For nearly a century, one family ruled the courtrooms of South Carolina's low country.
Prosecutors, power brokers, untouchable.
The Murdochs didn't just practice law, they were the law.
So when Alex Murdoch called 911 on a June night in 2021, sobbing over the bodies of his wife and son, the whole state held its breath.
And at the time there was no suspects, no motive, just a grieving husband and father.
But here's the thing about empires built on secrets.
Eventually, they crumble.
And what investigators uncovered wasn't just a murder case.
It was a Pandora's box of fraud, addiction, suspicious deaths, and lies stretching back decades.
Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder.
All things that I love to consume, minded freak.
And today we are doing just that, talking about a massive case, a very relevant case.
I'm sure a lot of you guys have seen it on the news or on streaming services, but today we're going deep.
We're getting deep into this case.
So, without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go mach 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes and bust through this windshield into this case.
Together, The Murdoch family had a firm grip on the legal system in South Carolina's Lowcountry for almost an entire century.
Three generations of Randolph Murdoch's reign as solicitor aka chief prosecutor for the state's 14th judicial circuit in an 86-year dynasty, from 1920 to 2006.
And it all began when Randolph Murdoch Sr became solicitor in 1920, establishing the first foothold and maintaining the position until his untimely death by train collision in 1940.
That's a rough way to go.
And his son, Randolph Buster Murdoch Jr., then took his place for 46 years. from 1940 to 1986.
And Buster became well known for his courtroom theatrics, reenacting murder scenarios for the court.
And his skill was not taken lightly.
And when it was time for Buster's son, Randolph Murdoch III, to take the mantle, he did so with great poise.
In fact, he was so well respected that he received the Order of the Palmetto in 2019, which is the state's highest civilian honor.
Though this was after he retired in 2006, which was the end of the dynasty.
So the Murdochs finally gave way to a new solicitor named Duffy Stone.
Yet their legacy had left an undoubted mark of influence on the South Carolina justice system.
So during their reign the Murdochs oversaw all criminal prosecutions in the 14th Circuit's five counties Allendale Colton Hampton, Beaufort and Jasper.
And this circuit is the only one in the state to encompass five counties.
And the region was even called Murdoch country, just demonstrating their dominance.
So, with their rather large jurisdiction, the Murdochs leveraged their power effectively, and locals and lawyers in the area viewed the justice system as rigged in their favor.
Classic elite shit.
Even choosing to settle cases, rather than ever facing Murdoch in their home court, because few dared to go against them.
So, along with their positions in public office, the Murdochs built a very successful law firm of their own in Hampton County.
And the firm was founded as a one-man practice in 1910 by Randolph Sr, but would later evolve into Peters Murdoch Parker, Eltzroth and Dietrich, or PMPED or, like what I would like to say, PIMP.
Because that's way easier than Peters, Murdoch, Parker, Eltroth, and Diedrich.
Doesn't really slide off the tongue so nicely.
And they specialized in defending plaintiffs via personal injury litigation, utilizing South Carolina's plaintiff-friendly laws.
And these state laws allowed legal action to be pursued in any county that a defendant corporation did business.
And so lawyers at pimped were skilled at forum shopping or choosing a favorable venue for a lawsuit to bring their cases into Hampton's preferred courts.
And because of the consistent large sum winnings awarded by juries in Hampton County, the American Tort Reform Association even labeled it the third worst judicial hellhole for defendants in the nation.
Basically everyone just gets fucked, except for the murdochs and whoever they're representing.
So companies began avoiding conducting business in hampton county altogether, notably after pimped won significant settlements against csx railroads, so much so that they were even called the house that csx built.
But all good things must eventually come to an end and the south carolina supreme court and state legislator reformed laws regarding corporate venues, effectively ending pimped golden days of forum shopping.
We love to see accountability.
But the firm would still practice law, though in 2022 they would rename to become the Parker Law Group.
See that?
That rolls off the tongue a little better, you know what I mean?
Removing the Murdoch name entirely.
And we'll get to the reason for that in a bit.
