After just three hours of deliberations, a jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

We're pausing our live coverage ahead of his sentencing on Friday morning.

The disgraced former lawyer is due to be sentenced at 09:30 EST (14:30 GMT) in the same courtroom where his six-week trial was held.

• Read our news story here.

Our coverage of the verdict was written by Holly Honderich, Kayla Epstein, Jessica Murphy and Max Matza, and edited by George Bowden and Ben Bevington.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from South Carolina

Image source, Getty Images

For months, the national media had descended on Walterboro, turning a normally quiet town of some 6,000 people into a buzzing circus.

After Murdaugh was found guilty, some residents found themselves weighing the cost of that spotlight.

“This is probably the biggest thing that’s happened in our town. Like, nobody’s ever heard of Walterboro until this trial,” said Destiny Johnson, a 38-year old resident who live-streamed Murdaugh’s exit from the courthouse.

“It’s good, and bad.”

“It’s a little bit embarrassing,” said Kimberly Davis, a 38-year old Walterboro native.

The murder was “absolutely not” an accurate depiction of the town, Davis said.

“I was born and mostly raised here, I could not tell you who Alex Murdaugh was prior to this trial.”

But what she did know was this - that Walterboro was a “small, quiet, nice-people town”.

“It’s just unfortunate that we’re just known worldwide now because of his wrongdoings.”

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool

Alex and Maggie's surviving son Buster Murdaugh, 26, looked straight ahead, head resting in his hands, as his father was declared guilty in the murders of his mom Maggie and younger brother Paul.

A few years ago, when he graduated college, Buster had plans to attend law school and join his father and grandfather at the family law firm. Now, because of his father's alleged financial crimes, that firm is no longer.

As each charge was declared he barely moved, just once turning his head toward his girlfriend sitting beside him, and occasionally rubbing his face with his hands.

Through all the spectacle of this trial - the food trucks, media vans and crowds surrounding the courthouse - Buster sat quietly every day in support of his father, a young man who has lost his mother and brother, and now his father too.

We now have a guilty verdict, but here's a quick reminder of the story the prosecution put to the jury.

The motive: Murdaugh was about to be exposed for his years of financial crimes. The murders of Paul and Maggie, the prosecution had argued, were desperate attempts at a cover-up.

The evidence: Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters repeatedly poked holes in Alex Murdaugh’s alibi. Most significantly: that Murdaugh had lied for months about being with his wife and son at their property’s dog kennels just minutes before the murders took place. On the stand last week, Murdaugh finally confessed he had, in fact, been with his family.

The witnesses: The prosecution brought 60 witnesses to the stand including friends and colleagues who testified he stole millions from his law firm for over a decade.

Holly Honderich
BBC News

The twelve men and women deliberated for just hours.

The original group was made up of eight women and four men, though after two jurors contracted Covid-19 midway through the trial, they were swapped out for alternates: a truck parts store employee and a telecommunications provider.

For six weeks, these jurors have sat in a Walterboro courtroom and heard repeated and graphic descriptions of the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

But the prosecution’s theory for motive - that Murdaugh committed the murders to conceal alleged financial misdeeds - meant the jurors were also subjected to lengthy hours of testimony about white-collar crimes.

In the courtroom a few weeks ago, some jurors looked as if they had checked out. I noticed one man resting his feet on the chair in front of him looking as if he was struggling to stay awake.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from South Carolina

For Walterboro, the guilty verdict was a historic moment. Some even brought their young children to the courthouse tonight, in the hope they would witness the grand finale of a national news story.

As the court announced the guilty verdict, 38-year-old Jessica Williams was outside with her six-year-old daughter. They huddled together to watch the proceedings on Williams’ phone. “He’s guilty,” Williams exclaimed in disbelief.

“I am so happy,” she told BBC News after the verdict was announced.

“The first day of trial we were here, we watched him come out of the courthouse. And I made sure she was part of everything, because I want her to remember it.”

“I remember where I was when the verdict for OJ Simpson came down. This was the same thing.”

Max Matza
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Judge Clifton Newman was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, in 1951.

Part of his inspiration to practice law came from an experience playing a lawyer in a high school play, he said in a 2017 interview.

But despite his theatrical introduction to the law, he has maintained an impartiality during this high-profile case that has earned him praise from court watchers.

After attending law school in Ohio, Newman returned to South Carolina to open up his own private defence law firm, before later going on to work as county prosecutor.

“I’ve run the gamut, as far as handling all aspects of the law,” he told the American Bar Association, external.

He was first elected as a judge in 2000. His last re-election was in 2021, with the term due to expire in 2027.

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Andrew J Whitaker/Post and Courier/Pool

Twelve jurors have just found Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son. But how did they make up their minds?

