Lawyer surrenders, admits he arranged own shooting

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawyer Alex Murdaugh surrendered Thursday to face insurance fraud and other charges after state police said he arranged to have himself shot in the head so that his son would get a $10 million life insurance payout. The shooter only grazed him.

A defense attorney said Murdaugh was deeply depressed with a drug addiction worsened by his discovery of the bodies of his wife and son, who were shot multiple times at the family’s home on June 7. Those killings remain unsolved.

The three felony charges against Murdaugh, 53, include insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. He arrived at the Hampton County jail about five hours before his bond hearing. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of all charges, but there is no minimum sentence.

The killings of Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and son Paul, 22, in June remain unsolved.

Murdaugh spent about five hours in 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.

But Magistrate Tonja Alexander noted Murdaugh had no prior criminal record and she didn’t think he would be a risk to the community.

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 former client was arrested late Tuesday on an assisted suicide charge, and then state police opened a sixth investigation into him and his family — this time involving a housekeeper and nanny who died in his home in 2018.

Murdaugh told his lawyers on Monday that he had arranged his own shooting, and they then spoke to police.

Authorities said Murdaugh asked Curtis Edward Smith to kill him with a shot to the head on Sept. 4 so his surviving son could collect a $10 million life insurance policy, authorities said.

Smith, 61, remained jailed Thursday on numerous charges, including assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature and distribution of methamphetamine.