Alex Murdaugh testifies that he lied to police about his whereabouts the night his wife and son were killed: 'I wasn't thinking clearly'

• Alex Murdaugh is standing trial accused of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
• On Thursday, Murdaugh took the stand and admitted lying to investigators.

Testifying in his own murder trial Thursday, Alex Murdaugh said he lied to police about his whereabouts the night his wife and son were killed.

Prosecutors have accused the South Carolina man from a prominent legal family of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, as part of a scheme to try to cover up financial misdeeds.

As soon as Murdaugh took the stand to testify, he denied shooting his wife and son but admitted he lied multiple times to police about being with them at the family's hunting compound shortly before the shootings occurred.

Murdaugh previously told investigators that he last saw Maggie and Paul at dinner and that he then went to spend time with his ailing mother. He said his wife and son went back to the hunting property, where he later found them dead.

On Thursday, Murdaugh said he went with his wife and son to the hunting property after dinner, but only stayed briefly before heading out to spend time with his mother.

Murdaugh blamed his lies on an addiction to painkillers, which he said caused him to be paranoid.

"As my addiction evolved over time I would get into these situations and circumstances where I would get paranoid," Murdaugh said.

"Normally when these paranoid thoughts would hit me, I could take a deep breath real quick, think about it, reason my way through it and just get past it really quickly. On June the 7th I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason and I lied about being down there and I'm so sorry that I did," he added.