So Richard Alexander Murdoch, known as Alex, sometimes pronounced Alec, was born on May 27 1968 and he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1990 and his law degree from USC Law School in 1994.
And, as a son of aforementioned Richard Murdoch III, Alex continued on in the family business and became a partner at PIM.
And although he wasn't elected into the role of solicitor like the Murdochs before him, he did part-time volunteer work for the solicitor's office.
And at this point Alex was viewed as a prominent and generally successful attorney and for having extraordinary people and networking skills over particular courtroom prowess.
And those who worked with him mentioned that he had strong charisma which allowed him to manipulate people into settlements.
And the CFO of pimped called this the art of bullshit, basically.
He was just really good at working people, but never quite seen as a legal scholar of any kind.
And he was also described as loud, busy, and always on the phone at the workplace.
And Margaret Kennedy Murdoch, known as Maggie, was born in Nashville Tennessee, on September 15th 1968.
And she was Alex's college sweetheart at the University of South Carolina and became his wife in 1993.
And thanks to the Murdoch resources, she was a homemaker and described as a devoted mother who lived for her children, Buster and Paul.
And the wealth never seemed to change her, as those who knew her also say that she was incredibly sweet, sociable and down to earth.
And Maggie was known to love spending time at the family's Edisto Beach house as well as caring for the Moselle estate house in Eilington, South Carolina.
And then there's Paul Terry Murdoch, who was the younger son in the Murdoch family.
And he was known to be a volatile and reckless young man.
A family member even recounted a time that he told his aunt to go fuck herself when he was just 11 years old, which I mean That's not that notable.
I mean, 11 year olds can be little assholes, you know what I mean?
But whatever.
And he also struggled with authority and that never seemed to go away as he got older.
And then there's Richard Alexander Murdoch Jr, known as Buster, and he is the older of the two sons.
And he was originally following on his father's path, but was reportedly kicked out of law school at the University of South Carolina after he was caught for plagiarism.
And Alex would eventually try to pay his son's way back into school, spending around 60000 to a well-known lawyer to get him readmitted.
Must be nice to have a rich daddy.
And it actually worked in 2022, but Buster's law career was ultimately put on hold and it's unclear as to the status of that now.
So, by all appearances, the Murdochs appeared to be the close-knit, wealthy Southern family that they were known to be, at least publicly.
And they were often seen spending time at one of their several properties enjoying some of their favorite activities, including including boating and hunting.
So the Murdoch-Moselle estate was a testament to the family's wealth because it was located on Islington, South Carolina, and the property extended for 1770 acres with shooting ranges, duck ponds and was a prime spot for hunting.
And it also featured a 5,275 square foot main house and a cottage and an area for dog kennels.
Oh my God.
And they also owned several boats and cars, further reflecting their lavish lifestyle.
And Alex also had a retirement account, equity in his former law firm, heavy machinery and equipment, and a share in 2TI Island, which is a share in the Green Swamp Country Club and more.
So the vast Murdoch wealth had come from generations of legitimate family income and supplemented with Alex's earnings as well.
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And let's get back to it.
So February 24th, in the very early hours of the morning, a boat crashed into the Archer's Creek Bridge in Beaufort, South Carolina.
And on board were six young adults, including Mallory Beach and Paul Murdoch, both 19 years old at the time.
And Paul was seen purchasing alcohol using his brother's ID in the evening prior, because drinking at 19 is illegal in the States.
And the group also stopped at a bar that evening where Paul and a friend, Connor Cook, who was also present in the crash, took shots.
And the boat went straight into a piling on the bridge to Paris Island at approximately 2.17 a.m.
And the resulting impact caused several severe injuries and knocked three passengers into the water.
And two of them, fortunately, resurfaced and were recovered.
And the third, Mallory Beach, did not.
And her body would be discovered a few miles from the incident a week later.
And there were rumors that the Murdoch family was using their considerable leverage to influence the investigation in their favor from the start.
And four of the crash survivors were immediately taken to hospital, Paul being one of them.
And his father Alex and grandpa Randolph III showed up as the police were right about to take Paul's statement.
