Botched shooting leads to charges

After death of wife and son, lawyer paid to have himself killed; family has six open investigations

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Instead of a suit and tie, lawyer Alex Murdaugh found himself in a jail jumpsuit Thursday in a cramped South Carolina courtroom, struggling to wipe tears from his eyes with handcuffed wrists as his lawyer detailed how his life crumbled over the past three months.

Murdaugh discovered the bodies of his wife and son, shot multiple times at their Colleton County home June 7. His drug addiction got worse, and, in a deep depression on Sept. 4, he decided he should die, but instead of killing himself, he hired someone to do it, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said.

The goal was to get his surviving son a $10 million life insurance benefit, state police said. But the shot only grazed his head and Murdaugh, 53, was charged Thursday with insurance fraud, conspiracy and filing a false police report — all felonies that could bring up to 20 years in prison if he’s convicted of all three charges. There is no minimum sentence.

The killings of Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and son Paul in June remain unsolved. Harpootlian said Murdaugh is adamant he had nothing to do with their deaths.

Murdaugh spent about five hours in the Hampton County jail before being issued a $20,000 bond and being released on his own recognizance. Prosecutors had asked for a higher bond and GPS monitoring.

Murdaugh’s surrender culminated a tumultuous 36 hours for a man whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all elected prosecutors in the area. A giant law firm in town was founded by his family more than a century ago.

Murdaugh’s lawyers said he has spent the past 10 days or so in drug rehab after his law firm fired him over missing money that could total millions of dollars. Harpootlian said Murdaugh is fighting a 20-year addiction to painkillers.

Along with the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh and the shooting of Alex Murdaugh, the State Law Enforcement Division is also investigating the missing money, whether anyone tried to obstruct an investigation into a 2019 boat crash for which Paul Murdaugh was eventually charged, and a July 2015 hit-andrun death in Hampton County.

The agency also announced Wednesday that they are now opening a sixth investigation into Murdaugh and his family — this time involving a housekeeper and nanny who died in his home in 2018.