After months of speculation, South Carolina prosecutors are showing how they intend to prove it Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife and child last June—a crime they say was a deliberate attempt to draw attention away from his financial ruin.
Part of the petition filed by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office on Thursday doubled down on what was already known: That the former attorney allegedly engaged in a 15-year scheme to defraud clients. clients and law firms for up to $8.7 million in an effort to keep “the imaginary personality of rich, respectable, and prominent people alive.”
But for the first time, the document connects points in a large family and community murder story.
Facing “a perfect storm that would expose the real Alex Murdaugh to the world — and that means facing real responsibility for his life,” prosecutors allege that the disgraced man murdered his 52-year-old wife Margaret and his 22-year-old wife. son Paul on June 7, 2021, to change the story and gain sympathy.
“Ultimately, the murders were Murdaugh’s means to shift focus away from himself and buy himself more time to try to prevent his financial crimes from being exposed, which—if he did, was exposed. disclosure—would result in personal, legal and financial ruin for Murdaugh,” prosecutors added.
Murdaugh will appear in court in January after pleading not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in the course of a violent crime related to double murder. Murdaugh’s lawyers have steadfastly maintained his innocence, claiming that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to prove the former lawyer – who they said was with his ailing father at the time. that – killed his family.
Authorities say Murdaugh called police around 10:07 p.m. on the night of the murder, after he said he discovered his wife and son near a dog kennel located on the 1,770-acre property their acres in Colleton County. inside seven minutes 911 On the call, Murdaugh told a dispatcher that “his wife and child were shot” and was not breathing.
But prosecutors allege that within 30 seconds of law enforcement arriving on his property, Murdaugh “suggested to law enforcement that the killer’s motives were the shipwreck in February 2019 leading to a tragic death in Mallory Beach.” At the time of the murder, his son Paul Murdaugh was in court for allegedly drunk driving during an incident that resulted in the 19-year-old’s death.
“In fact, Murdaugh expressed certainty and stated that he knew ‘it is’ [the boat crash] for officer to respond,” prosecutors said in motion. “So, based on his own statements, Murdaugh brought up the matter at the very beginning of the law enforcement investigation into the murders, and he tried to tie the motives to the incidents. the event happened more than two years earlier.”
Despite Murdaugh’s alleged attempt to mislead investigators, the evidence they found during the murder investigation showed that “Murdaugh was the only individual with a real motive to kill his wife and child.” my son.”
“For that motive, evidence would show that Murdaugh had accumulated substantial debts over many years and, in order to cover those debts, began to engage in illegal financial crimes involving criminal conduct. stealing and embezzling money from one’s own clients and law firms.”
Indeed, in addition to the murder charge, Murdaugh is facing more than 80 financial charges – as well as a host of other charges after allegedly attempting to orchestrate his own murder so that his only son His surviving brother, Buster, could inherit his $10 million life insurance policy. .
“Evidence will continue to show that those financial crimes were about to come to light at the time of the murders,” the petition reads.
Murduagh was successful – and comes from a prominent Lowcountry legal family. But prosecutors said “a series of bad land purchases caused by the economic downturn permanently changed his financial situation.” To maintain a facade, prosecutors allege, Murdaugh began stealing money through four main schemes: bill clients for personal expenses through his law firm account; stealing from one’s own family and company; use associates to convert checks; and use a secret bank account to defraud money.
“All those millions of dollars come to [Murdaugh]—from legitimate income to stolen customer funds to large loans and credit cards—still not enough to stop the relentless financial roller coaster on which [he] self-imposed,” prosecutors said.
Specifically, prosecutors said the investigation into his son’s boat accident risked exposing his crimes, noting that a petition for Murdaugh’s personal financial records is pending. handling in a civil lawsuit about the accident.
“If approved as expected, that petition would result in the disclosure of Murdaugh’s financial records, which in turn would lead to his misconduct being known to others,” the petition said. clearly stated.
Prosecutors say that at the time of the murder, “Murdaugh’s finances were falling apart,” and that on the day of the shooting, Murdaugh confronted a law firm colleague about a lack of money. money. That same day, he “received word that his father had been taken to the hospital with a very poor prognosis,” prosecutors continued, claiming that Murdaugh’s father had lent him money and co-signed it. name with his loans.
Murdaugh allegedly murdered his family that night – prompting sympathy from the community “as the victim of an unspeakable tragedy”.
Prosecutors said: “Everybody withdrew their claims and rallied around him. “The calculation date is gone.”
That didn’t last very long. Just a few months later, Murdaugh allegedly attempted to stage his own murder after questions began to mount about how much money was lost. Immediately after a strange shooting involving a distant cousin, things begin to unravel between questions about the extent of Murdaugh’s injuries and conflicting stories.
Prosecutors said: “Initially, people gathered to help him. “Only this time, the truth came to light a lot faster.”