And Randolph III bluntly said that there would be no statement and Alex allegedly went to visit the other survivors in what was described as an attempt to orchestrate something.
And the hospital staff supposedly heard Alex tell Connor not to say anything.
And Connor later said that Alex assured him everything was going to be all right as long as he shut up and said he didn't know who the driver was at the time of the crash.
And such actions naturally brought up concern that Alex was doing whatever he could to shift blame away from Paul.
But regardless of the attempt, thanks to the other survivors, testimony with near certainty that Paul had actually been driving.
He was charged with three felony counts on April 19th 2019.
One count of BUI resulting in death and two counts of BUI resulting in serious injury.
And BUI is voting under the influence for those of you who don't know.
But allegedly, thanks to his family name, he never actually was handcuffed when he was arrested.
And he had his mugshot taken in the hallway of the courthouse on someone's iPhone, instead of the usual mugshots people are familiar with.
Just classic elite entitlement bullshit.
And he never had to step into a detention facility to have fingerprints taken.
Just clearly showing preferential treatment.
And connor wasn't charged as, in addition to his testimony, his injury suggested that he was indeed a passenger.
But paul however, now faced up to 25 years in prison and he was released on bond after entering a plea of not guilty and the case was proceeding somewhat slowly.
Potentially more preferential treatment, we don't know.
But the Murdoch family was feeling the pressure from this event to say the least.
Because, on top of those charges as well, Renee Beach, who is Mallory's mother, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alex Buster and Maggie Murdoch and the places that provided alcohol to the underage.
So, on top of all of this negative mounting pressure on the Murdoch family, things were about to get even worse and more deadly.
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And let's get back to it.
So june 7 2021, began like any other day.
Early that afternoon, alex asked maggie and paul to come back to the moselle estate that evening, and he then made his way to pimped, arriving at 12 24 pm.
Meanwhile, the household carry on with its usual routines.
Their housekeeper prepared dinner and texted maggie at 3 28 pm to let her know that she had left it on the stove for her.
And at 341 PM, Alex attempted to reach Maggie via FaceTime, but the call went unanswered.
And before 4 PM, a man named Roger Dale Davis stopped by Moselle to tend to the animals.
And he reported that no one was on the property and nothing seemed out of place at the time of getting to the property.
So at 6.08 PM, Paul apparently called a contact saved as dad on his phone.
And then at 6.40 PM, Paul called PA, a contact that correlated with Alex's phone as well.
And then Alex arrived at Moselle at 6.42 PM, followed by Paul at 7.04 PM.
And at 756 PM, Paul recorded a video of Alex and sent it on Snapchat, and Maggie appeared to arrive at Moselle around 817 pm.
So sometime between her arrival and roughly 830 pm, the three of them sat down to have dinner together.
And at 8.38 p.m., Paul's phone location placed him by the dog kennels.
And six minutes later at 8.44 p.m., Paul would record a video for his friend Rogan Gibson.
And just minutes after the video was recorded, Maggie and Paul's phones were locked for the final time, because Maggie and Paul would be brutally murdered.
And that at 1005 pm Alex would drive down to the kennels where Paul and Maggie were, and at 1006 he would make a 911 call.
It's 4147 Moselle Road.
I've been up to it now.
It's bad.
My wife and my son.
And his 911 call was frantic.
He hysterically sobs, relaying the murder of his wife and son.
And at one point he begs the police to please hurry.
And the dispatcher on the line questions him for information while trying to keep him calm.
And he tells the dispatcher that he had been gone and just got back to the house.
And it had been about an hour and a half to two hours since he last talked to Maggie.
And at one point he mentions going to get a gun as a precaution for someone else potentially nearby, to which the dispatcher urges him not to have a gun present when the officers arrive.
And as the dispatcher asks routine questions, Alex mentions that Paul had been getting threats for several months.
And then Alex is instructed to turn on his vehicle lights so the officers can see his location.
And he's also told not to touch the bodies or move anything so that no evidence is tampered with.
To which Alex says that he has already touched them when he went to see if they were still breathing.
