Alex Murdaugh is a member of one of the most powerful family dynasties in coastal South Carolina.
He preceded him three generations as attorney for the 14th Circuit — leading prosecutions in the state’s Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.
Murdoch previously worked for law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), according to the company. He is married to Margaret Murdo and they have two sons: Buster and Paul.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said that on June 7, 2021, Murdo called 911 to report that he had found his wife and son Paul shot dead outside their home in Islandton, a town about one hour from Hilton Head Island. community within hours drive.
Less than three months after the double homicide, he was shot in the head.
Within a week of his shooting, his law firm announced that Murdorf had resigned after it was discovered that he had “misappropriated funds”.
The then-state Supreme Court revoked his license to practice law in South Carolina. Murdo also announced his plans to begin an unspecified rehabilitation, saying in a statement through his lawyer that the killings of his wife and son “created an incredibly difficult time in my life” and exacerbated “The Long Fight”.
On Sept. 13 — nine days after the shooting — Murdo admitted to authorities that he had arranged for a former client to kill him as part of a suicide fraud scheme, according to a report backing the charges against the shooter. affidavit.
In a statement obtained in September 2021, two of his attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, said Alex Murdaugh’s life had been “devastated by opioid addiction” and that earlier that month, “it was clear that Alex believed Taking his own life was his only option. Today, he knows that’s not true.”