The Murdaugh family was described as one of South Carolina’s most prominent legal families. From 1920-2006, three members of the family served as solicitor for South Carolina’s Lowcountry region. The SC solicitor is in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of this region was known as “Murdaugh County” and was notoriously referred to as ‘rigged.’ Eventually, several Murdaugh family members were implicated in a fatal boating accident in 2019, and two family members were murdered in a double homicide in 2021.
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The Murdaugh Family
Death of the Murdaugh’s
Death of Mallory Beach
A son of the Murdaugh family, Paul Terry Murdaugh, was charged with three felonies after the death of Mallory Beach during a boating accident in February 2019. Paul was not given a field sobriety test, was not taken to jail for booking, and was never handcuffed. After this, speculation began stating that he had received special treatment by virtue of familial connections. Paul’s blood alcohol content was .286 (almost three times the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle), yet the judge denied a request that he wear an alcohol monitor.
Murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh
On June 7, 2021, the bodies of 22 year old Paul and 52 year old Maggie (Paul’s mother) were found near the dog kennels at the family’s hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina. Both individuals had been shot multiple times with different weapons. Alex Murdaugh, Paul’s father and husband to Maggie, had discovered the bodies and reported that he had been with his terminally ill father and mother at the time of the killings. Alex remained a prime suspect as one of the weapons belonged to the Murdaugh family.
Killing of Stephen Smith
In June 2021, the murder of Stephen Smith, who died in 2015, was reopened. Smith had been found dead from blunt force trauma on a road in Hampton County. Rumors had been hinting of a possible cover-up of his murder as well as possible involvement of one or more members of the Murdaugh family.
Death of Gloria Satterfield, arrest on two felony counts
On September 15, 2021, authorities announced they were opening an investigation into the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield who worked as Alex’s housekeeper. The death was reported as a “trip and fall,” but no coroner was notified, no autopsy was performs, and the death certificate said it was by “natural causes.” Satterfield’s two sons were awarded a settlement of $500,000, but they had received no money. During the negotiations of the settlement, the sons were represented by Cory Fleming, a lawyer who they did not know had longterm connections to Alex, did not participate in negotiations, and did not sign an agreement.
Alex Murdaugh was charged with two felonies related to the missing money. On October 14, 2021, Alex was taken into custody as he was being released from the drug rehabilitation facility in Orlando on the two felony accounts of Obtaining Property by False Pretenses.
Missing Funds
On September 3, Alex resigned from his law firm after being accused of mishandling funds. The amount involved was in the millions. On September 6, Alex released a statement saying he was entering a rehabilitation facility for substance abuse treatment.
Assisted Suicide Insurance Fraud Scheme
On September 4, the day after Alex was forced to resign from his law firm, Alex was allegedly shot in the head while changing a tire on a rural road. He claimed that a truck had slowed down, shot him, and then drove away. The injury was superficial and he was released from the hospital soon after. On September 15, it was announced that Alex’s former client, Curtis Edward Smith (who also supplied Alex with oxycodone), had been arrested for having conspired with Alex to kill him in the roadside shooting so that his remaining son, Buster, would receive a $10 million insurance payout.
Smith was charged with assisted suicide, aggravated assault and battery, and insurance fraud. Alex admitted to concocting the assisted suicide as murder scheme. He was motivated by a mistaken belief that his son would not receive the insurance money if Alex committed suicide.
Alex Murdaugh
Final Charges
Alex Murdaugh is facing 50 charges for financial crimes including the stealing of over $6 million. This case demonstrates the abuse of power that the Murdaugh family used to their advantage to get millions of dollars into their pockets.
Sources
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article255380106.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/us/murdaugh-shooting-arrest-friday/index.html
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