But shortly before authorities arrive, he asks if he can hang up the call so he can call his family.
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Was found deceased and he had been shot twice with a 12 gauge shotgun.
The first shot would hit him from a few feet away in his chest and his shoulder, and the second would hit his head, making him nearly unrecognizable.
And Maggie's body was found a short distance from Paul's, at the dog kennels as well, and she had five gunshot wounds ranging from her thighs to her head, caused by a 300 blackout semi-auto rifle as she tried to run from her attacker.
But the final gunshot would enter the back of her head, aimed downward possibly as she was kneeling from a blow to the stomach facing her attacker, and the final shot would have been fired at close range.
During the initial investigation, investigators were unable to locate the murder weapons at the crime scene, but they would find the 12 gauge shotgun shells used in Paul's murder at the scene.
And the 300 blackout cartridge casings were also found at the scene, the ones that were used to murder Maggie.
So Colton County authorities arrived at the scene on the night of the murders around 1025 p.m., and they almost immediately saw the high profile situation before them and called for assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division or SLED. securing the scene as they could.
And SLED quickly took over with photography and cataloging the gruesome evidence and beginning their detailed investigation.
But authorities at the time had to race against the weather that night, as it had began to rain, which possibly damaged or degraded evidence.
And on top of that, multiple vehicles and people were allowed onto the Moselle property in the hours following the murders, which potentially contaminated evidence in the house or on the grounds?
So SLED made sure to keep details close to home in the weeks following the murders.
And Alex, the husband and father of Paul and Maggie, was interviewed on June 8th and 10th without officially naming him as a suspect publicly.
Though they did confirm the case was now being investigated as a double homicide.
And there was no public threat announced.
And on June 14th the coroner confirmed the time of death for Maggie and Paul to be between 9 and 930 pm on June 7th.
But it would later be believed that the time of the murder was around 8.50 p.m.
But it was during Alex's third interview with SLED, which took place on August 11th, that had some inconsistencies at this time.
Because the day after the murders, Paul's friend Rogan Gibson told SLED's lead investigator, David Owen, that he could have sworn.
He heard Alex's voice while he was on the phone with Paul the night before.
Because they had been talking about one of the dogs in the kennels, and Gibson made mention of a video that Paul attempted to send but for some reason it couldn't go through.
And Owen confronted Alex about Gibson's claim and a Snapchat video that showed him in different clothes than the ones that he was seen in a few hours later later and some questionable statements he made the night of the murders and more.
And Alex mentioned in this interview that he was at his mother's house for around 45 minutes to an hour when a witness saw him there for only about 15 to 20 minutes further, shedding doubt on his history.
And then SLED finally had Paul's phone in their possession on August 11th, though it would be some time before they managed to unlock it.
And come October, SLED was finally ready to announce that not only was Alex now a suspect in the murders, but he had secretly been a suspect all along.
But still, they had a fair bit of work to do to charge him.
But it ended up all coming back to that one video the video that Gibson had referenced that could show that Alex was at the kennels just before the murders.
Get back, get back.
So at this point in the investigation, this was arguably the single most important piece of evidence in this case because, without it, definitively placing Alex near the scene of the crime near the time it was committed was just circumstantial, and sled received the phone without full knowledge of how many attempts had been made to unlock it.
And so they knew they needed to proceed with caution, because after too many failed attempts, the phone could lose precious data for the investigation.
But eventually the passcode was cracked by Lieutenant Britt Dove, who later said quote I hollered out that I found it to nobody in particular, because I was in the office working by myself unquote.
Just a classic movie moment.
And the code was Paul's birthday.
It's kind of crazy that they didn't guess that a little sooner, but whatever.
041499.
So finally, the video had been found.
And Alex's alibi was pretty much shattered.
And it forced his team and Alex himself to admit that he had been lying this whole time.
But why?
So SLED investigators did thorough ballistics analysis to link the Murdock family weapons to the crimes, and specialists in firearms analysis, paul greer, testified that the 300 blackout casings located by maggie had the same fingerprint as casings that were recovered at the other locations on the property, which demonstrates they were fired by the same rifle used by the family.
