Yahoo News What Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal misses out about court case
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, Netflix's newest true-crime series, had a hell of a lot of ground to cover over the course of just three episodes.
Starting with the 2019 death of Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident involving teenager Paul Murdaugh, the series tracks the four years that follow, which tragically results in patriarch Alex Murdaugh on trial for the murder of his wife and son.
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is somewhat unique as it's being released while the case continues to play out in real-time, offering no real answers for a series of accusations and incidences including a faked murder attempt, opioid addiction and fraud totalling millions.
It's extremely complicated and difficult to get your head around.
While Murdaugh Murders does its best to cover everything as best they can, with such a short run time there was quite a lot of detail left out. Not least of which due to the fact the surviving members of the Murdaugh family declined to be involved.
The court case, which as of February 22 2023 is still ongoing at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, has uncovered new theories and evidence amid the conjecture and circumstances beyond the murders.
So, for the sake of clarity, we're here to break it all down for you.
Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's murders: What happened?
The Murdaugh Family were a dynasty around South Carolina, holding power and influence in the judicial courts and with the police as powerful lawyers and prosecutors within the state.
Alex Murdaugh was the fourth generation of the family to be a lawyer at his firm, which was founded in 1910 by his great-grandfather. He was married to wife Margaret, and they had two sons – Richard (aka "Buster") and Paul.
On June 7, 2021, Alex found Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, dead on the grounds of the family's hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina.
Paul had been gunned down by the lodge's kennels, hit twice with bullets from a shotgun, while Maggie was found nearby after having been shot in the back with an assault rifle.
The coroner's report states the deaths are most likely to have happened between 9pm and 9.30pm, with Alex making the call at just after 10.07pm.
Alex was indicted on murder charges for both victims nearly a year later on July 14, 2022 (via NBC News). The prosecutors are currently fighting for a sentence of life without parole, rather than the death sentence.
Alex maintains to this day he discovered the bodies after returning from a quick visit to check up on his mother, who has Alzheimers.
The trial started January 25, 2023. On February 8, they were forced to temporarily adjourn after a bomb threat to the courthouse (via NBC News).
At the time of writing (February 22, 2023), the case is yet to be adjourned with no verdict yet given. Alex has pleaded not guilty to the murders.
Murdaugh Murders: The circumstances around the murder
As part of the murder trial, several circumstances have been brought into account by both the prosecution and defence thus far.
The prosecution's main argument lies in part with the financial and societal pressure placed on the Murdaugh family in light of their involvement in the 2019 death of Mallory Beach.
Mallory Beach suffered blunt force trauma and ultimately drowned after being thrown from Paul's boat in a late-night accident. Paul stood accused of boating under the influence after drinking alcohol purchased using Buster's ID.
Paul was arrested and charged in April 2019 on three counts: one for boating under the influence causing death, and two counts of causing significant bodily injury. He was then released on $50,000 bail.
At the time of his murder, he was still awaiting trial for the criminal charges, with a wrongful death civil lawsuit also being filed against the family by the Beach family. In January 2023, this lawsuit was settled out of court (via Daily Mail).
But the deaths of Paul and Maggie marked a moment of unravelling for Alex, who four months later in September was forced to resign from his position at his family's law firm after accusations of theft and embezzlement totalling millions.
In a released statement on his resignation, he wrote (via The Island Packet): "The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life.
"I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders.
"I am immensely sorry to everyone I've hurt, including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships."
On 4 September, he hired cousin Curtis Edward Smith to kill him on the side of a road, making it look like a hit so surviving son Buster could collect on his $10million life insurance policy.
However, Alex only sustained superficial injuries in the incident, and shortly after leaving hospital entered a rehab facility for an ongoing opioid addiction. Smith and Alex both later confessed to their role in the crime (via People), with Alex handing himself in to authorities.
He has currently not stood trial for his involvement in the conspiracy.
Between October 2021 and his eventual arrest in July 2022 for the murders, Alex was indicted on 81 separate charges – including fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and running a painkiller ring. None of these charges have yet made it to court, and most of which Alex has denied.
Among the accusations is the defrauding the family of his former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018 after a mysterious 'slip and fall' incident while she worked at the Murdaugh home. The Satterfield family claim they never received a penny of the supposed $4million settlement (via Independant) or were even aware the settlement had been made. Alex is accused of pocketing this money in part to fund his opioid habit.
Alex denies this accusation.
What has happened at trial so far?
During trial, the prosecution argue that all of the above pressures had an active contribution into the motive behind him killing his wife and son.
However, the defence somewhat argues the opposite – saying his poor mental health, depression, opioid addiction and struggles were in part a coping mechanism to his family being killed, something he had no part in.
"Alex wants his family, friends and everyone to know that he did not have anything to do with the murders of Maggie and Paul. He loved them more than anything in the world," his lawyers statement said at the time of the July 2022 indictment.
"It was very clear from day one that law enforcement and the Attorney General prematurely concluded that Alex was responsible for the murder of his wife and son."
The defence also argue that Alex couldn't have possibly killed them due to evidence in the bullet trajectory present in the fatal injuries. Due to his 6'4" height, and the assumption he shot from the hip, the bullets would still be too low for him to have pulled the trigger.
Instead they suggest the real killer was between 5'2'' and 5'4" (via Independant).
Mike Sutton, a forensic engineer who specialises in external ballistics, took the stand in Alex's defence to state he was "unlikely" to have caused these injuries, stating: "You would have to be bending over and have your shooting hand down at or below your kneecap. It just makes it very unlikely that a tall person made that shot."
Buster has also taken the stand in his father's defence, saying Alex was "destroyed" by the deaths of his son and wife (via New York Times).
A law enforcement officer also argued that it's likely there are two shooters involved in the murders due to the separate guns being used. (via CBS News).
There is also an argument surrounding a police interview with Alex. Prosecutors believe Alex – who was crying on the tape – said "I did him so bad" and in theory admitted responsibility to the shooting. However, defence argues he said "they did him so bad", simply commenting on the horrific injuries Paul sustained after getting shot.
Before the end of the trial, Alex is expected to take the stand in his own defence.
The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is available now on Netflix.
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