Alex Murdaugh Is Sentenced To 2 Life Terms For The Double Murder Of His Wife And Son

A South Carolina jury  found attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty of the murders of his wife and child.

The case was a regular feature on cable television news. There were podcasts and  the subject of two popular documentaries on Netflix and HBO Max. We wanted to take the time to explore why  stories like this resonate with so many people.

And today my colleague Juana Summers sat down with Neal Baer, ​​​​​​the former executive producer of The Law. Order: SVU,” about American viewers' fascination with detective stories.

 

JUANA SUMMER, MODERATOR: 

I want to start by talking specifically about the Alex Murdaugh case. It's a tale of lost royal lives, of course,  but it's also a story that has captivated audiences across the United States. So I ask myself, why do you think that's the case? Are there certain things about this case that you think  really intrigued people? 

NEAL BAER: Sure.It is very similar to "SVU" in  that it has human depravity. He has families. He has greed. He has wealth. It does not matter.It contains all the exciting things in life that we hope we don't experience for ourselves.

But we are attracted to it. We are attracted to these types of people and what motivates them. What made you do it? How did they get into such trouble that they started doing such horrible, horrible things?

You also know that the public is very attached to forensic science. So they want to know everything about DNA, everything about the  evidence. So it's a mix of evidence and science and obviously human greed and a very, very wealthy old  South Carolina family - all of which makes for a really interesting and messy story.

Summers: I just wanted to  ask what you think about the proliferation of real crime media these days. I mean, this case already has some documentation and there might be more in the works. The genre has really exploded. 

BEAR: Certainly. Well I also think people like endings and they like having justice.I think that was a really big selling point for Law & Mission: Special Victims Unit for  24 years, ongoing -  we catch the bad guys. 

I think that's a very strong pull, especially in these very turbulent times when we don't know right from wrong and we want clear heroes and we want victims to find justice and thus be saved successfully. Do you think that sets us up for a deal? with real cases,  some kind of entertainment? 

BAER: Yeah, I think there's probably a desensitization  when we see so much crime.Maybe we'll feel a little safer if we can hear it at home. But then again, we don't know who is carrying guns in many places  in the United States. So it's a very scary place. 

And  I think that even though we travel and encourage crime, these shows solve the case at least in SVU. And the wicked or wicked woman was paid and justice was served. 

So it's kind of a catch-22. We keep getting more of it because I think there's more fear, so we watch these shows to give us nourishment and  hope, but that alone probably breeds more fear. 

* SUMMER: Neal Baer is a former Executive Producer on The Law series Order: SVU.” Thank you *

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