ALEX Murdaugh's fear and anxiety were
revealed in court as a jury found him guilty of murdering his wife and son, an expert has said.
The disgraced lawyer appeared "restrained" as the verdict was read and his behavior toward his living son Buster was "revealing," according to body language expert Patti Wood.
Murdaugh, 54, stood stone-faced as the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on Thursday after five weeks of shocking testimony from more than 70 witnesses.
The jury decided to convict him of the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul after just three hours of deliberations.
Wood said his demeanor during the verdict was different to the emotional testimony he gave in the trial.
"He's trying to keep his head centered but he's looking downward," Wood said of his composure as the verdict was read.
Murdaugh kept his mouth in a straight line but downward curves hinted at "suppressed sadness," she told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview.
She said that it appeared as if the patriarch had a "desire to self-comfort from the stress" and his rapid blinking was a sign that his anxiety was increasing.
Wood, who has done readings on high-profile cases and celebrities, also pointed out Murdaugh's "strange" behavior, including the moment he was being taken away in handcuffs.
"When they put the cuffs on him, he rubs his hands together," she said.
Typically, this is what we see as thieves relish when they talk about money.
"It's usually a body language motion to say 'Ha, ha, ha, I've got it' but in this case, it's almost like 'OK, I clean my hands of it.'
"It was very interesting."
Wood added that Murdaugh's suppressed behavior might be a sign that "reality is setting in."
"We didn't see that during the trial," she said. "He seemed disconnected but what we're seeing now is that fear as the verdict was being read."
'REVEALING' BEHAVIOR IN COURT
Murdaugh reportedly turned to his son Buster and mouthed "It's OK" as the verdict was announced.
However, while being taken out of the courtroom in cuffs, Murdaugh did not look back at him again.
Buster, whose legal name is Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr, is the only surviving child of Alex and Maggie Murdaugh.
"I think it's revealing because it means that he's not looking at his son for comfort," the body language expert said of Murdaugh's exit.
"He's not looking at his son to give comfort and, as the findings of this trial have shown us, it shows that he only thinks about himself
"He's focused on himself."
Buster, 26, was not present at the time of the murders in June 2021 but did take the stand during the trial to defend his father.
Buster said that Murdaugh was "heartbroken" and "destroyed" after the murders of Maggie and Paul.
