TRUE CRIME: Murder, Drugs, And A Fake Assassination Attempt – The Collapse Of Alex Murdaugh

Earlier this month, disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh was indicted for the June 2021 killings of his wife and son. The Murdaughs were once a prominent family in South Carolina, with Alex’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather all serving as top prosecutors in the state’s Lowcountry since 1920.

How did we get here?

It all started on June 7, 2021, when Murdaugh called 911 just after 10 p.m., telling the authorities he had found the bodies of his 52-year-old wife, Margaret “Maggie”, and 22-year-old son, Paul, near the dog kennels on their estate in Colleton County.

“I’ve been gone,” Murdaugh told the dispatcher, according to NBC News. “I just came back.”

Murdaugh later insisted that he had been with his mother and ailing father on the day his family was allegedly murdered. Three days after Margaret and Paul were found, Murdaugh’s father, who was 81, died, though his death was not considered suspicious.

Seven days after Margaret and Paul were found, a coroner explained that the two were shot multiple times and died between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. While suspicions and intrigue surrounded Murdaugh, the case went nowhere for months.

Then, on September 4, 2021, Murdaugh was shot on the side of the road in Hampton County. He and his attorney told authorities that he had stopped to fix a flat tire when someone driving a pickup truck started shooting at him. The incident added to the doubts surrounding Murdaugh and his empire. Just days later, authorities arrested Curtis Edward Smith, 61, whom they said was hired by Murdaugh to assassinate him so that his son, Buster, could receive a $10 million life insurance payout. Murdaugh allegedly lied to police about the incident, claiming a stranger shot him on the side of the road.

However, several days before authorities alleged Murdaugh arranged for his own murder, he released a public statement announcing his resignation from his law firm. He also shared that he would enter rehab and had “made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.” While the statement was vague, the law firm filled in the details hours later, alleging Murdaugh had misappropriated company funds. Two days later, Murdaugh’s law license was suspended indefinitely.

Murdaugh and his attorney admitted that he had hired a man to kill him, citing a supposed suicide clause in his insurance policy. Murdaugh also admitted to having an opioid addiction. 

By September 15 state investigators opened a criminal investigation into Murdaugh’s former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who allegedly died after a fall at the Murdaugh estate. Her body was exhumed based on information gathered during yet another investigation that involved Murdaugh.

On September 16, 2021, Murdaugh was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, as well as filing a false police report. He was quickly released on bond and entered a drug rehabilitation center, NBC reported.

One month later, after Murdaugh was released from the rehab center, he was arrested in Florida and charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses in connection with Satterfield’s death. Murdaugh allegedly collected more than $4 million from his home insurer by claiming wrongful death and saying he was working for Satterfield’s family, but the family didn’t receive any of the money, according to prosecutors.

During this same time, Smith, the man who allegedly shot Murdaugh, told NBC’s “Today” show that he tried to stop Murdaugh from killing himself and that the gun went off during their struggle. Smith claimed he drove away when he saw that Murdaugh was not seriously injured.

In November 2021, South Carolina authorities filed 27 new charges against Murdaugh, including money laundering and forgery. He is alleged to have defrauded victims of almost $4.9 million. A month later, 21 more charges were filed against him based on the same crimes.

On December 13, 2021, Murdaugh’s bond was set at $7 million, and he failed to make bail.

With the turn of the year, the charges continued. In January 2022, Murdaugh was indicted on 23 new charges, bringing the total to 71 counts relating to theft of around $8.5 million over 11 years, NBC reported.

But the story wasn’t over.

On January 24, 2022, a woman filed a claim against Margaret and Paul’s estates, arguing she was owed money for her daughter Mallory Beach’s death on a boat owned by Murdaugh. Paul had been driving the boat when it crashed, ejecting himself and the other passengers. Beach, 19, died in the accident, though Murdaugh himself is not suspected to have played a role.

In March 2022, Murdaugh was indicted on yet more charges, this time relating to his alleged attempt to defraud insurance companies in a separate scheme. Two months later, he faced four additional charges relating to this scheme.

In early June, the body of Murdaugh’s former housekeeper, Satterfield, was exhumed. Later that month, Smith, the man who allegedly shot Murdaugh, was charged with money laundering, forgery

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