paul captured Murdaugh’s voice in the background just minutes before the murders.

Murdaugh’s attorneys claimed he lied due to being in “the throes of addiction,” CNN reported. Authorities found splotches of blood on Murdaugh’s clothing, indicating he was present at the scene.