Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to 22 federal charges for financial fraud and money laundering

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh admitted in federal court on Thursday to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering. It was the first time the convicted murderer and disbarred South Carolina attorney pleaded guilty to a crime since his arrest nearly two years ago.

Murdaugh, 55, is serving life without parole in a South Carolina prison for shooting his wife and son. He has denied any role in the killings since their deaths in June 2021 and insisted he was innocent in two days of testimony earlier this year before he was convicted of two counts of murder. He repeatedly broke down in tears on the stand during the trial as he denied the killings, although Murdaugh admitted in his testimony that he had lied to investigators, and acknowledged that evidence presented by the prosecution put him at the scene of the murders on the night his family members were killed.

The latest federal guilty plea likely locks in years if not decades in prison for the disgraced lawyer, even if his murder conviction and sentence in state court are overturned on appeal. Murdaugh's legal team filed a motion earlier this month seeking a new trial, on claims alleging that the court clerk tampered with the jury and that there is "newly discovered evidence" in the case.