Murdaugh family murders

[happyhoix]

Is anyone following this case? 

It’s interesting to me because it’s a Southern case (and I live in the South) and it has all the requirements for a true Southern Gothic story - family with generational wealth and power, big names in a small town, three generations of lawyers/DA’s/judges in the family, with both a beach house and a hunting lodge. 

In true Southern Gothic style, things started going wrong a few years back, when the youngest son of the family was sailing a boat while drunk, and rammed it into a bridge abutment. A young lady who was on the boat with him died. Local opinion was that the kid was treated much less harshly due to his family name Then a couple years later, this son and his mother were both shot and killed at the family’s hunting lodge, and everything unraveled.  Add in a housekeeper who died by falling down stairs at their house, whose insurance settlement was stolen from her sons by Murdaugh Sr. Turns out he’d been stealing millions from his law firm’s clients for years - 10 years - to pay for his 60 pill a day drug addiction Then there was the fake suicide that didn’t happen, and we end up where we are today, with a court case against Murdaugh Sr for murdering his wife and youngest son. 

Murdaugh has been widely reviled in the press and on true crime podcasts and talking head shows - and he is a first class dick. But is he a murderer? Or did someone come after his son in retribution for killing that poor teenager, and walking away nearly scot free from it, and his mom just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time? 

I admit I don’t know. It’s funny, though, because the media is reporting stories 180 degrees apart - either Murdaugh is the world’s biggest idiot lawyer for testifying on his own behalf, and he’s wrecked his case, or, like below, he’s amazingly brilliant and will win his case. I don’t remember another case that was so perfectly divided. 


www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/alex-murdaugh-is-outsmarting-prosecutors-on-witness-stand-says-ted-williams/ar-AA17TSFw?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=cf9fe1713c99463f8f11f47d2f149d83

[Spellbound454]

I have been reading about this and agree..... Its an amazing story of wealth, power manipulation and corruption.

Seems he has got his just deserts.... but what a story.

[happyhoix]

Well, I hope he deserved to be convicted of the murders - I don’t really find the supposed motive that strong - Murdauugh thought if he murdered his wife and son everyone would be distracted by the deaths and feel sorry for him, overlooking the fact that he had been stealing money from his clients and his law firm for years?

I think it’s more likely, due to his prolonged drug use, that he owed a lot of money to drug dealers, and they went after his family when he couldn’t pay them back - of family members of the young lady who died on his son’s boat when he was sailing it drunk came after him, and his mom happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The argument could be made, though, that even if Murdaugh didn’t do these murders, he did enough other horrible things to justify the long jail sentence (he’s still on the hook for nearly 100 other crimes) so it doesn’t really matter that he’ll be in jail forever - except that means the real murderers get away with it.

Seriously, a terrible, sad crime. So many victims, and now his only remaining child no longer has a family around him.

[Opti]

Mar 5, 2023 11:25:20 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Well, I hope he deserved to be convicted of the murders - I don’t really find the supposed motive that strong - Murdauugh thought if he murdered his wife and son everyone would be distracted by the deaths and feel sorry for him, overlooking the fact that he had been stealing money from his clients and his law firm for years?

I think it’s more likely, due to his prolonged drug use, that he owed a lot of money to drug dealers, and they went after his family when he couldn’t pay them back - of family members of the young lady who died on his son’s boat when he was sailing it drunk came after him, and his mom happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The argument could be made, though, that even if Murdaugh didn’t do these murders, he did enough other horrible things to justify the long jail sentence (he’s still on the hook for nearly 100 other crimes) so it doesn’t really matter that he’ll be in jail forever - except that means the real murderers get away with it.

Seriously, a terrible, sad crime. So many victims, and now his only remaining child no longer has a family around him.

Prolonged drug use often means logic isn't even in the picture. I remember all the shady things he did with his car and shooting himself or something like that after the murders. If he was innocent, why would he even do such nonsense? I think his actual motive is a red herring as murder is rarely a logical enterprise.

I think he's guilty. 

