From million-dollar estate to a tiny cell: Where will Alex Murdaugh go to prison?

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Alex Murdaugh is used to the high life.

Coming from a long line of top prosecutors, his wealthy family once dominated the legal system in the lowcountry.

As a powerful and well-known attorney himself, he earned upwards of $1m a year (not to mention the millions that he allegedly stole from legal clients and his law firm).

He lived on a huge 1,700-acre in Islandton with his family while also enjoying a second home in Edisto Beach.

Now, his lifestyle will be a little bit different, as he’s been sentenced to spend the rest of his years behind bars.

Murdaugh was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges on 2 March 2023 for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

It took jurors less than three hours to find him guilty of shooting dead his wife and son on the family’s 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

The unanimous verdict was reached after a dramatic six-week “trial of the century” in a sprawling and scandalous case that has enthralled the nation for almost two years.

It is not yet clear where Murdaugh will spend his days behind bars, but he is expected to land at one of South Carolina’s seven maximum security prisons, which only house violent criminals.

Upon leaving sentencing, he was to be handed over to the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) and taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia.

All male inmates are originally taken to this facility after sentencing, which is one of the state’s maximum security prisons.

Once there, he is expected to have a two-month evaluation including mental and physical health checks.

This evaluation – together with the inmate classification system – will be used to determine which prison Murdaugh will be sent to spend the duration of his sentence.

The evaluation process takes about 45 days, the SCDOC said in a statement following Murdaugh’s sentencing.

The maximum security options include: Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia; Broad River Secure Facility in Columbia; McCormick Correctional Institution in McCormick; Perry Correctional Institution in Pelzer; Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia; and Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville.