The story of Alex Murdaugh, once a scion of a powerful South Carolina legal family, has re-entered the public consciousness. He is now incarcerated, serving two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their son, Paul.
The brutal killings occurred on the evening of June 7, 2021, at the family’s hunting property in Colleton County. Both victims were found deceased near dog kennels. Paul Murdaugh had been shot at close range with a shotgun, while Maggie Murdaugh suffered multiple gunshot wounds from a rifle. Alex Murdaugh placed the 911 call reporting the discovery of their bodies.
His arrest for the murders was preceded by a series of other legal and personal crises. In September 2021, Murdaugh reported being shot in the head in a roadside incident, which authorities later determined was part of an alleged insurance fraud scheme. Shortly thereafter, he resigned from his law firm amid allegations of financial misconduct and entered a rehabilitation facility.
The investigation also prompted a renewed look into the 2018 death of the family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, with Murdaugh eventually facing charges for misappropriating settlement funds from her estate.
The murder trial, which captivated the nation in early 2023, reached a pivotal moment with the introduction of a cellphone video. Recorded by Paul Murdaugh just minutes before the killings, the footage placed Alex Murdaugh at the crime scene, directly contradicting his initial alibi. Prosecutors argued he committed the murders and then attempted to fabricate an alibi through phone calls and texts.
After a six-week trial, a jury found him guilty on all counts. During a subsequent sentencing hearing, Murdaugh expressed sorrow and guilt, stating, “I literally am filled with sorrow, and I am filled with guilt over the things that I did to the people that I care about so much.”
His legal team has since filed an appeal of the conviction. Currently, Alex Murdaugh is serving his life sentences, along with a separate federal sentence for financial crimes, at a maximum-security prison in South Carolina. The saga of the family’s dramatic fall from grace continues to be a subject of public fascination.
