Topline
Alex Murdaugh was indicted Thursday on two counts of murder in the 2021 deaths of his wife and son, bringing the total criminal charges against the disgraced South Carolina lawyer to 85, including allegations of fraud, money laundering and plotting his own murder.
Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh walks into court for his bond hearing on Sept. 16, … [+]
Key Facts
A Colleton County Grand Jury indicted Murdaugh for allegedly shooting and killing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, with a rifle on June 7, 2021.
Murdaugh also shot and killed his 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh, with a shotgun on the same date, according to the indictment.
Murdaugh was also hit with two weapons possessions charges stemming from the murders.
The indictments do not indicate how prosecutors linked Murdaugh to the murders, but additional details could be revealed in a forthcoming bond hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, lawyers for Alex Murdaugh, said in a statement to Forbes that he “did not have anything to do with the murders of Maggie and Paul.”
Key Background
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division previously said that Murdaugh called 911 around 10:07 p.m. on the night of June 7, 2021, after discovering the bodies of his wife and son on family property in Colleton County, South Carolina. According to the 911 call, Murdaugh told the dispatcher his “wife and child have been shot badly” and that neither of them were moving. “I’ve been up to it now,” Murdaugh said. “It’s bad.” The murders led investigators to look into other aspects of Murdaugh’s life, who has since been charged with dozens of counts alleging he stole nearly $8.5 million from clients at his law office and other people close to his family, including his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. Satterfield fell at the Murdaugh residence in February 2018 and later died from her injuries, and Murdaugh is facing fraud charges for allegedly diverting millions from Satterfield’s family in her wrongful death settlement. Murdaugh has also been charged with lying to authorities in a botched murder-for-hire plot in which he allegedly asked Curtis Edward Smith to kill him because wanted to give his surviving son, Buster, the insurance payout.
Big Number
$8,492,888. That’s how much money Murdaugh allegedly swindled from victims in a series of fraud and money laundering schemes, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Tangent
Murdaugh was disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday, with the court noting Murdaugh had already “admitted” to several of the crimes he has been charged with. Members of the Murdaugh family have served in top legal positions in South Carolina for more than 100 years, and Murdaugh’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather all held positions as the top prosecutor in the southern part of the state.
Further Reading
S. Carolina Lawyer Alex Murdaugh Indicted On New Financial Crime Charges (Forbes)
Alex Murdaugh Indicted On Dozens Of Money Laundering, Fraud Charges (Forbes)
Lawyer Who Says He Hired Man To Kill Him In Botched Insurance Scheme Turns Himself In (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/07/14/alex-murdaugh-charged-with-murdering-wife-and-son/