[happyhoix]

Mar 5, 2023 11:55:39 GMT -5 Opti said:

Mar 5, 2023 11:25:20 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Well, I hope he deserved to be convicted of the murders - I don’t really find the supposed motive that strong - Murdauugh thought if he murdered his wife and son everyone would be distracted by the deaths and feel sorry for him, overlooking the fact that he had been stealing money from his clients and his law firm for years?

I think it’s more likely, due to his prolonged drug use, that he owed a lot of money to drug dealers, and they went after his family when he couldn’t pay them back - of family members of the young lady who died on his son’s boat when he was sailing it drunk came after him, and his mom happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The argument could be made, though, that even if Murdaugh didn’t do these murders, he did enough other horrible things to justify the long jail sentence (he’s still on the hook for nearly 100 other crimes) so it doesn’t really matter that he’ll be in jail forever - except that means the real murderers get away with it.

Seriously, a terrible, sad crime. So many victims, and now his only remaining child no longer has a family around him.

Prolonged drug use often means logic isn't even in the picture. I remember all the shady things he did with his car and shooting himself or something like that after the murders. If he was innocent, why would he even do such nonsense? I think his actual motive is a red herring as murder is rarely a logical enterprise.

I think he's guilty. 

I hadn’t thought about it that way. He was taking something like 60 pills a day at that point. Logic probably didn’t factor into it.

[Tiny]

I think he's guilty of the murders, too.

His son's cell phone video that puts  Murdaugh and wife and son  at the kennels  near the time of their deaths was enough for me. 

Murdaugh lied over and over and over and over about what happened that day/evening that I feel that if he didn't kill them why would he need to spin such elaborate lies? I think he didn't know about the video on the son's phone. Without that video - his lies all could be plausible.

I read that his wife/son had found his "bag of pills" and had confronted him about them. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some misgivings about where all the money was coming from (or maybe there was a lack of money for the day to day expenses) and confronted him about that as well. Maybe that is why he killed them.


It is an interesting case and conviction. There's only circumstantial evidence. It didn't take long for the jury to deliver a verdict.

I'm guessing we will be subjected to all sorts of theories about who "really" killed the son and wife....

[thyme4change]

That is one fucked up family.


If they wrote a fiction movie that had all of those elements (the boat death and all that went with it, the dead gay lover, the housekeeper, the stolen lawsuit settlement, the embezzlement and the murders) I would roll my eyes and be like “Get real - this movie is stupid”.

[swamp]

Mar 6, 2023 1:27:19 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

That is one fucked up family.


If they wrote a fiction movie that had all of those elements (the boat death and all that went with it, the dead gay lover, the housekeeper, the stolen lawsuit settlement, the embezzlement and the murders) I would roll my eyes and be like “Get real - this movie is stupid”.

Don't forget the obligatory opioid addiction. 

Oh, and don't forget Buster had been expelled from law school because of plargiarism. 

[djAdvocate]

all empires fail.

i watched the entire closing argument.  2-3 hours?  riveting.
he is a very strange witness.
he should never have taken the stand.
telling the jury FROM THE STAND he lied for 18 months (including one or two during this trial) about the last time he saw his wife and kid destroyed whatever chances he may have had.

add perjury to the charges, set to medium heat, and saute until well done.

[djAdvocate]

PS- telling the jury that he loved the people that he stole $10M from was not very convincing, either.

[laterbloomer]

So are the people he stole $10M from going to see any reimbursement?

[NoNamePerson]

Heck, I figured the oldest son did it and framed his father   Ok, I haven't kept up with it all but saw where one one still surviving and wondered how he came out alive?

[happyhoix]

Mar 7, 2023 15:56:52 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Heck, I figured the oldest son did it and framed his father   Ok, I haven't kept up with it all but saw where one one still surviving and wondered how he came out alive?

He was off someplace else,  I think. 

Lucky him, I guess - although he went from 3 family members to none at all…. 

[happyhoix]

Mar 7, 2023 15:50:37 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

So are the people he stole $10M from going to see any reimbursement?

I was wondering the same thing. The dad had a opiod addiction for 10 years, so I’m wondering if he’s mortgaged the hilt from the properties they own (they have at least two, a beach house and the hunting camp). He stole so much money from his law firm I doubt they will be able to stay open (and what they do have will go to the customers he stole money from). 

