Alex Murdaugh is found GUILTY for murder of wife Maggie and son Paul after shocking trial gripped the nation

DISGRACED legal heir Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.

After five weeks of shocking testimony from more than 70 witnesses, including the defendant himself, who admitted on the stand to his financial malfeasances, the jury returned with a unanimous guilty verdict on Thursday.

Reports indicate that the jurors deliberated for just under three hours and a verdict was reached at 6.41pm.

The jurors in the case reached a unanimous guilty verdict on all counts following their deliberations.

Murdaugh appeared stoic in the courtroom as the jurors were individually asked to confirm their verdicts.

Addressing the court, Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman said: "The jury has now considered the evidence for a significant period of time and the evidence is overwhelming."

Speaking to the media after the verdict was delivered, Lead Prosecutor Creighton Waters said: "Justice was served today."

"It doesn't matter how much money you have, or people think you have … if you do wrong, if you break the law, if you murder, then justice will be done in South Carolina."

Murdaugh was taken back into custody as sentencing was deferred to Friday at 9.30am.

For each murder charge, the minimum sentence is 30 years and the maximum is life in prison.

In addition to the murders, Murdaugh was also found guilty of two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Murdaugh family spokesperson Amanda Loveday told The U.S. Sun that Murdaugh's legal team will not be commenting before on the verdict before Friday's sentencing.

A press conference is expected to be held after the sentencing, during which time the legal team will address the media.

The verdict comes just hours after a juror was removed from the case and replaced.

The juror, a woman identified as Juror No. 785, had improper discussions about the case with someone not affiliated with the trial, according to Judge Newman.

OPEN CONFESSION

In a trial riddled with controversy, Murdaugh openly confessed that he lied to authorities about his whereabouts on the night of the murders on June 7, 2021.

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters argued that Murdaugh committed the heinous crimes to distract from his financial and criminal wrongdoings that pushed him to become a "family annihilator."

Waters argued that Murdaugh's legal empire began to unravel after his son Paul was involved in a fatal boat crash in 2019 that left 19-year-old Mallory Beach dead.

"That legacy was in danger, and it was threatening to expose who he truly was, which would destroy that part of the legacy," Waters told the jury.

He also argued the family was "watching him [Murdaugh] like a hawk" due to the disgraced attorney's opioid addiction, which he openly admitted to in court.

Waters vividly described to the jury how Murdaugh used a shotgun to blow off his son Paul's head and then picked up a rifle to execute his wife, Maggie.

"All of these pressures were mounting, the defendant killed Maggie and Paul," Waters said in court.