A tangled web of lies

He confessed to taking drugs but denied killing his wife and son - then a video clip sealed his fate

- By Lavern De Vries

A double murder, millions of missing dollars, a 20-year drug addiction - and at the centre of it all the heir to a law firm that's run the legal scene in a small town for decades.

This family saga has more twists and turns than a potholed road, enough intrigue to grip people around the world and enough drama to have been turned into a Netflix documentary. The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal unpacks the ruthlessness and lies of a man powerful and persuasive enough to rule the roost and fool the authorities in this pocket of America's Deep South.

Yet the finest lawyers couldn't convince the jury he wasn't the man behind the gruesome killing of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. And Alex Murdaugh will now spend the rest of his life in jail with no chance for parole after he was found guilty of the murders.

Both were slain in cold blood: Maggie (52) was shot five times with an automatic rifle and Paul (22) was shot in the head with a shotgun at close range.

Prosecutors claimed Alex murdered them to hide a litany of financial crimes. Alex claimed he was innocent - he was visiting his ailing parents and found his wife's and son's bodies at the dog kennels on the property, he said.

But a video taken by Paul minutes before the murders captures Alex's voice as he talks to the family dog, Bubba. The 50-second footage was shown in court and in a dramatic turn of events, Alex took the stand and an astonishing string of confessions followed.

He'd been at the kennels that night, he admitted, and he'd lied to the authorities over and over. He was dishonest about his whereabouts that evening, he hadn't disclosed his raging drug addiction to police and he'd lied about stealing money from clients and partners at his law firm.

Yet he steadfastly maintained it was not his finger that pulled the triggers that snuffed out the lives of his wife and son.