Update, March 2, 2023: Following deliberating for a few several hours on Thursday night, a jury discovered Alex Murdaugh responsible of murdering his wife, Maggie, and youthful son, Paul, on June 7, 2021.
Murdaugh continue to faces a host of really serious prices, which includes money laundering, insurance fraud, and alleged misuse of resources from a settlement similar to the demise of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. He will deal with sentencing in his wife’s and son’s murders on March 3, 2023.
The tale of the Murdaugh murders stems from a 100-year-aged relatives legal dynasty in Hampton, South Carolina, that was set in the fingers of fourth-era attorney Alex Murdaugh.
But what took a century to create came crashing down in June 2021, when Alex termed authorities just after obtaining his spouse, Maggie Murdaugh, and his youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, shot lifeless in their 1,770-acre searching lodge at 4147 Moselle Road in Islandton, South Carolina.
These crimes led to a series of revelations about the household, which HBO Max unpacked in the new accurate crime documentary, Reduced Region: The Murdaugh Dynasty, that aired on November 3. Followed by yet another accurate criminal offense series centered on the after-prestigious household Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal which is established to launch on Netflix on February 22.
Impression credit history: Courtesy of Maggie Murdaugh via Fb.
Now in the exact same courthouse the place generations of Murdaughs laid down the law, Alex is established to go on demo for murder, with jury range beginning on January 23.
Retain scrolling for every little thing to know about the scenario and the Murdaugh spouse and children.
Who Are the Murdaugh Loved ones?
The Murdaugh household commenced in South Carolina at the transform of the century and have been outstanding legal professionals in the state for a long time. Starting with Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather Randolph Murdaugh Sr., who started Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick in 1910, generations of his family have continued to get the job done at the business, which includes his son, Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh II, grandson, Randolph Murdaugh III, and his fantastic-terrific-grandsons Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV and Alex Murdaugh.
The business was thriving with personal harm circumstances by having advantage of a South Carolina law that will allow folks to sue in any county and not where by an incident could have happened — which can generally final result in favoritism and landed Hampton County on the 2004 record of “Judicial Hellholes”. Even so, this built the Murdaugh group the “go-to” lawyers in the county.
Randolph Sr. also turned the first elected solicitor, (or district legal professional), of the 14th judicial circuit (district) in 1920. Randolph Sr. held the position for 20 years until his dying. His son, Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh II, was elected to the posture future. He worked from 1940 to 1986, until finally his son Randolph Murdaugh III took in excess of, operating from 1986 to 2006. Alex volunteered and worked portion-time in the solicitor’s office just after graduating from USC Regulation School in 1994 right until 2021.
The Murdaugh loved ones were being solicitors in South Carolina for 86 decades straight primary felony prosecutions for their district, and participating in a key position in determining which circumstances get prosecuted (and when) from 1920 to 2006.
What Happened to Paul and Maggie Murdaugh?
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were being shot useless on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh identified as 911 at all-around 10 p.m., professing he had found the bodies. Nevertheless, the coroner found that the two experienced died between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., per NPR, and they had been shot with unique weapons — Maggie with an assault-model rifle and Paul with a shotgun.
In Oct 2021, Alex was named as a person of fascination in the circumstance, even though his attorney denied the allegations and mentioned he had no motive for the crimes, according to Individuals.
In accordance to NBC News, resources shut to the investigation reported authorities discovered cellphone video clip proof that destinations Alex at the scene of the criminal offense.
On July 14, 2022, he was indicted by a grand jury in relationship to Paul and Maggie’s murders. He was billed with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon all through the fee of a violent criminal offense.
Alex Murdaugh’s legal professionals retain his innocence.
Picture credit rating: Courtesy of Maggie Murdaugh through Fb.
What Other Crimes Have been Uncovered After the Murdaugh Family Murders?
As investigators seemed into the fatalities of the mother and son, other unsolved crimes relating to the Murdaugh relatives were being uncovered.
Two yrs just before his death, in February 2019, youngest son Paul, 22, experienced been associated in a boat crash that still left his mate, Mallory Beach front, lifeless soon after remaining thrown from the boat. However different witnesses claimed Paul had been driving the boat although intoxicated, in accordance to a former NBC documentary on Peacock, critical evidence had absent lacking in the situation.
Paul was billed with just one depend of boating even though intoxicated and two counts of leading to bodily harm, nevertheless men and women advised he been given unique cure many thanks to his family’s legacy. He was introduced on bond and a date for his demo was never set, for each Individuals.
In addition, two weeks following the double murders that took put in June 2021, the state reopened an investigation into a 2015 scenario of a male, Stephen Smith, who had been found lifeless on the side of the street.
Although South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has not discovered what proof prompted them to reopen the scenario, for each NPR, the Murdaugh name kept coming up in relation to the situation. Resources speculated that Buster Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son who also worked at the relatives regulation business, experienced a romantic relationship with Smith, in accordance to the Day-to-day Mail.
