Alex Murdaugh enters the courtroom before closing arguments begin in his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on March 1, 2023. Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State

For 87 years, the Murdaugh family name came to represent a legal dynasty in coastal South Carolina, where three successive generations controlled the local prosecutor’s office.

But the family is now closely connected to a bloody tragedy, embezzlement and a bizarre murder-for-hire plot to score millions in life insurance.

It all centers on the actions of Alex Murdaugh, who stood trial for the 2021 murders of his wife and son. He was found guilty in March 2023 in a closely watched case and sentenced to life in prison.

Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed for a new trial based on allegations of jury tampering; legal br

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