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April 1 (UPI) -- Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced former lawyer who was convicted last month for killing his wife and son, has been moved into a protective custody unit in a South Carolina prison, officials said. "He has been moved to statewide protective custody at a maximum-security prison," the South Carolina Department of Corrections said in a notice that Murdaugh's processing is complete.
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The DOC's Protective Custody Review Board, comprised of security and mental health experts, met Thursday and recommended the classification for Murdaugh.
"Inmates in this unit have validated protective concerns and are placed in a specialized unit to separate them from the general population. Their location is not disclosed for safety and security reasons. This unit has 28 inmates currently," the statement reads.
"Murdaugh will be in a single eight by ten cell that contains a bed, toilet and sink. Inmates in this unit receive all privileges afforded those in the general population inside this self-contained unit."
Chrysti Shain, the spokesperson for the corrections department, told CBS News that Murdaugh will remain in the protective custody unit for one year at which point administrators will reassess the need to keep him there.
Murdaugh was convicted in the killing of his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son Paul at a headline-making trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison for each of the murders. He maintained he was innocent throughout the trial.
