In the culmination of the once-prominent lawyer’s fall from grace, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday after being convicted of murdering his wife and son.

Judge Clifton Newman asked Murdaugh if he had anything he wanted to say before sentencing him to two consecutive life terms, and the South Carolina attorney maintained his innocence

Prosecutors asked for a life sentence to hold Murdaugh responsible for what they say are decades of lying, stealing and using his family’s considerable clout in their tiny county to his advantage.

A storm system marched eastward Friday, threatening heavy snow in the Midwest and Northeast after spawning likely tornadoes in Texas and Louisiana that damaged homes, businesses, a university campus and left thousands without power.

The storms will threaten the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys with tornadoes as they move toward New England, the Storm Prediction Center said. A swath of heavy snow is expected in the Upper Midwest through New England on Friday and Saturday, with sleet and freezing rain possible south of the heaviest snow.

St. Thomas men’s basketball’s Andrew Rohde was named Summit League Freshman of the Year on Thursday.

The 6’6” guard led all first-year students in the conference with 16.7 points per game, 3.7 steals per game and 32.7 minutes a game. He ranks third in the nation across all conferences in points per game among first-year students.

Rohde recorded ten 20-point games this season, the most of any Tommie in the Division 1 era. He also recorded ten games with at least five assists.

Sam Larson can be reached at lars4378@stthomas.edu