Plus I image he has astronomical legal bills now. 

I bet the law firm has legal malpractice insurance but would it cover this kind of theft? 

[djAdvocate]

Mar 7, 2023 15:50:37 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

So are the people he stole $10M from going to see any reimbursement?

i think they will have to sue him in civil court.  i don't think the court ordered restitution.

[djAdvocate]

Mar 7, 2023 18:19:33 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Mar 7, 2023 15:50:37 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

So are the people he stole $10M from going to see any reimbursement?

I was wondering the same thing. The dad had a opiod addiction for 10 years, so I’m wondering if he’s mortgaged the hilt from the properties they own (they have at least two, a beach house and the hunting camp). He stole so much money from his law firm I doubt they will be able to stay open (and what they do have will go to the customers he stole money from). 

Plus I image he has astronomical legal bills now. 

I bet the law firm has legal malpractice insurance but would it cover this kind of theft? 

his debt is what got him in trouble, not his opioid problem.

even the MOST expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k/year.  he was spending 20x that toward the end.

[haapai]

Mar 8, 2023 17:20:04 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Mar 7, 2023 18:19:33 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I was wondering the same thing. The dad had a opiod addiction for 10 years, so I’m wondering if he’s mortgaged the hilt from the properties they own (they have at least two, a beach house and the hunting camp). He stole so much money from his law firm I doubt they will be able to stay open (and what they do have will go to the customers he stole money from). 

Plus I image he has astronomical legal bills now. 

I bet the law firm has legal malpractice insurance but would it cover this kind of theft? 

his debt is what got him in trouble, not his opioid problem.

even the MOST expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k/year.  he was spending 20x that toward the end.

I didn't follow the trial, so could you point me toward something that slightly matches 20x$250k/year. 

Even with kids in college and law school and a wrongful death lawsuit, $5 million a year is crazy and I have to wonder if he was stashing some of it somewhere. 

I really can't dispute your assertion that the most expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k a year.  Usually whatever you are doing will destroy you before you hit that level of expenditure. 

[Tennesseer]

I see the Murdaugh family tragedies made into an almost all-male southern gothic  version like Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

[djAdvocate]

Mar 8, 2023 18:11:29 GMT -5 haapai said:

Mar 8, 2023 17:20:04 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

his debt is what got him in trouble, not his opioid problem.

even the MOST expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k/year.  he was spending 20x that toward the end.

I didn't follow the trial, so could you point me toward something that slightly matches 20x$250k/year. 

Even with kids in college and law school and a wrongful death lawsuit, $5 million a year is crazy and I have to wonder if he was stashing some of it somewhere. 

I really can't dispute your assertion that the most expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k a year.  Usually whatever you are doing will destroy you before you hit that level of expenditure. 

the insurance settlement for the nanny was $4.3M.  in court testimony, he exhausted $800k in two months.  that is $4.8M.  i think $4-5M is a good range of where he was toward the end.

they never really said where all that money was going, but my understanding is that he had some "bad real estate deals".  when those go wrong, you can end up upside down, and if you have no income, i can see how it would make you feel that you had to rip people off to stay in the driver's seat.

[thyme4change]

He wanted to get murdered instead of committing suicide so his remaining son would get an insurance payout - that is an indication that there was no money in the estate. Did Alex burn through his father’s money?

[Tennesseer]

Mar 9, 2023 13:49:15 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Mar 8, 2023 18:11:29 GMT -5 haapai said:

I didn't follow the trial, so could you point me toward something that slightly matches 20x$250k/year. 

Even with kids in college and law school and a wrongful death lawsuit, $5 million a year is crazy and I have to wonder if he was stashing some of it somewhere. 

I really can't dispute your assertion that the most expensive habit you can imagine should not cost more than $250k a year.  Usually whatever you are doing will destroy you before you hit that level of expenditure. 

the insurance settlement for the nanny was $4.3M.  in court testimony, he exhausted $800k in two months.  that is $4.8M.  i think $4-5M is a good range of where he was toward the end.

they never really said where all that money was going, but my understanding is that he had some "bad real estate deals".  when those go wrong, you can end up upside down, and if you have no income, i can see how it would make you feel that you had to rip people off to stay in the driver's seat.

