‘Murdaugh Murders’ offers context for ongoing trial

As the fifth week of the double murder trial of Richard “Alex” Murdaugh wrapped up in Walterboro, South Carolina, Netflix released its three-part docuseries, “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.”

The project, directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst, the team behind Amazon’s “LuLaRich” and Netflix’s “The Pharmacist,” centers on the scandals and criminal allegations surrounding the disbarred attorney and the fall of his disgraced family dynasty.

“For over a century, the Murdaughs were law and order here in the 14th Circuit,” USA TODAY Network journalist Michael DeWitt Jr., who has covered the story for years, says in the trailer.

Here’s what to know ahead of your “Murdaugh Murders” binge.

What does ‘Murdaugh’ cover?

While other true-crime documentaries have explored the Murdaugh saga, Netflix’s series explores the fatal February 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh’s younger son, Paul; the unsolved 2015 homicide of Hampton County teen Stephen Smith that has been linked to the Murdaugh family by state police; and the June 2021 murders of Paul and his mother, Maggie, for which Alex Murdaugh was charged, along with more than 100 other crimes.

The Murdaughs were one of South Carolina’s most prominent families, but the death of teenager Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident began the unraveling of their legacy. When Paul Murdaugh – the alleged driver of the boat – and his mother were found murdered two years after the crash, a century of corruption, power and cover-ups is brought to light.

Maggie and Paul’s murders

The deaths of Murdaugh’s wife and their son are addressed in the docuseries’ second episode, “Murders at Moselle.” Murdaugh told investigators he woke up from a nap at home at 7:31 p.m. on June 7, 2021 and didn’t see either of his family members. He then texted his wife and son that he was going to visit his ailing parents.

Murdaugh says he returned after 10 p.m. and discovered his wife, 52, and son, 22, had been shot near the dog kennels on their property. A sobbing Murdaugh called 911 to report their deaths. Some wondered if the killer might have been motivated by a desire to avenge Beach’s death.

The third episode of the docuseries presents evidence that Murdaugh was at home at the time of Paul and Maggie’s deaths. The presence of high-velocity impact spatter on Murdaugh’s clothes indicates he was with one of the victims at the time of their death. And a video taken at 8:44 p.m. on Paul’s phone captures Murdaugh’s voice about 15 minutes before the murders are thought to have occurred. Though that doesn’t prove Murdaugh is responsible, it does dispute his account of the evening.

Updates on the trial

Murdaugh’s murder trial in the deaths of his wife and son began Jan. 23 and was expected to last another week or so.

Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, took the stand last week to open the Tuesday session. While his testimony was emotional at times, it offered no real insight or new evidence.

Buster, who is nicknamed after his great-grandfather, the former longtime 14th Circuit Solicitor, said that June 7, 2021, was just a normal day with normal conversations and text messages between family members, until his dad called him about 10:30 that night to tell him his mother and brother had been shot and killed.

Following the deposition in that trial, Murdaugh must then stand trial on more than 100 other criminal charges. Trial dates and locations have not been set in these cases.*