Lessons about the human psyche from the Murdaugh trial

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — Leading up to Alex Murdaugh’s guilty conviction of two counts of murder, the public attention on the case had intensified. Authorities say investigations stemming from the June 2021 shooting deaths of Murdaugh’s wife and son revealed that the prominent South Carolina lawyer stole millions of dollars from largely poor clients’ settlements and staged an attempt on his life to secure his surviving son a $12 million life insurance payout. In the process, true crime enthusiasts, concerned onlookers and many others have found the latest subject of their fascination in the yearslong unraveling of a mystery that jurors decided in less than three hours Thursday following closing arguments in the six-week trial.