Are you talking about Murdauugh or donald trump?

[djAdvocate]

Mar 9, 2023 17:12:47 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 9, 2023 13:49:15 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

the insurance settlement for the nanny was $4.3M.  in court testimony, he exhausted $800k in two months.  that is $4.8M.  i think $4-5M is a good range of where he was toward the end.

they never really said where all that money was going, but my understanding is that he had some "bad real estate deals".  when those go wrong, you can end up upside down, and if you have no income, i can see how it would make you feel that you had to rip people off to stay in the driver's seat.

Are you talking about Murdauugh or donald trump?

i certainly could be.  but he has a HANDFUL of decent real estate deals, which he uses to finance his plethora of bad BUSINESS deals, speaking generally.  most of the good real estate deals were made while Fred was still around.  there is pretty much zero evidence that he knows a good deal of any kind from a bad one.

[Tennesseer]

Saw  this on Facebook.

[happyhoix]

The thing that annoys me about this story is the preferential treatment this family got from the local cops and DA because they were wealthy and connected. The oldest boy may have been involved in the death of a local boy that got swept under the rug. The younger boy was driving a boat that crashed into a bridge abutment and a girl got killed, and his family tried to strong arm another kid in the boat into saying he was driving the boat at the time of the crash. When that didn’t work, the Murdaugh kid ended up with just a slap on the wrist. Then there was the suspicious death of a housekeeping on their property that didn’t get investigated, and Murdaugh Sr. Owing money to a bunch of people and institutions, and being a crappy lawyer (skipping work or coming in late) and still keeping his job.

I’ve seen that same shit in my rural county. Boys who go to a pricy private school in a nearby city threw a beer party with a kegs of beer. A hundred underage kids drunk as hell, several girls raped, a bunch of fights - not only did the kids not get into trouble, there wasn’t even a whisper of the bust in the local paper or news channels. Meanwhile, a local kid gets busted trying to buy a six pack at the gas station and he gets written up in the local crime blotter in the paper.

[Deleted]

I saw the 3 episode documentary made on this story....It was good and very interesting and explained it well.

Honestly, it was like watching episodes of the old "Dallas" series with "JR" doing his deeds....lol.

[happyhoix]

I saw where the exhumed the body of a teenager that was found dead on a country road in this area, several years back.

The guy was from a lower income family and he was also openly gay, which is a major thing in the rural South. He was also an associate of the older Murdaugh son.

Initially the cops claimed cause of death was undetermined and the whole thing was swept under the rug. His family had always insisted their son was murdered, but the Murdaughs made the case disappear.

The recent autopsy said the young man was murdered and the are reopening the investigation.

[Tennesseer]

Cops Ordered Rape Kit After Finding Stephen Smith Dead Near Murdaughs’ Property

Arape kit was ordered just hours after Stephen Smith’s body was found dead near the Murdaughs’ property in 2015, according to authorities.

Michael Duncan, a former South Carolina Highway Patrol supervisor, spoke with NewsNationNow and said law enforcement was never given the chance to show their findings in the case of 19-year-old Smith, who was found dead on a road in Hampton County.

Duncan said he was working on the case, but did not respond to the scene because troopers were told to stay away, the outlet reported.

Medical examiners initially said Smith died after being hit by a car, Front Page Detectives previously reported.

However, Duncan could not explain why a rape kit allegedly was ordered in a suspected hit-and-run case. “I’ve never seen wounds like this that come from a car … In totality, it did not make sense why they were calling it a traffic accident," he said.

Rest of article here: Cops Ordered Rape Kit After Finding Stephen Smith Dead Near Murdaughs’ Property

[happyhoix]

I saw where the exhumed the body of a teenager that was found dead on a country road in this area, several years back.

The guy was from a lower income family and he was also openly gay, which is a major thing in the rural South. He was also an associate of the older Murdaugh son.

Initially the cops claimed cause of death was undetermined and the whole thing was swept under the rug. His family had always insisted their son was murdered, but the Murdaughs made the case disappear.

The recent autopsy said the young man was murdered and the are reopening the investigation.

[djAdvocate]

perhaps Buddy can join his dad in prison.