MURDAUGH: DEATH IN THE FAMILY – “One is Missing” – Alex attempts to control the narrative of the boat crash, while Maggie contends with the severe consequences of Paul’s actions. A young reporter takes an interest in the Murdaugh family. (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.) JOHNNY BERCHTOLD
Disney
Hulu’s new limited series Murdaugh: Death in the Family is finally here. The eight-episode series explores the real-life story of the Murdaugh murders and the events leading up to the mysterious deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh in 2021.
One of those events was the fatal boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Mallory was one of the passengers on Paul’s boat in the winter of 2019, when he was driving under the influence. The boat slammed into a bridge in the middle of the night, throwing her overboard.
In the first few episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family, we see Paul (Johnny Berchtold) — spoiled and resentful of his father and brother’s achievements — head to nearby Paukie Island with his friends for a bonfire party. After purchasing liquor using his brother’s ID and his mother’s credit card, he later drives the speedboat into a river bridge, injuring several of the teenagers on board while one girl goes missing.
After hearing the news, lawyers Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke) and Paul’s grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh III (Gerald McRaney), go to the hospital to check on Paul. When they realize he was the one behind the wheel — and understand what that could mean for Paul and the family — Alex begins reaching out to the teenagers who were on the boat with his son in an attempt to control the narrative. As a lawyer from a powerful legal dynasty in coastal South Carolina, he uses his deep connections with law enforcement to heavily redact the police report on the incident.
When Island Packet Daily breaking news editor Mandy Matney (Brittany Snow) gets involved after seeing limited media reports about the incident, dark secrets of the family and the potential cover-up start to come to light. The reporter contacts the crash survivors, but when she presents theories about the Murdaughs’ potential involvement in the boat wreck, her boss pushes back, hesitant to publish anything negative about the powerful family without solid evidence.
So, how accurate is Murdaugh: Death in the Family to the real-life boat case? Keep reading to learn more about the boating accident, what happened to Mallory and whether Paul was held accountable before his death.
What Happened To Mallory Beach?
On Feb. 23, 2019, Mallory Beach and her boyfriend, Anthony Cook, planned to spend their Saturday evening at a house party and oyster roast on Paukie Island with friends, including Anthony’s cousin, Connor Cook, and Connor’s girlfriend, Miley Altman. The group decided to meet first at “Murdaugh Island,” a river property owned by the family of their friend Paul Murdaugh. Paul and his then-girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, were also attending the party, so the group agreed to take Paul’s family’s speedboat there, according to CBS News.
Paul, Connor, Anthony, Mallory, Morgan, and Miley were all underage and drinking alcohol, which investigators later found in a cooler on the boat. Earlier in the day, surveillance footage from a local convenience store showed Paul buying alcohol using the ID of his older brother, Buster, and his mother’s credit card.
Security footage also captured Paul celebrating with his friends after successfully purchasing alcohol with his brother’s ID. He was later seen loading the drinks into the boat’s cooler, CBS News reported, citing Michael DeWitt, editor of The Hampton County Guardian, who covered the story at the time.
After attending the party, the group got back on the boat, and Miley told authorities that Paul insisted on driving to a bar in downtown Beaufort. GPS records obtained by CBS News show that the friends tied the boat to a dock around 12:45 a.m. Authorities said Paul and Connor ordered two rounds of drinks at a waterfront bar. Then, just after 1 a.m., Paul and Connor rejoined their friends, and the group headed back to the boat.
The passengers later told law enforcement that Paul was visibly intoxicated. The 19-year-old was later found to have a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
What Happened In The Boat Crash?
At around 1:15 a.m., the group boarded the boat and took off. According to Miley, some of them began arguing with Paul after he started driving the boat in circles and acting drunk. Miley told investigators that Anthony asked Paul to let them off at a nearby dock, but Paul refused. Morgan later testified that Paul left the wheel to argue with her, which made Mallory scared.
As the boat’s speed increased, it crashed into Archer’s Creek Bridge at about 2:20 a.m., according to CBS News. Mallory was ejected from the boat and thrown into the murky water. Connor dialed 911 for help, and first responders arrived at the scene to begin searching for her.
Beaufort County Deputy Sheriff Stephen Domino was one of the first to arrive and told 48 Hours that when he got there, Anthony was pacing and became agitated when Paul Murdaugh walked up from the boat. “He actually tried to rush through me to get to Paul,” Domino said on the true-crime broadcast, “because I guess he saw him smiling … and it just set him off again.”
All the passengers were transported to the hospital except for Anthony, who wanted to stay behind during the search. Hospital staff reported that Paul was uncooperative, and his father, Alex, went from room to room trying to speak with the other survivors. Paul’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was .24, three times the legal limit. Per CBS News, a security guard also overheard Alex saying on the phone, “She’s gone. Don’t worry.”
When Was Mallory Beach’s Body Found?
After eight days of searching for Mallory, her body was recovered about 5 miles down the river from the crash at the Broad River Boat Landing. The coroner’s office said Beach died from drowning and blunt force trauma.
In March 2019, Mallory’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Paul’s father, Alex Murdaugh; his brother, Buster; his mother, Maggie Murdaugh; and Parker’s, the convenience store that sold Paul the alcohol.
In 2023, a $15 million settlement was reached with the convenience store company Parker’s Kitchen and its owner, Greg Parker. The lawsuit claimed that Paul Murdaugh used his older brother’s driver’s license to purchase alcohol from a Parker’s Kitchen convenience store in February 2019, before the boat crash, per CNN.
“The Beach family believes this settlement will serve as a warning to all the Parker’s of the world, who might make an illegal sale of alcohol to a minor, that they will be held to account for their wrongful conduct if they do,” attorney Mark Tinsley told CNN at the time. “These settlements won’t bring Mallory back, but we hope they do save someone else’s son or daughter.”
In October 2024, Alex settled the wrongful death lawsuit with the Beach family. The agreement included a $500,000 payout from an insurance policy held on the boat. The other passengers injured in the crash also settled their lawsuits against Murdaugh and the other parties involved, according to Newsweek.
Did Paul Murdaugh Get Convicted for Mallory Beach’s Death?
MURDAUGH: DEATH IN THE FAMILY – “Kokomo” – To escape the negative attention brought on by Paul’s legal issues, Alex takes the family on a luxury Caribbean vacation where truths are revealed and troubles arise. (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.) JOHNNY BERCHTOLD, JIM O’HEIR, PATRICIA ARQUETTE, JASON CLARKE
Disney
Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies — including boating under the influence causing death and serious bodily injury — in connection with the boat crash. He pleaded not guilty but was murdered alongside his mother in 2021 before the trial could begin. The charges against him were dropped following his death, according to CNN.
“I just broke down and started crying,” Mallory’s mom, Renee Beach, told People in February 2024 when she heard the news. “I wanted him to own up to what he had done, and I never wanted anything like this to happen to him or Maggie. That was the last thing ever that I would want. I was hoping that he would change, just admit that he had done wrong and change his life, and it upset me a lot.”
Alex Murdaugh was later charged with the murders of his wife and youngest son. He was found guilty in March 2023 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The first three episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family are streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Check out the release schedule for the remaining episodes here.
Watch the official trailer below.