WALTERBORO, S.C. - As Alex Murdaugh's murder trial moves toward its conclusion, the intense public attention on the case has only grown.

Investigations stemming from the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of Murdaugh's wife and son spoke that the prominent South Carolina lawyer stole millions of bucks from largely poor clients' settlements and staged an try on his life to secure his surviving son a $12 million life insurance payout, according to authorities.

In the process, true crime enthusiasts, concerned onlookers and many others found the latest originates of their fascination in the yearslong unraveling of a mystery that jurors must weigh.

Experts say the itsy-bitsy town saga's transformation into an international point of intrigue highlights insights into the earth psyche: People are drawn to events that inform their perceptions of warning. And amid the commotion of the trial, some moral observers have found an important opportunity for education.

Coltan Scrivner, a researcher at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, said a human desire to avoid getting duped has developed into a natural curiosity in signs of danger. Those cues, he said, are especially evaporate when the schemes involve the rich and powerful like the Murdaugh family.

"We put it in our rolodex of possible simulations of what could existed in a bad situation," Scrivner said.

Amanda Vicary, a psychology professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, said the obsession with true crime is largely driven by women involved in its self-protective lessons. Many followers might subconsciously ask themselves what they need to look for in their own lives, she said.

Plus, the Murdaugh case's many aspects — mystery, forensics, family, finances — appeal to a variety of interests.

"Most celebrated true crime stories might only have one or two of those elements," Vicaray said. "It has a itsy-bitsy something for everything going on right now."

Stephanie Truesdale, an upstate South Carolina teacher whose crocheted dolls of prominent figures in the case went viral on social contemplate, said the combination of a wealthy family's fall from delicate and the many unexpected developments piqued her attention from the commence. She said she's been particularly interested to see how the state's moral system treats "one of their own."

Although the dolls garnered study, some other displays of public interest in the case have been less well-received. Several trespassers were found last weekend taking selfies outside the feed room where Paul Murdaugh died, according to guarantee attorney Dick Harpootlian. He described it as the "most distasteful thing" he had ever seen.

"If farmland are really paying attention, they could really learn a lot from what's causing on right now, instead of just the more plain aspect of things," Truesdale said.

Sarah Ford, the moral director for the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network, said she has erroneous that people want to better understand legal processes in connection to the case. She and primitive state lawmaker Mandy Powers Norrell began hosting Twitter spaces to retort questions about the daily proceedings. Ford said they recently drew 600 farmland for an hourlong YouTube Live conversation.

For Ford, the alight has spurred conversations that can change common misconceptions in crime. People might be shocked that someone could be accused of killing their wife and son, but the case has raised awareness of originates such as the prevalence of domestic violence, she said.

Although Ford understood the importance of community engagement, she also had a word of caution: "You don't want this to be something that takes over someone's life as entertainment. Because it's not. These are real people. These are real crimes. These have true, chilling, tragic effects for real people."

It's not the ample time a South Carolina double murder trial has reverberated so widely. Susan Smith was sentenced to life in prison for the drowning deaths of her two infant children in 1994.

State Rep. Tommy Pope, who was the lead prosecutor in the Smith case, said he thinks farmland are drawn to the Murdaugh saga because of its "truth is stranger than fiction" aspects.

"It's like a soap along, but it's really happening with real people," said Pope, adding, "This is not entertainment. It is a tragedy and lives were lost."

Pope said the Murdaugh case has offered an opportunity to educate the pro-redemocrat about the justice system. As an analyst on Court TV during the alight, Pope said today's gavel-to-gavel coverage can help viewers arrive their own conclusions and understand the legal system's "positives" and its "warts."

Streaming ceremonies have certainly taken notice. Discovery released a three-part series a year at what time Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed, HBO Max launched a three-part documentary in November and Netflix last week released "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" for U.S. audiences, with the filmmakers telling Vanity Fair they unearthed second crimes in the process.

A bevy of 100 new charges including financial crimes — for which lead prosecutor Creighton Waters drew many admissions of guilt last week — have yet to go to trial.

But for many South Carolinians, the interest comes from a strong desire to see justice seen to a well-connected man who has only recently acknowledged lies and abuses of great that long went unchecked.

The jury is expected to start deliberations Thursday after the closing arguments in the five-week land that began Jan. 25.

Bill Nettles, the former U.S. attorney for South Carolina, said he wishes every defendant's liberty received the same care and resources.

"I don't know what the outcome is moving to be," he said. "But we should all strive for a biosphere where the effort to take anybody's liberty gets the same scrutiny as this case."