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Alex Murdaugh was found guilty yesterday of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul following a blockbuster six-week trial.
There was a mountain of evidence and long, emotional testimony from many of those involved.
But some key questions remain unanswered.
Here, DailyMail.com breaks down the riddles prosecutors still weren’t able to solve.
Alex Murdaugh with his attorney. He was found guilty of double murder- but many questions remain unanswered
WHY DID ALEX MURDAUGH KILL HIS WIFE AND SON?
The prosecution put forward the theory that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son because his life was spiraling out of control, but they didn’t nail down a specific motive.
He testified that he was in the throes of a crippling opioid addiction, was facing mounting financial problems – and there were rumors his marriage was falling apart.
All of those factors led to rampant speculation.
Did Alex kill Maggie because she was planning to divorce him, and would that have revealed his financial crimes?
Did he shoot Paul because his drunken boating accident which led to the death of a teenage girl put the family into financial jeopardy?
While both were hinted at both inside and outside the courtroom, prosecutors were not able to determine specifically when or why he snapped.
WHERE ARE THE MURDER WEAPONS?
The Murdaugh family had an impressive arsenal of firearms – but none of the guns seized were definitively ruled as the murder weapons.
Prosecutors said Paul was shot in the head and chest with a shotgun, while Maggie was shot five times with an assault rifle. They suggested she was running away at the time, and that the fatal shot was an execution-style blow to the head.
Neither of the weapons described have ever been recovered.
A missing rifle that Alex bought for Paul could be a match, prosecutors said, but it was never found. Expert witnesses testified that Blackout casing discovered near Maggie’s body came from the same gun as shells elsewhere on the estate.
Murdaugh was holding a Benelli 12 gauge shotgun when cops arrived on the night of the murders – he said to protect himself in case the shooters were still nearby.
Greer said the shells loaded into that weapon were consistent ‘in construction and head stamp information’ with the spent shells found near Paul.
But Greer’s findings were inconclusive as to whether this gun or another similar weapon fired the shells.
WHY DID BUSTER MURDAUGH STAND BY HIS FATHER AT TRIAL?
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Buster, Maggie and Alex’s only surviving son, was consistently by his father’s side throughout the grueling six-week trial.
His presence was a marked shift from when he told DailyMail.com that he didn’t want it ‘written anywhere’ that he supported him.
Buster also took the stand in his father’s defense to tell the jury that he was ‘devastated’ by the killings.
He stopped short of stating on-record that he didn’t think his father was capable of killing, but was very much in his corner throughout the proceedings.
His support remains unexplained.
WHERE ARE THE ‘BLOODY CLOTHES’ MURDAUGH WAS APPARENTLY WEARING AT THE TIME OF THE MURDERS?
The prosecution told a grand jury that Murdaugh’s shirt had ‘blood spatter’ on it from the killings.
It was part of the evidence that led them to indict him. But it turned out to be false.
During the trial, it emerged that no blood splatter was ever found on the white t-shirt Murdaugh was wearing when he was first questioned by police after the murders.
A Snapchat video recorded by his late son Paul earlier that evening shows him wearing a different set of clothing – but they were never seized or tested for DNA or blood.
Murdaugh told the court he changed clothes because it was hot that day, and he’d been out working on the property.
Buster Murdaugh also testified that it wasn’t unusual for his father to shower multiple times a day.
WHERE’S ALL THE MONEY?
Murdaugh is accused of fraudulently acquiring $14million both by embezzling from his law firm and ripping off the sons of his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.
He told the court that he spent $50,000-a-week on drugs, but even a habit that consistent wouldn’t have burned through all that cash as quickly as he claims to have.
He is facing separate charges on the financial crimes. It’s unclear how the murder conviction will impact that case.
WILL ALEX MURDAUGH APPEAL HIS CONVICTION?
Murdaugh maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
Yesterday, his attorneys said in their closing arguments that he only ever lied about circumstances like his whereabouts, and that it was down to his habit of lying as a drug addict, but that he had always been truthful about his innocence.
It remains to be seen whether he will appeal the double murder conviction and continue his efforts to clear his name.
