By Ava Lingerfelt 

Left to right: Buster Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, and Alex Murdaugh Photo credit: Maggie Murdaugh’s Facebook Page.

For many years, the Murdaugh family lived in a small town in South Carolina called Walterboro. There was nothing abnormal about the family, and no one thought negatively about them, even though they were a prominent family in the state due to their wealth and power. This was until multiple deaths that took place in Walterboro that all led back to the Murdaughs. People in Walterboro started to question the involvement of the Murdaugh family in various murder cases and wondered if they were at fault. It wasn’t until 2021 that the horrifying truth was uncovered about the Murdaugh family. 

54-year-old Alex Murdaugh and his wife Maggie were the parents of two sons, Randolph Buster Murdaugh and Paul. Alex Murdaugh and his family were known for their wealth due to the family’s history at the Parker Law Group law firm. Alex followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps in working at the law firm. 

The family seemed ordinary from the outside, but in reality the family had a significant amount of issues. Alex Murdaugh struggled with a terrible opioid addiction, and Paul abused alcohol. Alex also embezzled millions of dollars to feed his drug addiction; he stole about $8.8 million from clients at the law firm. Alex had been addicted to opioids for about 20 years and was taking up to 60 pills a day. Alex’s drug addiction and Paul’s alcoholism were life-threatening addictions which threatened their lives, as well as others’.  

Gloria Satterfield. Photo credit: Brice W. Herndon and Sons Funeral Home

The Murdaugh family had a housekeeper for years, Gloria Satterfield. In a sense, 57-year-old Satterfield was the mother Paul never had, because his mother Maggie saw him as a disappointment and a lost cause, according to the Netflix documentary series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Since Satterfield was very close with the Murdaugh family, she knew private information. She died in February 2018, and the Murdaugh family claimed that she tripped over the family dog, fell down the stairs, and hit her head. On September 15, 2018, “the investigation into her death, which was initially described as being from ‘natural causes,’ was also reopened by SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) and here, too, police have made no charges nor identified any suspect.” 

After a more recent investigation of Satterfield’s death, it is still believed she fell, and no one is being charged with her murder. There are speculations that she was pushed down the stairs because she found Alex’s opioids or found out he was stealing money, but there is no evidence that she was murdered.  

Paul Murdaugh and close friends who were aboard boat the day of the accident. Pictured from left to right: Connor Cook pictured with Miley Altman, Anthony Cook pictured with Mallory Beach, and Paul Murdaugh pictured with Morgan Doughty. Photo credit: ABC News/Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

In February 2019, Paul Murdaugh was driving his boat, severely intoxicated, with his friends. He refused to let someone else drive, even though he was clearly too drunk to drive. Paul slammed into a bridge, injuring several passengers on board and killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach.  

Alex Murdaugh used his legal connections and money to cover up the accident. The New York Times states, “One of the boat’s six passengers told a Department of Natural Resources officer shortly after the crash that Paul Murdaugh had been driving the boat, but the officer wrote in a report that the passenger had said he was not sure who was driving.” The Murdaugh family tried to use their power and money to get their family out of trouble, but after further investigation of the accident, it was clear Paul was driving the boat.  

Mallory Beach. Photo credit: Mallory Beach’s Facebook Page.

Three weeks later, Paul Murdaugh was charged with multiple felonies: “boating under the influence, resulting in the death of Mallory Beach, and serious injuries to two passengers.” The charge of boating under the influence resulting in death could have resulted in 25 years in prison. Paul pleaded not guilty to all charges; however, he was murdered before he ever went to trial.  

Two years later, on June 7, 2021, Alex Murdaugh called 911 to inform authorities that his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, had been shot and killed. Alex claimed he had found them outside, near his dog kennel. He claimed Paul had been getting threats because of the boat crash.

Pictured left to right: Maggie Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, and Alex Murdaugh. Photo credit: GMA/ABC News.

Police further investigated their murders and took a further look at the crime scene. Several shell casings were uncovered that were from a rare type of gun the Murdaughs happened to own. Alex was seen as a primary suspect in the homicides and was later put on trial for their murder in June 2022. Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders of his son and wife on March 2.  

After the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, the police reopened the investigation into the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found dead on the side of the road about 10 miles from the Murdaugh residence in 2015. There were suspicions that the eldest son, Buster Murdaugh, was romantically involved with Smith. People believe the Murdaugh family may have murdered Stephen because they couldn’t risk a tainted reputation from having a gay son. Buster Murdaugh denies having any relations with Smith, but his friends say otherwise. There is still no clear evidence connecting the Murdaughs to Stephen’s death, only speculation.    

Stephen Smith with mother Sandy Smith. Photo credit: NBC News.

When the murders of Maggie and Paul were still being investigated, Alex’s law firm figured out he had been stealing millions of dollars from the company and asked him to resign. A day after the company asked for his resignation, on September 4, 2021, Alex called 911, claiming he had been shot on the side of the road while changing a flat tire. He was taken to the hospital, but when he was asked questions by the police, his story wasn’t adding up.  

Police later figured out that Alex was not alone on the side of the road, but was with a friend and distant cousin, Curtis Edward Smith. Alex Murdaugh soon admitted that he had asked Edward Smith to shoot him in the head. Alex wanted to make his suicide look like a murder because he believed it would help Buster Murdaugh, his eldest son, collect on his life insurance policy. 

Alex Murdaugh at trial for murders (right), and mug shot. Photo credit: Watch Fox 57, Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool.

Alex Murdaugh and Curtis Edward Smith, were arrested. Edward Smith was arrested for aggravated assault, assisting in a suicide attempt, and insurance fraud. Alex was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report. 

Alex Murdaugh was initially arrested for stealing money from clients, but now he is currently facing life in prison for the murder of his son and wife, and he is still facing 99 other criminal charges from state and local grand jury indictments, as well as a dozen civil lawsuits. 

The Netflix documentary series about the Murdaugh murders was recently released on February 22. The show includes details about the Murdaugh family, their story, and statements from relatives and friends. The show includes details about each murder, speculations from close friends, and even recorded phone calls from Alex Murdaugh in jail. 

The Netflix series introduced me to this case and piqued my interest, along with many others. Social media has become obsessed with the baffling story, and there are an infinite number of articles, posts, and TikToks about this case. Although the Murdaugh family has been committing crimes for years, the Netflix series and new discoveries about the cases have recently sparked many people’s interest.