So basically, They're fucked.
But he was unable to say specifically which weapon was used as that weapon had not been found.
But the clear implication is that the murder weapon was one owned by the Murdochs.
And in addition to the 300 casings, the shotgun shells found near Paul's body were also matched with the ammo found in the Murdochs' possession.
And though the actual murder weapons eluded the investigation entirely, the ballistics laid a foundation confirming that they belonged to the Murdochs.
And when it came to reconstructing the true timeline of events for the evening of the murders, cell phone data proved to be of absolute necessity.
And the most obvious, of course, is the video of the kennels from Paul's phone.
And the phone records show that Paul's phone locked for the last time at 849pm, shortly after texting with a friend about movies.
And his replies stopped altogether at 8.48 p.m.
And Maggie's phone became locked at 8.49 p.m. as well.
Yet logs show that it changed orientation a few times before going fully dark.
And investigators found it the next day alongside the road at a place matching where Alex's vehicle had traveled that night before.
Looking real bad for Alex.
And Alex's phone showed no usage or movement from 8.09 to 9.02 p.m.
Which is really convenient for Alex, given the murders took place between that time period.
And shortly afterwards, he called Maggie and Paul's phones for the first in a series of calls.
And later on a number of calls made between Alex and Maggie and Alex and Paul would not be found on Alex's phone at all, but could be seen on their phones.
So he deleted them and not thinking that the police would look at his son and his wife's phone, because he's a fucking idiot.
So the phone records continued painting the picture that Alex's story wasn't quite adding up.
And in 2023, General Motors provided SLED with a mountain of data regarding Alex's Chevy Suburban, because the vehicle had OnStar, which gave precise time location, speed and internal vehicle data, such as whether or not the car was parked and where it was, and the data just further confirmed the phone records, including that Alex likely threw Maggie's phone out of the vehicle on the way to his mom's house and that he did only stay over at her house for a shorter period of time, like the witnesses claimed, and that he arrived to the kennels and placed the 911 call just 17 seconds after arriving, which hardly fits his claim of being able to check the bodies to ensure they were breathing and much less to process all that had happened and move past the point of grief to be able to make the phone call.
And Special Agent Peter Rudofsky, compiled a timeline of all events through the cell phone and GPS data totaling 88 pages.
And this timeline seemed to line up more with the prosecution's theory, which we'll discuss in a minute, and just went against everything Alex had claimed.
So in the days after the killings, one of the caretakers for Alex's mom reported seeing Alex carrying a tarp which some believe could have had the missing weapons inside.
There was also a rain jacket discovered that had had gunshot residue on it, but Alex denied possessing any knowledge of either item.
And according to forensic scientists specializing in gunshot residue, Megan Fletcher, samples taken from Alex's hand and the clothes he was wearing that night of the murder also possessed gunshot primer residue.
And, though not completely conclusive, as there was plenty of non-murderous gun activity at the Murdoch residence, it could mean that Alex had fired a weapon that evening.
And Alex's shirt ended up being controversial for another reason.
Because earlier on in that investigation, it was reported that there was blood droplets on the shirt resulting from high velocity impact splatter, suggesting that he was a few feet from the murder occurring.
But the actual tests ran found that no human blood was on the shirt, So Alex was obviously a person of interest to SLED from the get-go, even in the absence of publicly stated suspects.
The investigators quietly recognized the oddities in this situation, because Alex was the only person known to be present that night, besides the victims.
And the victims seemed to be caught by surprise, potentially suggesting someone they knew or trusted carried out the murders.
And the murders were carried out by Murdock's weapons.
And Alex's story had too many inconsistencies, and he was later caught in the lies.
And as evidence continued mounting, it pointed more and more in the direction of Alex, So essentially he seemed to be the only credible lead.
So, in order to deflect the blame away from Alex, the defense offered up various alternate scenarios to explain the situation.
And one that they ran with, initially suggested by Alex himself, was that Paul was indeed the target of retaliation from the boat crash.
