Lawyer found guilty of killing wife, son in drama that captivated US

A US jury found disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son on their hunting estate in a trial that has drawn global attention.

Scion of an elite South Carolina family of judges and attorneys, Murdaugh, 54, was described as having killed his son Paul with a shotgun and his wife Maggie with the assault rifle Paul used for hunting wild pigs on the family's sprawling property.

Following the reading of the verdict, which the jury reached after less than three hours, the defence requested a mistrial which Judge Clifton Newman quickly denied.

"The evidence of guilt is overwhelming," Newman said.

Sentencing will be held morning, Newman said, with Murdaugh facing a minimum of 30 years and maximum of life in prison for each murder count.

The jury heard how Murdaugh murdered his family members on June 7, 2021 after realising his years of stealing millions from his law firm and from clients to feed his hidden opioid addiction was about to go public.

While evidence put Murdaugh at the scene shortly before the murders, the guns were never found, and there was no bloodstained clothing or other direct evidence that could prove he was the killer.

After six weeks of hearings in Walterboro, South Carolina, the jury determined the evidence was strong enough to convict Murdaugh on two counts of murder and two firearms charges.