Verdict

JUDGE NEWMAN: I understand that there is a verdict. You may bring the jury.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Thank you. Madame Forelady, if you will stand for me. Have you reached a verdict?

JUDGE NEWMAN: Is it unanimous?

JUDGE NEWMAN: All right. If you will pass it up, and the Clerk will pass it to me. And you may be seated.

JUDGE NEWMAN: The defendant will rise. Madame Clerk, you may publish the verdict, starting with the back, not with the -- let's see, starting with the back. Flip them over one by one.

JUDGE NEWMAN: The State of South Carolina v.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Read the verdict.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Thank you. Madame Forelady, and members of jury, if that is the verdict of each and every juror, please let it by known by raising your right hands.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Thank you. Any individual polling requested?

JUDGE NEWMAN: And, Madame Clerk, you will need to individually poll the jury according to their jury -- juror numbers.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Thank you. The jury has been polled and the verdict is a unanimous verdict. If you will bring the alternate juror out and have her have a seat in the audience, please.

JUDGE NEWMAN: You can stand there, or you could sit back there, whatever you want. Okay, are there any posttrial motions?

JUDGE NEWMAN: By the State in response?

JUDGE NEWMAN: We have been here now twenty-eight days, the first few days of jury selection and the remainder receiving testimony, an overwhelming amount of testimony and evidence that was presented to the jury for the jury's consideration. As I indicated to the jury in the charge, or charge on the law, that this was a matter solely for the jury, the jury to determine. The Court found that at the end of the State's case that there's sufficient evidence to find the defendant guilty if the evidence was believed by the jury. Likewise at the end of the defense's case when the motion was renewed, the Court found that the evidence was sufficient for the jury to find the defendant guilty. The jury has now considered the evidence for a significant period of time, and the evidence of guilt is overwhelming, and I deny the motion. The -- Mr. Murdaugh, you now having been found guilty of two counts of murder involving your wife and your son, and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, the burden now comes upon the Court to impose a sentence. Given the lateness of the hour and the victims' rights that must be taken into consideration and complied with under the Victims' Bill of Rights, and considering what I would anticipate to be a number of people who might have something to say regarding sentencing, we will defer sentencing to a later date. Of course, the minimum sentence for murder is thirty years; the maximum sentence is life in prison as to each count. And on the weapons charge the sentence is up to five years, five years. There's a chance it will be concurrent if a life sentence is imposed. When would you all like to reconvene for sentencing? I would like to give everyone an adequate opportunity to prepare for it.

JUDGE NEWMAN: All right. The defendant is remanded to the custody of the Colleton County Sheriff's Department. And you may take him away.

JUDGE NEWMAN: No, they're off duty; they're off jury duty.

JUDGE NEWMAN: They can come back if they'd like.

JUDGE NEWMAN: And you don't have to if you don't want to.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Typically I've seen jurors wanting to see the end result of a case once they have invested a lot into it. It's really an amazing thing with juries, and quite often at the start of the case jurors are like whoa, why am I here? I wish I wasn't selected. But as time passes and the jurors become invested and really committed to the case, and committed to seeing it through, and are very disappointed when they are not able to see it to a conclusion, but then along the way of serving they end up finding out quite a bit about our judicial system and learning quite a bit, well, about human nature for sure, but also about the presentation of evidence and hearing expert witnesses, and really learning a lot of things that you'll be able to take with you when you leave jury duty. Madame Forelady, I don't know if you were hesitant initially or not, but you stepped up to the plate and have done a great job of leading the jury as well.

JUDGE NEWMAN: Thank all of you. So, the jury is dismissed. Now, one thing before you go. Of course, we have invested a lot in maintaining the privacy of the jury of each one of you, and you are free at this point to discuss the case with anyone. And given the high profile nature of the case, I'm certain that the -- many people in the media would like -- will probably want to communicate with you, but they have no means of contacting you because under order that I issued, the identity of the jurors must be kept private. And if you decide that you want to speak with anyone -- local, state, nationally, or internationally -- that is your prerogative. However, should anyone harass you, please let me know and I will address those issues. If anyone through the -- somehow or another discover your identity and harass you and -- rest assured I will intercede on your behalf. That having been said, you are free to communicate with whomever you might want to concerning the case from now on. So with that, thank you, and you are all are free to go.

JUDGE NEWMAN: And as is my practice, I'll speak with the foreperson before you leave the building.

JUDGE NEWMAN: We'll be in recess until 9:30 tomorrow morning.