And he had received a number of threats resulting from the incident and it was suggested that maybe they didn't take the threat seriously enough.
And it cost Paul and Maggie their lives.
But based on the two different weapons used.
Another theory was that there was actually two shooters to match each weapon.
And they claimed that, due to the explosive nature of Paul's death, the killer would likely have been too stunned, too quickly to switch weapons and also kill Maggie before she could get away and take some sort of action.
And they also put out the idea that the killer would have had to have been short, based on how the wounds were created which, if true, ruled Alex out, as he was quite tall.
To accurately determine the height of the killer with the information they had,
But in the end SLED simply ruled out everyone else and their formal investigation was unable to find any viable suspects other than Alex himself.
Because the most straightforward explanation proved itself to be the best one. a lot of cases like this it is often someone you know and it's often a spouse or a child or a father or a mother it's it's usually someone you know it's the usual suspect But aside from Alex's aforementioned interviews, there are a few other notable interviews given by the family.
Like Buster, Murdoch was interviewed by authorities three days after the murders, where he relayed what he knew as best he could.
And he mentioned speaking to Maggie multiple times a day, showing that he was blindsided.
And eventually he would do a formal interview with Fox Nation in an attempt to tell the about him and his family.
And Alex's brothers, Randy and John Marvin, appeared on Good Morning America to speak about the situation just one week after the murders.
Seems like a lot of people aren't really mourning and they're just trying to get their family name like polished out or whatever.
It just seems odd.
And Maggie's sister, Marion Proctor, gave an interview and testimony stating that she found it weird that Alex wasn't concerned about a killer being on the loose.
That's fair.
And, of course, there were critical witness interviews as well, including Shelley Smith, Alex's mom's caregiver.
That testified Alex only visited his mother for 15 to 20 minutes, instead of the longer time that Alex claimed.
And Blanca Simpson, the Murdoch's housekeeper, was also interviewed.
And there was Rogan Gibson's interview in which he revealed hearing Alex's voice while on the phone with Paul, and the Kennel video.
Paul called me.
At what time?
At 844.
Okay.
P.M.?
P.M. and said that there was something wrong with my dog.
And though the interviews with Buster and Alex's brothers hope to shed positive light, the witness interviews served only to further incriminate Alex as the murderer.
But the murders of Maggie and Paul were unfortunately not the only instances of death surrounding the Murdock family.
Because in 2015, Stephen Smith died.
A stephen smith case had been reopened shortly after the paul and maggie murders due to the new evidence found in the murdoch investigation.
Because stephen was found dead july 8 2015 on sandy run road in hampton county, south carolina, and he was an openly gay nursing student, just 19 years old.
At first glance it looked as if he were just killed in a hit and run, but several circumstances seemed a bit odd, because his body was found in the middle of the road with blunt force trauma and a hole above his eye and it was unconfirmed as to what specifically caused that hole.
And his car was found a few miles away off the side of the road with the gas tank, door and cap open.
The official report notes that state troopers saw no evidence suggesting a hit and run.
Quote I saw no vehicle debris, skid marks or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle.
After consulting with MAIT, we see no evidence to suggest the victim was struck by a vehicle unquote.
Yet the report also seems to have the Murdoch name appear several times, specifically Buster, as he was Stephen's classmate, because it was rumored that Buster and Stephen were romantically involved.
And the case file also allegedly mentioned a tip from a man claiming his stepson struck Steven, and quote Randy Murdock told him to call unquote.
And one article says Randy allegedly claimed he would take the case for free, though no public information officially was released as to why the case was reopened.
And the fact that it was reopened after evidence was found in the Murdoch murders strongly suggests that something was found to link Stephen's death to the Murdochs.
Now Buster completely denied any sort of connection to Stephen's death and in 2023 he released a statement saying, quote this has gone on far too long.
These baseless rumors of my involvement with stephen and his death are false.
I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death and my heart goes out to the smith family.
Unquote, and to further deny the connection.
He even filed lawsuits against netflix, warner brothers and others for defamation in 2024 for falsely accusing him of murder, And that lawsuit is still ongoing today.
