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Buyers from all over flock to Georgia auction house to own a piece of Murdaugh estate

Just weeks after a jury found Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder in the 2021 shooting deaths of his wife and son, his family’s belongings went up on the auction block.

Liberty Auction House in Pembroke, Georgia, auctioned off several items Thursday that once belonged to the Murdaugh family.

Alex Murdaugh, who is now facing two consecutive life sentences, is fighting his guilty verdict in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

On June 7, 2021, investigators determined Paul was shot twice with a shotgun near the dog kennels outside his family’s Islandton, South Carolina hunting lodge. Maggie was shot four or five times with a rifle close by, authorities said.

On Thursday, people from all over the South Carolina Lowcountry went to Pembroke to try and get a piece of the Murdaugh family’s estate.

“I am actually in Charleston with my husband on business,” Hope Szczyglinski told WJCL-TV. “I had the day off and thought I’d make the drive. It’s a beautiful day out.”

The items that were listed for auction all came from Alex Murdaugh’s Moselle property where Maggie and Paul were killed.

Some of the clothing items that were up for grabs still had the names of family members on them.

“It’s sad because I see this family’s life,” Szczyglinski said. “Everything has been emptied from this home. Maggie the mother is dead, Paul the youngest son is dead and here you have a snapshot of their lives.”

Other items included leather furniture, lamps, dishes, and more.

Many of those who showed up for the auction were hoping to walk away with something to remind them of the double murder trial and Alex Murdaugh’s guilty conviction.

“Seeing the justice system work, especially for a prominent white man seeing consequences for his actions – that’s rare and I think that’s important to have a memory of because it rarely happens,” Lorelei Peterson told WJCL-TV.

Defense attorneys say they will appeal the conviction, based largely on the premise that the judge allowed in evidence of crimes that Murdaugh has not been convicted of, which they say smeared his reputation.

Murdaugh also faces several other accusations that were not part of this double murder trial. Those accusations include allegedly arranging his own death for an insurance payout and nearly 100 charges for various financial crimes involving fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and forgery.

“They had cast Alex as a despicable human being. And that was the reason they offered it,” defense attorney Jim Griffin said.

This week, Cox Media Group’s Nicole Bennett had the opportunity to speak with Philip Holloway, legal analyst for 95.5 WSB in Atlanta, Georgia, about what’s next for Alex Murdaugh – and those closest to him.

>> Listen to the full episode below.

Beyond Criminal Headlines is a podcast in which Cox Media Group’s Nicole Bennett sits down with experts who’ve investigated some of the most notorious cases in U.S. history. Find the latest ‘Beyond Criminal Headlines’ content on any podcast provider or listen on demand here.

The Murdaugh family has long been influential in southwest South Carolina, where members of the family have served as elected prosecutors for decades. Alex Murdaugh formerly served as a part-time prosecutor for the state’s five-county 14th Judicial Circuit. He also worked as a personal injury attorney at his family’s prominent law firm.

Murdaugh is expected to be moved to a maximum security state prison soon.

Information from WJCL-TV and The Associated Press was used in this story.

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