Also, while Smith’s death was ruled a strike-and-operate, he had a gunshot wound higher than his proper eye and his accidents had been not reliable with all those sustained from car or truck trauma, in accordance to the Everyday Mail.
Buster has not been named a human being of desire in Smith’s dying.
What Took place to Gloria Satterfield?
In addition to Smith’s loss of life, SLED started investigating a further case involving the Murdaugh spouse and children. In 2018, the family’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died just after Maggie Murdaugh referred to as 911, declaring Satterfield had fallen down the stairs. It was pointed out that Paul was current for the duration of the contact.
Satterfield was a longtime caretaker of the family, and according to resources showcased in Discovery + documentary Murdaugh Murders: Fatal Dynasty, she experienced informed numerous men and women that Paul would eliminate smaller animals and generally disregarded authority.
Her bring about of death stays unclear.
At the funeral, Alex approached Satterfield’s sons and claimed because the incident happened on his assets, he was likely to sue himself for wrongful loss of life so the boys can get some coverage revenue, in accordance to The New York Periods.
With all legalities managed by Alex, the sons were informed to wait for a settlement.
Alex and his insurers did get to a $4.3 million settlement in the months following Satterfield’s loss of life, but the Satterfield family members didn’t see a dime.
The Satterfield sons filed a lawsuit versus Alex Murdaugh in September 2021, and SLED determined to exhume the physique for an autopsy in June 2022, in accordance to South Carolina’s WCSC. That exact thirty day period, Alex agreed to pay the Satterfield loved ones $4.3 million.
The place Is the Murdaugh Law Organization Now?
The alleged misappropriated money in the wrongful death go well with uncovered numerous other money crimes including Alex stealing thousands and thousands from clientele and his spouse and children legislation organization, according to The New York Moments.
He was then compelled out by his companions in September 2021, just a few months soon after the double murders. The firm changed its title to the Parker Regulation Team, LLP in January 2021, according to WOTC South Carolina.
Alex was also stripped from remaining a lawyer in the state of South Carolina indefinitely, and his name was taken off from the agency that was after acknowledged as the “Murdaugh Regulation Business.”
What Happened to Alex Murdaugh?
The following working day, following Alex was pressured out of the company, he was shot in the head though switching a tire on the aspect of the highway. The shot only prompted insignificant injury and he was ready to get in touch with for assist.
Times soon after he was shot, he checked into rehab for opioid dependancy. It was there that he admitted to lawyers that he experienced employed Curtis Eddie Smith to eliminate him so his son Buster could collect $10 million in insurance policies cash.
On Sept. 16, 2021, he turned himself in to Hampton County Legislation Enforcement in relationship to the suicide-for-retain the services of scam, for each People.
Later, on Oct. 14, 2021, Alex was arrested on felony rates for misusing tens of millions from the Satterfield estate and acquiring home below untrue pretenses, per NPR, and was hit with tens of costs in the months that adopted relating to a lot of financial crimes and fatalities.
He was indicted on murder costs for the deaths of his spouse and son in July 2022.
Graphic credit rating: Tracy Glantz/The Island Packet/Tribune News Provider by way of Getty Illustrations or photos
Wherever Are the Murdaughs Now?
Alex Murdaugh is at the moment in jail and is set to go on demo for the June 2021 murders of his son Paul and his wife Maggie in January. If convicted, he could experience 30 several years to life in prison with out parole and could be eligible for the loss of life penalty, in accordance to Usa These days.
Murdaugh faces a overall of 90 rates, several of which incorporate monetary crimes these types of as stealing from the relatives legislation agency, cash laundering by means of a drug ring, and committing coverage fraud.
As for the rest of the surviving Murdaugh relatives, eldest son Buster was very last documented to be “not carrying out perfectly at all” considering that his father was arrested for the double murders, sources instructed People in July 2022.
Irrespective of previously functioning at his family’s legislation company, Buster appears to have no involvement in the rebranded Parker Legislation Group.
Meanwhile, Alex’s brother Randy however performs as a working towards attorney at the now-renamed Parker Law Company. He denounced Alex’s actions and claimed he experienced no involvement in his mishandling of corporation money in a assertion to Men and women in September 2021.
Randy is also suing Alex for countless numbers in unpaid loans.
How A great deal Are the Murdaughs Well worth?
It is really unclear accurately how considerably prosperity the Murdaugh relatives the moment had, but various accounts and homes were being observed to be truly worth tens of millions.
When Murdaugh was held on a $7 million bond for 51 felony costs, the court docket specific Murdaugh’s assets, which included many true estate homes and even small islands, according to Greenville Information.
Furthermore, the court docket located a retirement account worth in between $2.1 and $2.2 million, and an IRA retirement fund valued at $350,000 to $400,000.
He was also supposed to receive a have faith in for an undisclosed sum soon after his father Randolph Murdaugh III’s demise in June 2021, furthermore probate belongings after his wife’s death that same month.
Furthermore, the family hunting lodge the place Paul and Maggie ended up killed was mentioned in February 2022 for $3.9 million.