And the case did make a bit of progress after being reopened in 2021 and a GoFundMe was started to raise funds to exhume the body and have a second autopsy performed.
And the campaign was successful in March of 2023 and SLED officially ruled the death a homicide that same month.
And as of 2025, the case remains unsolved, but the Smith family continues to hope and search for answers.
Answers that they deserve.
And then there's 57-year-old Gloria Satterfield, who was a longtime nanny and housekeeper for the Murdochs.
And she allegedly tripped over one of the dogs at least as Alex claimed which led to a serious head injury hospitalizing her for almost a full month.
And on February 26, Gloria succumbed to complications from her wounds.
Yet her death was attributed to natural causes, despite no autopsy performed.
And, alongside his old friend and colleague, Corey Fleming, Alex filed claims with his homeowner's insurance for the incident.
And he told the Satterfield sons that they should sue him, so his insurance would pay and then he would take care of everything for them.
And he also directed them to hire Fleming as their attorney.
And Alex's insurance companies settled just as he predicted, paying out approximately $4.3 million.
But Alex and Fleming kept the Satterfield estate in the dark and pocketed the money for themselves.
That's illegal.
And the Satterfield sons did not see a dime from the settlement funds until they heard of Alex's other misdeeds, which led them to seek new counsel.
And once Alex had been exposed for fraud in 2021, he admitted that he had made up the story about the dogs to force his insurance to pay.
And in order to make the Satterfields whole, he also agreed to pay back the $4.3 million.
And Nautilus, one of his insurance companies, sued Alex for damages and the judge ruled in their favor, ordering Alex to pay 148 million.
Karma's a bitch.
So for his crimes involving the Satterfields and others, Alex was hit with several charges, which we'll discuss in more detail shortly.
And Corey Fleming, who pleaded guilty to 23 charges, was disbarred and sentenced to 13 years and 10 months in prison.
And the Satterfields' new lawyer, Eric Bland, helped them to recover over 65 million in later lawsuits.
And though the civil side of the case has been resolved, it appears as if the criminal side has yet to reach a resolution.
And SLED's investigation still appears to be open.
So, three months after the murders of Maggie and Paul, Alex claimed to have been shot while changing a tire on the side of the road.
And this was the day after he resigned from pimped.
And his claim was that a truck saw him, slowed down, shot him, and then drove off.
And Alex called 911 and was escorted to a nearby hospital to recover.
And on the 6th, he checked into rehab for substance abuse treatment.
But the story and situation just didn't quite add up for those who heard it.
And it didn't take long for the real story to surface.
Because it turns out that Alex admitted the incident was a conspiracy to collect 10 million from his life insurance policy.
And he hired a man named Curtis Edward Smith to commit assisted suicide to get the money to Buster.
Believing that suicide would not activate the policy.
Despite his growing depression from his opiate addiction, Alex came up with the assisted suicide murder plan, a plan that was born from pure desperation.
Because his financial schemes were being made public, he could no longer practice law.
His wife and son were deceased, so he must have felt that this last-ditch effort was all he could do to end his suffering, while also taking care of his only remaining son.
But Curtis's account, however, told a slightly different story.
And the 61-year-old man who also happened to be Alex's drug supplier after they met when he needed a lawyer, claims he never shot Alex and instead he showed up and fired the gun into the air to smack some sense into Alex.
Quote, If I'd shot him, he'd be dead.
Unquote.
Smith would say.
Goddamn.
And after Alex's admission of the staged shooting, he was faced with charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report on september 16th, and smith, on the other hand, was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of an aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and they both would eventually be charged with possessing, manufacturing or distributing narcotics in june of 2022.
So these charges are piling up on top of the fact that Alex is being looked at as the prime suspect of a murder case involving his wife and his son.
And the crimes committed by Alex Murdock were extensive, spanning over a decade, allegedly beginning as early as 2005, up to 2021.
And his schemes brought in about 93 million in stolen cash and 88 million from clients and about 490000 from the state.
And those, some reports estimate, even more.
