Replace, March 2, 2023: After deliberating for 3 hours on Thursday night, a jury discovered Alex Murdaugh responsible of murdering his spouse, Maggie, and youthful son, Paul, on June 7, 2021.
Murdaugh nonetheless faces a bunch of significant fees, together with cash laundering, insurance coverage fraud, and alleged misuse of funds from a settlement associated to the loss of life of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. He’ll face sentencing in his spouse’s and son’s murders on March 3, 2023.
The story of the Murdaugh murders stems from a 100-year-old household authorized dynasty in Hampton, South Carolina, that was put within the arms of fourth-generation lawyer Alex Murdaugh.
However what took a century to construct got here crashing down in June 2021, when Alex known as authorities after discovering his spouse, Maggie Murdaugh, and his youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, shot useless of their 1,770-acre searching lodge at 4147 Moselle Highway in Islandton, South Carolina.
These crimes led to a collection of revelations concerning the household, which HBO Max unpacked within the new true crime documentary, Low Nation: The Murdaugh Dynasty, that aired on November 3. Adopted by one other true crime collection based mostly on the once-prestigious household Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal which is about to launch on Netflix on February 22.
Picture credit score: Courtesy of Maggie Murdaugh by way of Fb.
Now in the identical courthouse the place generations of Murdaughs laid down the regulation, Alex is set to go on trial for homicide, with jury choice starting on January 23.
Maintain scrolling for all the pieces to know concerning the case and the Murdaugh household.
Who Are the Murdaugh Household?
The Murdaugh household started in South Carolina on the flip of the century and have been outstanding attorneys within the state for many years. Starting with Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather Randolph Murdaugh Sr., who began Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick in 1910, generations of his household have continued to work on the agency, together with his son, Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh II, grandson, Randolph Murdaugh III, and his great-great-grandsons Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV and Alex Murdaugh.
The agency was profitable with private harm instances by benefiting from a South Carolina regulation that enables folks to sue in any county and never the place an incident could have occurred — which might typically lead to favoritism and landed Hampton County on the 2004 checklist of “Judicial Hellholes“. Nevertheless, this made the Murdaugh group the “go-to” attorneys within the county.
Randolph Sr. additionally turned the primary elected solicitor, (or district legal professional), of the 14th judicial circuit (district) in 1920. Randolph Sr. held the function for 20 years till his loss of life. His son, Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh II, was elected to the place subsequent. He labored from 1940 to 1986, till his son Randolph Murdaugh III took over, working from 1986 to 2006. Alex volunteered and labored part-time within the solicitor’s workplace after graduating from USC Legislation Faculty in 1994 till 2021.
The Murdaugh household have been solicitors in South Carolina for 86 years straight; main prison prosecutions for his or her district, and enjoying a key function in deciding which instances get prosecuted (and when) from 1920 to 2006.
What Occurred to Paul and Maggie Murdaugh?
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh have been shot useless on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh known as 911 at round 10 p.m., claiming he had found the our bodies. Nevertheless, the coroner discovered that the 2 had died between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., per NPR, they usually had been shot with totally different weapons — Maggie with an assault-style rifle and Paul with a shotgun.
In October 2021, Alex was named as an individual of curiosity within the case, though his lawyer denied the allegations and stated he had no motive for the crimes, in accordance with Folks.
Based on NBC Information, sources near the investigation stated authorities discovered cellphone video proof that locations Alex on the scene of the crime.
On July 14, 2022, he was indicted by a grand jury in connection to Paul and Maggie’s murders. He was charged with two counts of homicide and two counts of possession of a weapon throughout the fee of a violent crime.
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys keep his innocence.
Picture credit score: Courtesy of Maggie Murdaugh by way of Fb.
What Different Crimes Had been Uncovered After the Murdaugh Household Murders?
As investigators seemed into the deaths of the mom and son, different unsolved crimes regarding the Murdaugh household have been found.
Two years earlier than his loss of life, in February 2019, youngest son Paul, 22, had been concerned in a ship crash that left his buddy, Mallory Seashore, useless after being thrown from the boat. Although varied witnesses stated Paul had been driving the boat whereas intoxicated, in accordance with a earlier NBC documentary on Peacock, key proof had gone lacking within the case.
Paul was charged with one rely of cruising whereas intoxicated and two counts of inflicting bodily harm, although folks instructed he acquired particular therapy because of his household’s legacy. He was launched on bond and a date for his trial was by no means set, per Folks.
Moreover, two weeks following the double murders that happened in June 2021, the state reopened an investigation right into a 2015 case of a person, Stephen Smith, who had been discovered useless on the aspect of the highway.
Whereas South Carolina State Legislation Enforcement Division (SLED) has not revealed what proof induced them to reopen the case, per NPR, the Murdaugh identify stored arising in relation to the case. Sources speculated that Buster Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son who additionally labored on the household regulation agency, had a relationship with Smith, in accordance with the Day by day Mail.
