Hotels Packed, Food Trucks Ready as Murdaugh Trial Begins

It's being called the "trial of the century" by some outlets, or at the very least, South Carolina's trial of the century: Alex Murdaugh's trial on charges of murdering his wife and son begins Monday with jury selection. A sampling of coverage in advance of the sensational courtroom drama, for which Court TV has promised "gavel-to-gavel coverage":

• The frenzy: As NBC News reports, food trucks will be gathered in a parking lot across from the courthouse to feed what are expected to be throngs of legal team members, law enforcement, reporters, and, of course, gawkers. Hotel rooms are packed and homes in the area are being rented out on AirBnb for hundreds of dollars per night.

• Not just alleged murder: As Rolling Stone reports, Murdaugh has more than 100 other criminal charges waiting in the wings, from drug trafficking to insurance fraud. He is the subject of multiple state probes and more than a dozen lawsuits.
• The long and winding backstory: USA Today offers a rundown of the case, from the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh through the investigations into other suspicious deaths in the Murdaugh orbit to the accusations against Alex Murdaugh, which also include tax evasion and other financial crimes.
• Will Murdaugh testify? It's not yet known. To keep tabs, Fox Carolina says it is providing live coverage of the trial on its app and website. If convicted, Murdaugh could face life in prison without parole.

(More Alex Murdaugh stories.)