Who is the Murdaugh family? | The Sun

THE NAMES of the Murdaugh family have made headlines for years, wrapped around murder and mystery.

The South Carolina family mystery continues to puzzle investigators after widower Alex Murdaugh was shot in the head on September 4, 2021.

Who is the Murdaugh family?

The Murdaughs were members of a prominent South Carolina legal family that first made regional headlines in February 2019.

However, the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in June 2021 shocked the nation after the mother and son were fatally shot.

Here is what you need to know about the member of the Murdaugh family:

Alex Murdaugh

Alex is a lawyer from Hampton County, South Carolina.

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He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science and a Juris Doctorate Degree.

In 1994, Alex was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and had been practicing ever since.

According to his bio, Alex was known for "representing injured people in all areas of personal injury law, including trucking cases, products liability and wrongful death."

He also serves as a part-time prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit.

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On September 3, Alex announced that he would be resigning from his family’s law firm and entering rehab.

However, Later in the day, leaders of the Hampton firm disclosed to The New York Times that Alex was forced out after he was allegedly discovered to have misused money from the company.

The 53-year-old lawyer worked as a partner at Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED), founded by his great-grandfather more than 100 years ago.

PMPED issued the following statement to NPR on September 6: "On Friday, September 3, 2021, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the Law Firm.

"He is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies."

The statement continued: "A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation. Law enforcement and the SC Bar have been notified by PMPED.

"This is disappointing news for all of us. Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner.

"There’s no place in our firm for such behavior. Due to the ongoing investigations into these matters and client confidentiality, PMPED cannot comment further at this time."

Alex has not addressed the allegations said about him by PMPED.

On September 4, 2021, Alex was found shot in the head on a roadside in South Carolina.

Alex told police he had been hit on a road in rural Hampton County, South Carolina, on September 4 while changing a tire.

His lawyer, Jim Griffin, was the first to confirm the news and said that Alex was on his way to Charleston when he ran into car problems.

The 53-year-old was airlifted to a hospital in Savannah, where he was expected to survive.

"The Murdaugh family has suffered through more than anyone family could ever imagine. We expect Alex to recover and ask for your privacy while he recovers," a family spokesperson said in a statement.

In a statement on September 6 that did not address the shooting, Alex said: "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 Thursday, January 20, a state grand jury accused Alex of 23 additional charges involving millions of dollars in stolen client funds.

Alex is charged in four new indictments with attempting to defraud victims out of $2,273,959.

He has also been charged with 19 new counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, as well as four new counts of computer offenses.

He currently faces 71 total charges from state grand jury indictments.

On July 14, 2022, a grand jury indicted and charged Alex with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon.

On Thursday, South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division released a statement regarding the indictment.

SLED Chief Mark Keel stated: "Over the last 13 months, SLED agents and our partners have worked a day in and day out to build a case against the person responsible for the murders of Maggie and Paul and to exclude those who were not.

"At no point did agents lose focus on this investigation. From the beginning I have been clear, the priority was to ensure justice was served. Today is one more step in a long process for justice for Maggie and Paul."

Maggie Murdaugh

Margaret “Maggie” Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1991, where she met her husband, Alex.

On June 7, Maggie, 52, and her son Paul, 22, were found shot dead in the family hunting lodge, known as "Moselle," in Hampton, South Carolina.

The bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds yards apart from each other near the family's dog kennel.

An early forensic investigation suggests they were murdered with two different firearms.

Paul Murdaugh

Paul was 22 years old at the time of his death; however, the younger Murdaugh was awaiting trial for boating under the influence in connection with a 2019 crash that killed Mallory Beach, 19.

According to documents obtained by The Daily Mail, Paul allegedly had a drunken alter ego called "Timmy."

A friend reportedly said that the 22-year-old behaved so differently when drunk; friends decided to give him a different name, these legal filings state.

The allegations were part of a court deposition in a civil lawsuit against Paul, who was awaiting trial for his role in Beach's death.

Paul was accused of being under the influence when driving a boat before the crash that killed Beach.

Beach was reportedly ejected from the boat and five other passengers after Paul crashed into a bridge at around 2.20am on February 24, 2019.

The 19-year-old's body was found seven days after the crash.

The disposition obtained by The Daily Mail includes a statement from Beach's boyfriend, Anthony Cook, about Paul's drunken personality.

"It's a different name because he turns into a completely, totally different person," Cook reportedly said.

"So, somebody will say, 'All right. Here comes Timmy. We got to go.'"

Cook reportedly said that Paul had been drinking on the night of the crash and began taking his clothes off after getting into an argument.

"He started taking his clothes off during one of the arguments, and it is 40 degrees outside," he said.

"I've seen him do it a few times when [he gets drunk]. I don't know why he does that."

Paul was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond after his not guilty plea in May 2019.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Beach's death.

Buster Murdaugh

Alex and Maggie's oldest son Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr – also known as "Buster," was not home when his mother and brother were gunned down.

Little is known about Buster, but FITSNews reports he was living and working in Rock Hill, Charlotte when his mother and brother were killed.

How can I watch the Murdaugh family documentary?

On January 14, 2022, at 9pm ABC 20/20 aired a documentary named The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.

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The two-hour documentary was about the ongoing Murdaugh crime saga in South Carolina.

The program documents the latest details in the developing story on the Murdaugh family homicides, the alleged financial crimes of Murdaugh, and other events surrounding the family.

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