Moreover, though Smith’s loss of life was dominated a hit-and-run, he had a gunshot wound above his proper eye and his accidents weren’t according to these sustained from automobile trauma, in accordance with the Day by day Mail.
Buster has not been named an individual of curiosity in Smith’s loss of life.
What Occurred to Gloria Satterfield?
Along with Smith’s loss of life, SLED started investigating one other case involving the Murdaugh household. In 2018, the household’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died after Maggie Murdaugh known as 911, claiming Satterfield had fallen down the steps. It was famous that Paul was current throughout the name.
Satterfield was a longtime caretaker of the household, and in accordance with sources featured in Discovery + documentary Murdaugh Murders: Lethal Dynasty, she had informed a number of people who Paul would kill small animals and sometimes disregarded authority.
Her reason for loss of life stays unclear.
On the funeral, Alex approached Satterfield’s sons and stated because the accident occurred on his property, he was going to sue himself for wrongful loss of life so the boys can get some insurance coverage cash, in accordance with The New York Instances.
With all legalities dealt with by Alex, the sons have been informed to attend for a settlement.
Alex and his insurers did attain a $4.3 million settlement within the months after Satterfield’s loss of life, however the Satterfield household did not see a dime.
The Satterfield sons filed a lawsuit in opposition to Alex Murdaugh in September 2021, and SLED determined to exhume the physique for an post-mortem in June 2022, in accordance with South Carolina’s WCSC. That very same month, Alex agreed to pay the Satterfield household $4.3 million.
The place Is the Murdaugh Legislation Agency Now?
The alleged misappropriated funds within the wrongful loss of life go well with uncovered varied different monetary crimes together with Alex stealing tens of millions from purchasers and his household regulation agency, in accordance with The New York Instances.
He was then pressured out by his companions in September 2021, simply three months after the double murders. The agency modified its identify to the Parker Legislation Group, LLP in January 2021, in accordance with WOTC South Carolina.
Alex was additionally stripped from being a lawyer within the state of South Carolina indefinitely, and his identify was faraway from the agency that was as soon as generally known as the “Murdaugh Legislation Agency.”
What Occurred to Alex Murdaugh?
The next day, after Alex was pressured out of the agency, he was shot within the head whereas altering a tire on the aspect of the highway. The shot solely induced minor injury and he was capable of name for assist.
Days after he was shot, he checked into rehab for opioid dependancy. It was there that he admitted to attorneys that he had employed Curtis Eddie Smith to kill him so his son Buster may acquire $10 million in insurance coverage cash.
On Sept. 16, 2021, he turned himself in to Hampton County Legislation Enforcement in connection to the suicide-for-hire rip-off, per Folks.
Later, on Oct. 14, 2021, Alex was arrested on felony fees for misusing tens of millions from the Satterfield property and acquiring property beneath false pretenses, per NPR, and was hit with tens of fees within the months that adopted regarding quite a few monetary crimes and deaths.
He was indicted on homicide fees for the deaths of his spouse and son in July 2022.
Picture credit score: Tracy Glantz/The Island Packet/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty Photographs
The place Are the Murdaughs Now?
Alex Murdaugh is at the moment in jail and is about to go on trial for the June 2021 murders of his son Paul and his spouse Maggie in January. If convicted, he may face 30 years to life in jail with out parole and might be eligible for the loss of life penalty, in accordance with USA At present.
Murdaugh faces a complete of 90 fees, lots of which embrace monetary crimes akin to stealing from the household regulation agency, cash laundering by means of a drug ring, and committing insurance coverage fraud.
As for the remainder of the surviving Murdaugh household, eldest son Buster was final reported to be “not doing properly in any respect” since his father was arrested for the double murders, sources informed Folks in July 2022.
Regardless of beforehand working at his household’s regulation agency, Buster seems to have no involvement within the rebranded Parker Legislation Group.
In the meantime, Alex’s brother Randy nonetheless works as a training lawyer on the now-renamed Parker Legislation Agency. He denounced Alex’s actions and claimed he had no involvement in his mishandling of firm funds in an announcement to Folks in September 2021.
Randy can also be suing Alex for 1000’s in unpaid loans.
How A lot Are the Murdaughs Value?
It is unclear precisely how a lot wealth the Murdaugh household as soon as had, however a number of accounts and properties have been discovered to be price tens of millions.
When Murdaugh was held on a $7 million bond for 51 prison fees, the court docket detailed Murdaugh’s property, which included quite a few actual property properties and even small islands, in accordance with Greenville Information.
Moreover, the court docket discovered a retirement account price between $2.1 and $2.2 million, and an IRA retirement fund valued at $350,000 to $400,000.
He was additionally alleged to obtain a belief for an undisclosed quantity after his father Randolph Murdaugh III’s loss of life in June 2021, plus probate property after his spouse’s loss of life that very same month.
Moreover, the household searching lodge the place Paul and Maggie have been killed was listed in February 2022 for $3.9 million.