One critical piece of evidence may have been a Snapchat video filmed by Paul Murdaugh, Alex's son, who was shot dead on 7 June 2021 at the dog kennels on the family's sprawling hunting estate, called Moselle.

And for 20 months after their murders, Alex Murdaugh told law enforcement repeatedly he had not been at the dog kennels at all that evening, but had been at home napping.

But a Snapchat video filmed by Paul just minutes before prosecutors say the shootings took place features Mr Murdaugh's voice in the background.

And on the stand at trial, Mr Murdaugh admitted he lied, saying his years-long addiction to painkillers had put him in a paranoid state.

Prosecutors used the instance to argue Mr Murdaugh was an experienced and deft liar. "Don't let him fool you, too," the prosecutor said.

Read more about the crucial evidence in the Alex Murdaugh trial.

The judge in the trial, Clifton Newman, had a parting message for the jury shortly before he dismissed them on Thursday evening, indicating he agreed with the conclusion they reached in the case after their brief deliberation.

"Circumstantial evidence, direct evidence, all of the evidence pointed to only one conclusion, and that's the conclusion that you all reached," he said.

"So I applaud you all for, as a group, and as a unit and individually, evaluating the evidence and coming to a proper conclusion as you saw the law, as you saw the facts."

Murdaugh's sentencing is scheduled for Friday morning.

Image source, Pool/Getty Images

In further comments outside the courthouse, South Carolina prosecutor Creighton Waters says he would describe the Murdaugh case as "our Super Bowl".

He explained that is "not because of the media attention, but just because of the effort that we knew that we would have to put into this".

As he mentioned the Super Bowl, Waters reminded himself that he actually didn't get a chance to watch this year's event because he was working so hard on this case.

But Waters quickly changes his tone as he summarises what the outcome of the case means for him.

"It doesn't matter who your family is. It doesn't matter how much money you have or people you think you have... If you do wrong. If you break the law... justice will be done in South Carolina."

Image source, Handout

More now from Alan Wilson, who tells the crowd that the "criminal justice system worked tonight".

The guilty verdict delivered justice, he says, for the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, who were "brutally mowed down and murdered" by "someone that they loved and trusted".

"They couldn't be here to testify for themselves tonight," Wilson said.

Murdaugh had been historically accused of abusing his power and privilege to evade legal consequences.

Wilson says "today's verdict proves that no one, no one, no matter who you are in society, is above the law".

For those that doubt the criminal justice system in America, Wilson says tonight is proof that it works.

We are hearing now from key figures in the prosecution team.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has been speaking to the crowd outside the court. "Thank you," he begins.

“There’s a lot of emotion here tonight at this courthouse,” Wilson says.

The guilty verdict concludes “nearly two years of blood sweat and tears," Wilson says, as he thanks his staff.

He compares the weeks he spent with his team during the trial to a university dorm environment, filled with “late nights, cramming, studying, little sleep” away from family.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from South Carolina

But first, police just escorted Alex Murdaugh out of the courthouse, ushering him quickly into a black van while spectators filmed the scene.

Reporters shouted questions, though Murdaugh remained silent. As officers tucked him inside the vehicle, one resident behind the media line shouted that he was praying for him.

And the prosecution lawyers are coming out to talk to reporters. We'll bring you updates on what they say about this high-profile case.

Behind the affable air of a country lawyer, lay a cold-blooded killer.

Now former business partners and employees are trying to reconcile the man they thought they knew with the ugly reality.

This seems likely. Alex Murdaugh's lawyer Dick Harpootlian asked for a mistrial multiple times during the trial - denied each time by Judge Clifton Newman - and again today after sentencing.

These motions could be laying the groundwork for an appeal after sentencing is complete.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from South Carolina

The word is out in Walterboro - Alex Murdaugh is guilty. Dozens of spectators have gathered around the back entrance of the courthouse where Murdaugh is expected to exit into a black van.

Regular citizens have staked out spots alongside the media, streaming the event to their family and friends on Facebook and Instagram.

We're keeping you across all the latest updates this evening after a jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

It looks like we may be hearing from key figures in the prosecution team shortly, as microphones are assembled outside the court in South Carolina.

We'll bring you the latest.

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Andrew J Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool

Over two days of testimony, Alex Murdaugh was intensely emotional, weeping and rocking back and forth in his chair.

But tonight, facing up to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son, he appeared strangely calm, looking ahead impassively.

It was his son, Buster - the only other surviving member of their immediate family - who looked truly devastated.

Judge Clifton Newman overruled a defence motion to file a mistrial earlier tonight.

Soon after the verdicts were read, Alex Murdaugh's lawyers renewed their previous objections, the Post and Courier newspaper reported.

“The evidence of guilt is overwhelming, and I deny the motion,” Judge Newman ruled, the newspaper reported.