why did alex murdaugh kill his wife and son

Alex Murdaugh killed his wife Margaret and son Paul as prosecutors argued it was driven by a motive to distract from his escalating financial crimes. At the time, Murdaugh was under pressure due to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme he had been committing for about a decade, which was on the brink of exposure. Additionally, his son Paul was facing a lawsuit from a fatal boat crash incident, compounding legal and financial troubles. Prosecutors presented evidence showing Murdaugh killed his son with a shotgun and then shot his wife while she tried to flee, indicating a cold and deliberate act. They claimed Murdaugh wanted to prevent anyone from discovering his financial misconduct and believed that making people feel sorry for him as a grieving husband and father might protect him from accountability. He also staged an attempted assisted suicide to fake his death for insurance money to benefit his surviving son. Murdaugh was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole. The overwhelming evidence included cellphone data and video placing him at the scene, contradicting his alibi and initial claims.