Alex Murdaugh sobs about murders at fraud sentencing: Live

Judge Clifton Newman is now sentencing Murdaugh for his financial crimes.

Judge Newman reminded the court that he has 44 days until active retirement.

“I will turn the page and leave you behind,” he told Murdaugh.

The former legal scion and convicted killer was sentenced on Tuesday to 27 in prison for his financial crimes.

“You seem empty, I don’t see anything,” Judge Clifton Newman told Murdaugh.

“Hopefully something will emerge in your spirit, in your soul.”

The disgraced legal scion reached a plea deal with prosecutors on 17 November, agreeing to plead guilty to 22 charges including money laundering, fraud and criminal conspiracy.

Under the terms of the deal, prosecutor Creighton Waters asked Judge Newman to sentence Murdaugh to 27 years – to be served concurrently to his two life sentences for murder.

“I accept the negotiated sentence and the guilty plea,” Newman said.

“I take no joy at all in imposing this sentence. And you’ll have to suffer the consequences of your actions. And hopefully some good will come out of this as you go forward.”

Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian are speaking to reporters outside the courthouse in South Carolina after their client Alex Murdaugh received 27 years for his financial fraud schemes.

Mr Griffin said Murdaugh would be eligible for release when he’s 75 and a half years old,” he said as he joked that he’s already been challenged to a golf match.

“Alex is committed to getting out,” he added.

Sobbing Alex Murdaugh apologised to the multiple victims that he stole millions of dollars from in their hours of need during an emotional sentencing hearing – before using the floor to once again deny all responsibility for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

What began as a statement apologising for his financial fraud crimes inside the courtroom in Beaufort County on Tuesday descended into a monologue where he hit out at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office for their handling of the murder investigation.

It ended with Judge Clifton Newman sentencing Murdaugh to 27 years in prison.

Rachel Sharp reports…

Satterfield’s son Tony Satterfield spoke directly to the double murderer as he told him that he forgives him for the years of pain he has put their family through.

“I really don’t have words, you lied, you cheated, you stole, you betrayed me, my family and everyone else and you did that across my mom’s death first of all,” he said.

Mr Satterfield brought up the fact that Murdaugh sent him a “half-hearted sorry letter” some time ago – saying that he knows it was half-hearted as his “actions don’t follow through” with his apology.

He said that he had his own sorry letter to read to Murdaugh.

“I’m sorry you felt you had to betray us,” he said.

“I’m sorry your family has to now go through what they’re going to have to go through for the rest of their life because of your actions, what you did.”

He added: “I want you to know I forgive you. l’ll pray for you every day.”

In his rambling, lengthy statement in court, Murdaugh also hit out at the rampant speculation about his son Buster and the unsolved 2015 death of a gay teenager – Stephen Smith – and sought to downplay the role that the family’s late housekeeper of 20 years had played in his children’s upbringings.

Admitting that he did “terrible things”, Murdaugh insisted that he does “care” about each of the people he stole from.

“I did terrible things. Each of you placed your trust in me. I am proud of that and to this day I am still honoured by that,” he said.

“I did terrible, terrible things. Things that I’m thinking about right now cause me to be hurt, cause me to be disturbed. It is so important to me that you know how bothered I am about the things that I did.”

The phone and tablet of a South Carolina teenager found dead near the Murdaugh family home have finally been unlocked by investigators eight years after he was killed.

Stephen Smith, 19, was killed in 2015 with his death originally being ruled a hit-and-run accident by authorities.

Graeme Massie has the full story:

Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the Satterfield family, gave a scathing victim impact statement on behalf of the victims where he branded Murdaugh “the Mount Rushmore of all criminals” who stole from the people closest to him.

“This day was coming for two years,” he said.

“This was predatory behaviour… this wasn’t Enron… it wasn’t stealing money from faceless people, from shareholders. This was Alex Murdaugh stealing money from those that were closest to him,” he said.

“Gloria Satterfield who broke bread with him and his family for 22 years, raising his family… Jordan Jinks, a lifelong friend, he grew up playing ball together.”

Mr Bland added: “This is close theft, the unicorn of all thefts… He is the Mount Rushmore of all criminals… And he hit the home run when he was convicted of double murder.”

Mr Bland also fired back at comments made by Mr Harpootlian at the start of the hearing, where he complained that some of the attorneys were seeking to sell t-shirts and hats and promote their podcasts. While Mr Bland does have a podcast, he pointed out that so too does Mr Griffin.

In the dramatic moment during his long statement in court, Alex Murdaugh admitted that he had indeed stolen from all of the victims read out to him by prosecutor Creighton Waters.

But despite the confession, Murdaugh continued to claim he was innocent of the murders of his wife and son.

“I would never hurt Maggie and I would never hurt Paul,” he said.