WebThe Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, DNA profiles were found on Alex Murdaughs shirt that likely came from Maggie, Pauls friend Nolan Tuten and an unidentified, unrelated person. A daily report co-sponsored by Arizona State University, Criminal Justice Journalists, and the National Criminal Justice Association, NCJA | 700 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-628-8550 | www.ncja.org | Contact Us | 2023. Randy and John said their father, whom they described as "a wonderful person," had been "sick" for a while and that they would have liked his death to be more a celebration of life, but their tight-knit family was reeling from the unsolved murders. Murdaugh said he called either Alex or Buster (he said he thinks it was Alex) and asked them for the password to Maggies phone so investigators could unlock it. ", Sept. 3 : Alex Murdaugh resigns from law firm. He told authorities he had been out at the time of the shooting and found his wife and son dead when he arrived home, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a later news release. Buster, he said, told via Associated Press. The case will be prosecuted by the attorney general's office. One possibility is that Paul and Maggie Murdaughs killings were in some way an effort on Alex Murdaughs part to prevent authorities who were looking into the boat crash from discovering his elaborate web of other alleged criminal behavior. He said he thought they were dead.". SLED confirmed they are the law enforcement agency investigating the missing money from the law firm. He faces charges in connection with a Sept. 4 suicide-for-hire plot. Maggie Murdaugh signed the will in August 2005, according to a report Sunday in The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head. "We are part of the community. The saga began when Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot in June. His attorney, Richard Harpootlian, previously said on NBCs TODAY show that Alex Murdaugh arranged for a man to kill him during a fake car breakdown. He said he believed his insurance policy had a suicide clause, which would leave $10 million for his son, according to Harpootlian. Alex was standing at a distance from the crime scene, looking on "in disbelief, crying and sobbing, and unable to talk," Randy said. SLED compared the sample to C.B. The truth is he did graduate from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice in the early 1990s, but he ultimately chose to evolve into an entrepreneur decently self-employed. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this week. Randy and John described their late nephew as a "carefree spirit" who loved being outdoors. Riemer said yes, because some shots would have been fired from behind her and the shot to the back of her head, when she was on the ground, would have come from toward the top of her body. He was also the second family member to testify on behalf of Murdaugh. The law firm said later that he resigned only after it was discovered that he was alleged to have misappropriated funds from the firm. John Marvin says 100% Alex said they did him so bad, and he had heard Murdaugh say it many other times since the murders. SLED then said they were opening the investigation into Satterfield's death at the request of the Hampton County Coroner's Office and due to information gathered during the course of other ongoing investigations involving AlexMurdaugh. Two alternates, 441 and 326, took their places. On Thursday, Murdaugh briefly described the roadside shooting, saying that he intended to die that day. Prosecutors allege that Murdaugh, who has pleaded not guilty to four charges, murdered his family in a deranged scheme to garner sympathy and halt questions about his years-long scheme of stealing money from his law firm and clients. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named. Marvin Murdaugh drove down to the crime scene to a group of investigators and told them that Maggies phone was active and could be tracked, he said. A day later, Smith admitted to being present during the Murdaugh shooting and disposing the firearm afterward. Will of Alex Murdaugh's wife reveals he inherited all her property, accusations that he misused money from his law firm. "He has pledged his full cooperation to the firm. John Marvin was the last witness to testify before the defense rested on Monday. Hes got theories of this and theories of that.. Most of the testimony was focused on detailed forensic evidence in the investigation into the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Her sons claim that they received none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement that was orchestrated secretly by Alex Murdaugh, according to a lawsuit filed against their mothers employer and others. Murdaughs lawyer Dick Harpootlian said on Good Morning America Friday that health records show Murdaugh had drugs in his system when he was shot on Sept. 4. Alex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. John Marvin who owns a heavy equipment rental and sales center indicated he wasnt able to find buyers for either piece of equipment and thought he might Paul and Maggie have been hurt,'" John told ABC News in an exclusive interview airing Thursday on "Good Morning America. Just days later, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh III, died in a hospital at the age of 81. ", "Avarice and betrayal of trust are at the heart of this matter," the families said in a statement through their lawyers. John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV spoke with "Good Morning America" about the deaths of Maggie and Paul, saying they didn't believe their It made me want to do it longer. The family's spokesperson later offered a clarification regarding the shooting, saying, "Alex had an entry and exit wound, his skull was fractured and it was not a self-inflicted bullet wound. Alex is fully cooperating with SLED in their investigations into his shooting, opioid use and the search to find the person or people responsible for the murder of his wife and son. Last week, Alex Murdaughs surviving son Buster, 26, testified in the double murder trial of his father. "I want to thank everyone for the incredible love and support that we have received over the last few weeks," Murdaugh said in a statement at the time. In the civil lawsuit, Satterfield's surviving sons claimed Alex Murdaugh approached them after she died, proposing the sons sue him so they would get a life insurance settlement on their mother's behalf, the complaint states. Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV and John Marvin Murdaugh speak with ABC News for an interview that aired on "Good Morning America" on June 17, 2021. John Marvin Murdaugh also described how he got one of the first phone calls his brother Alex had made after discovering the bodies. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. We see it on the news. They said he could not be visually excluded but it is 11 times more likely the sample was from someone else. In this undated file photo, Alex Murdaugh, fourth generation of a powerful South Carolina dynasty and owner of a boat involved in a fatal accident, leaves a hearing in a personal injury lawsuit at the Richland County Courthouse. The whole family is suffering," John told ABC News. "The person that did this is out there.". SLED said in a statement at the time that he was shot on Old Salkehatchie Road near Varnville,South Carolina. Harpootlian said all this was grasping at whatever evidence might make Murdaugh look guilty and ignoring what didnt fit the theory that he did it. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Stone had previously recused himself in 2019 after Paul Murdaugh was involved in a fatal boat crash. Murdaugh is charged with killing his wife and son on their property in June 2021. WALTERBORO, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The fourth week of the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh began on Monday. They said Paul was also a "people person" who was "very caring" and "would help anyone." The prosecution said ammunition cartridges found around Maggie Murdaughs body had markings that matched other cartridges fired at a range on the property and other locations. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". In this June 11, 2021, file photo, Buster Murdaugh, center, receives a hug in the rain during the funeral service for his brother, Paul, and mother, Maggie, in Hampton, S.C. Kacen Bayless/The Island Packet via AP, FILE. John and Randy stayed there for hours, comforting their brother, until they finally convinced him to leave. Alex Murdaugh was the person who reported their deaths to police, saying he had discovered them dead on a 1,700-acre hunting property belonging to the family. Dr. Ellen Riemer, a forensic pathologist with the Medical University of South Carolina, conducted the autopsies for Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. John, who lives further away in the community of Okatie, west of Hilton Head Island, said he got there about 30 minutes later. For the last 20 years, there have been many people feeding his addiction to opioids. "And so we said our goodbyes and tried to be in a celebratory way to my dad, but we're all hurting because of Maggie and Paul.". He has been in jail since Oct. 14 and then was arrested on charges of obtaining property by false pretenses, in which he is accused of misappropriating settlement funds from the sons of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaughs longtime housekeeper and nanny. He said, Come as fast as you can. A place to talk about the Murdaugh family murders without censorship. John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV spoke with "Good Morning America" about the deaths of Maggie and Paul, saying they didn't believe their brother was involved in their killings. Noting that investigators had released the scene hours earlier and that he received permission from another law enforcement friend, John Marvin noted that the crime scene was not cleaned up when he arrived and that he could still see where Maggies body had been found. It was a rainy night and first responders were already on site, and Randy recalled seeing the covered bodies of Maggie and Paul near the dog kennels, about a quarter of a mile from the main house. "It was very difficult.". Waters said a video on Paul Murdaughs cellphone has the voices of him, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh in it. "He said, 'Come as fast as you can. From 1987 to 2005, Randolph held the job as prosecutor for Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties, like his father and grandfather did before him. Theres no eyewitnesses. Alex Murdaugh enlisted Curtis Smith to shoot and kill him while in his mentally ill, drug-addicted and grieving state, Murdaugh's attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian said in a statement on Sept. 15, a day after Smith was charged. Part of HuffPost Crime. She testified that she did not find any defensive wounds on Maggie either. And I think when you do those things, people respect you. Margaret and Paul Murdaugh were found dead near dog kennels at the family's home near Islandton, South Carolina, police said. The defense in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial rested their case Monday. Duffie Stone, the 14th circuit solicitor appointed in 2006, the first non-Murdaugh to hold the position since 1920, recused himself from the case because of personal connections. In 2006, he rejoined the Hampton-based law firm that his father had started more than 100 years ago. Attorney Dick Harpootlian says the defense team will need time for their expert to review the data as well. Zapata said the DNA could have been transferred from her touching an object or person. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? Alex murdaugh shot Paul through the open door, while he was sitting on that 4wheeler, that he decided to ride down to the kennels, then, he shot Maggie, they said her leg had a smear from a 4wheeler tire, not forgetting he lured Maggie and Paul to be home on the same day, and to be at the kennels at the exact time, and he lifted Paul body and tried to open his phone, but he couldn't, so he placed his phone in his back pocket, the clothes, he had clean clothes on that 4wheeler with him, he had no blood on him because he shot Paul through the open door, that would have made him 5'2-5'4 sitting down on it. He also admitted to his two-decade opioid addiction, noting he regularly took more than 60 pills a dayincluding oxycontin and oxycodone. At the time, the couple's sons were children. 