Image source, Handout

• Alex Murdaugh, the fourth generation of a local legal dynasty, was a wealthy and powerful lawyer before his life unravelled.
• Maggie Murdaugh, Alex’s wife, was said to be kind and fun-loving, a devoted mother who loved her sons. The court found Alex Murdaugh shot and killed her at age 52 in June 2021.
• Paul Murdaugh, aka “Paul Paul” was the younger of the Murdaugh’s sons. At the time of his murder, at age 22, he was facing three charges all related to a 2019 boat wreck, including an accusation that he was driving under the influence during the crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
• Buster Murdaugh, the elder of the Murdaugh sons, has been a constant presence at trial, even testifying in his father’s defence.

Let's recap what Judge Clifton Newman told Alex Murdaugh after the guilty verdicts were confirmed.

The judge said: "Mr Murdaugh you now having been found guilty... the burden now comes upon the court to impose a sentence, given the lateness of the hour and the victim's rights that must be taken into consideration and complied with under the Victims Bill of Rights... we will defer sentencing to a later date.

"The minimum is 30 years the maximum is life imprisonment ... On the weapons charge, the sentence is up to five years which has to be concurrent if a life sentence is imposed."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from South Carolina

A hush fell outside the courthouse as journalists, spectators, and residents listened to the court declare the verdict: Guilty.

The decision echoed across smartphone screens, all fixated to a court live stream. A handful of people who had rushed from their homes as the news broke gasped, held their hands to their mouths.

Meanwhile, a wall of reporters lined the walkway where Murdaugh was expected to exit the courthouse, waiting for him to emerge one final time.

Judge Clifton Newman, the steady guide through a drama-filled trial, is thanking the jurors for their weeks of service.

"You've stepped up to the plate and done a great job," he says of the jurors.

"The jury is dismissed."

Due to the high-profile nature of the court the juror's identities were concealed - photos and videos from inside the courtroom had to keep them anonymous.

But now, Judge Newman tells the jurors they are free to discuss the trial with anyone they like, including media.

Alex Murdaugh will be returned to the custody of the Colleton County Sheriff's Department until his sentencing tomorrow at 09:30 local time (14:30 GMT).

While he could face life in prison for his crimes, the death penalty is off the table.

The defendant stood impassively in the hushed court as he was convicted of murder.

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Washington

The case against Alex Murdaugh was thorough - 60 witnesses over 28 days.

Jurors were inundated with an overwhelming amount of evidence: forensic timelines, mobile phone and GPS data, ballistics studies and often emotional testimony from Mr Murdaugh's family and friends.

And yet, the jurors were able to come to an unanimous decision within hours. They did not even take a dinner break.

It's a surprising and rapid end to what has become a bizarre and twisted saga, with Mr Murdaugh at the centre.

Each of the twelve jurors is now being asked if this was their verdict, and if it is still their verdict.

All twelve answer simply: "Yes."

After just three hours of deliberation, the jury has found Alex Murdaugh guilty on all four charges: the murders of Maggie and Paul and two weapons charges.

Alex Murdaugh stares straight ahead as the verdict is read, almost expressionless. His surviving son, Buster, holds his head in his hand.

The verdicts on other charges are also read out:

Indictment for possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime - guilty

Indictment for possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime - guilty

Alex Murdaugh is on his feet. The unanimous verdict is read out:

Indictment for murder of his wife, Maggie - guilty

Indictment for murder of his son, Paul - guilty

Alex Murdaugh is sitting in the courtroom as the jury files in.

The foreman of the jury confirms a unanimous verdict has been reached.

The court has been called to order as the judge says he understands a verdict has been reached.

Alex Murdaugh, the now-disbarred South Carolina lawyer who is charged with murdering his wife and son, will learn his fate in the next few moments.

Prosecutors have shown evidence to the jury that he lied about his alibi the night his wife, Maggie and son, Paul were murdered.

He has insisted his opioid addiction, which he embezzled millions of dollars from his own law firm to sustain, led him to be paranoid and lie about his whereabouts on the night of the murders.

But he took the stand during his own trial to insist to the jury that despite his lies, he did not kill his wife and son.