Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday for the murders of his wife and grown son – another chapter in the downfall of the disgraced attorney whose dynastic family had significant legal reach for decades in parts of South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

Judge Clifton Newman, before handing down two consecutive life sentences, reminded Murdaugh of his astonishing fall from grace, saying he had to have a portrait of Murdaugh’s grandfather removed from the courtroom to ensure a fair trial. But his defense, which included Murdaugh’s testimony, was “not credible, not believable,” the judge admonished the once prominent lawyer. 

“You can convince yourself about it but obviously you have the inability to convince anyone else,” Newman said.

Like he did on the witness stand at trial, Murdaugh maintained his innocence on Friday, denying he killed his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and his 22-year old son, Paul Murdaugh.

Newman pointedly asked when will his web of deceit end. 

“I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the night times when you’re attempting to go to sleep. I’m sure they come and visit you. I’m sure,” the judge told AlexMurdaugh at one point in the Colleton County courtroom.

“Every night,” said Murdaugh, whose storied family name was once synonymous with the law in parts of South Carolina.