3:34 p.m. John Marvin cleaned crime scene the day after murders. A defense lawyer said prosecutors incorrectly locked in on Murdaughs guilt from the start and have spent all that time trying to jam bits of evidence that can be explained away or leave an incomplete picture into a story that frames the wrong man. The defense A major twist in the case came when Alex Murdaugh called authorities saying he was shot in the head in Hampton County on Sept. 4. He messed himself. But like a lot of things that are complicated, we start to put them all together, piecing together like a puzzle all the sudden, a picture emerges.. She died in February 2018 in what was initially described as an accidental fall. John Marvin Murdaugh said he was sitting inside the house on the Moselle property and asked Alex Murdaugh if he could ping Maggies phone. In the will, Maggie Murdaugh listed her sister, Marian Proctor, as the person to handle the estate. Press J to jump to the feed. Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton "Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son," his lawyers said in a statement. The deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh remain unsolved. After a market analysis and appraisal, and with the consent of the estate, managed by Murdaugh's brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, the Murdaugh Edisto home Alex was the loving father of Paul and the loving husband of Maggie, Harpootlian said. Earlier on Sept. 16, Curtis Edward Smith appeared in front of a Hampton County Judge for a bond hearing on charges where he agreed to a public defender and had his bond set at $55,000 for the attempted assisted suicide of Alex Murdaugh. Murdaugh turned himself in at the Hampton County Detention Center. Murdaugh will return to rehab, according to his attorney, and will change to an out-of-state rehab facility afterwards. He was arrested in connection to the Sept. 4 shooting incident "in which he conspired with Curtis Edward Smith to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance," SLED said in a statement. ", "I can tell you he was willing and still is willing to do anything that's asked of him," John added. "On September 4, it became clear Alex believed that ending his life was his only option. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Witnesses said Paul Murdaugh was driving it and that he was extremely drunk and acting belligerently. From October: What really happened the night Alex Murdaugh was allegedly shot? ", Sept. 6: Murdaugh announces resignation, enters rehab. The wreck led to some questioning whether his family's ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation, local newspaper The Island Packet reported at the time. State law enforcement officials also announcedthat they were looking into those allegations. Paul, a student at the University of South Carolina, was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach, whose body was found a week later. The listing comes less than five months after Alex Murdaugh, 53 the father of the family allegedly conspired to hire a hit man to kill him so that he could leave his We're no different than anybody else," Randy told ABC News. A former federal prosecutor, he now works as a state and federal criminal defense attorney based in Columbia, South Carolina. If convicted, he faces 30 years to life in prison. They were able to open the phone on site, he said. None, defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said. John Marvin was emotional throughout his testimony. Two alternates will take their place. Powder and residue left behind from a gun was found in several places Alex Murdaugh was also at, the prosecutor said. He then walked to the side door of the courtroom where he will be taken to the Colleton County jail where he is staying during his trial. Proctor's name was crossed out in pen and Randolph Murdaugh III, Maggie Murdaughs father-in law, was handwritten above it. At the time, the photos and video sparked controversy and numerous questions about why Solicitor Duffie Stone whose office has close ties to the Murdaugh family had not yet recused himself from the investigation. A bond hearing was scheduled for Oct. 15 in Beaufort County, South Carolina, his lawyers said. Since then, there have been curveballs in the investigation including Alex Murdaugh's alleged money misuse that led to the suspension of his law license, and other allegations of an opioid addiction, an assisted-suicide attempt and a $10 million insurance fraud scheme. "So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you. Alex Murdaugh is in jail on a slew of charges, most of them financial counts. But I guess maybe I made a mistake.. Read FOX Carolinas full blog of Mondays testimony below: Copyright 2023 WHNS. Alex Murdaugh was taken into custody upon his release from a Florida rehab facility and charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, SLED announced. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Judge Clifton Newman announced at the start of court on Monday that two jurors, 220 and 528, were released from their service because they tested positive for COVID-19. WebAlex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. He was only able to tell me it was very, very bad. His mom and his brother were just killed.". Murdaugh also took the stand on Thursday and Friday, revealing that he lied to law enforcement about his whereabouts the night of the murder and admitting to stealing from clients and his law firm for years. Randolph Murdaugh III died three days after Maggie and Paul Murdaughs deaths after he fell ill, his law firm announced at the time. Their bodies were discovered by Alex Murdaugh, police said. I felt like I owed [Paul]. Murdaugh also faces about 100 charges related to other crimes, including money laundering, stealing millions from clients and the family law firm, tax evasion and trying to get a man to fatally shoot him so his surviving son could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. 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