And racked up over 100 separate financial charges against at least 18 victims, including... money laundering, embezzlement, computer crimes, forgery, etc.
And Alex was rather creative and bold when it came to his stealing methods.
And he regularly convinced his clients to send their settlement checks to accounts he controlled, or sometimes even send them right to him.
And one of the most well-known ways he pulled this off was through a fake bank account that he set up, entitled Forge, to trick people into believing it was actually Forge Consulting, which is a real company, and he would make checks payable to Forge and deposit them into the Forge account, stealing the money for himself.
Just a, create fake expenses and even lie directly to his clients about how much money they made in settlements, pocketing the rest or all of the money.
And in another one of his main schemes, Alex conspired with Russell Lafitte, who was the CEO of Palmetto State Bank and his personal banker.
And Lafitte would give Alex large personal loans as conservator for Alex's personal injury clients using minimal documentation.
And Alex would tell various law firm employees to write checks addressed to Palmetto State Bank, which Lafitte would then distribute back to Alex to pay off whatever debt he wanted to, or to simply withdraw the cash.
And, once the two were caught, Lafitte was convicted of federal charges in November of 2022, which included bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, and the misapplication of bank funds.
And he was sentenced to seven years in prison and nearly one year later in August 2023.
I feel like that's kind of light, to be honest.
And for his part in the scheme, Alex pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud.
And Alex would also drag other lawyers, often unwittingly, just like in the final of his main schemes, which was the one he ran with Corey Fleming against the Satterfields.
So, all in all, Alex wouldn't necessarily match his forefather's legal careers, but he sure found a way to make his mark in South Carolina history anyway.
And notable victims from his many schemes include the aforementioned Gloria Satterfield estate and Hakeem Pickney.
And Hakeem was a young man whose life was forever altered from a 2009 car crash which left him deaf and quadriplegic.
And Alex began representing him in 2010, but in 2011 he died after his life support ventilator was mysteriously unplugged.
And when his mother won the settlement funds, Alex took just under $400,000 for himself.
And this was just about, if not all of it, which is disgusting.
Like, like he is below whale shit, this guy.
And then there's the Blondell Gary family.
And Blondell was killed in a car accident in 2012.
And Alex would steal from them $112,000.
And people like Sandra Taylor, Arthur Badger, Dion Martin, Johnny Bush the list goes on and on with more of the same despicable behavior from Alex against people who needed that money.
People who needed him to just do what he was entrusted to do in those moments.
But He didn't, and he just took advantage of them and took everything from them.
And though it's not entirely the firm's fault, blame must obviously be placed on Alex.
The fairly lax atmosphere of pimped contributed to Alex's ability to commit fraud because there were minimal internal controls in place and partners more or less had free reign to do whatever the hell they wanted to do with their cases and settlements.
And there was no requirement for anyone else to sign off on what they were doing, leading to essentially no scrutiny at all.
So if a partner told, say, a bookkeeper to cut a check to whoever, it was just done.
Just no questions asked.
And people would raise concerns from time to time, like CFO Seckinger, but these concerns were met with any excuse which was just accepted, since the firm primarily operated on mutual trust.
So Alex was initially faced with around 100 charges for his financial crimes at the state level.
And he managed to secure a plea deal bringing the charges all the way down to 22, to which he entered a guilty plea.
And the crimes include embezzlement, conspiracy, money laundering, and more.
And he was sentenced to 27 years in prison on November 28th, 2023.
But separate from his state charges, Alex was also charged with 22 federal counts.
And in September of 2023, Alex pleaded guilty to all 22 accounts and he was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison in April of 2024.
So, although Alex's numerous financial sins drew significant attention to him and his situation, they were nothing compared to the murder of his wife and son.
As this all comes together, this was all.
All these sentences were after the fact, but they were building up up until the murders.
So, on july 14 2022, alex murdaugh was indicted by a colton county grand jury, charging him with two counts of murder, one for maggie and one for paul, as well as two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
During the commission of those murders And each of those first two charges carried a potential life sentence, and prosecution announced that they would not pursue the death penalty.
So, standing before Judge Clifton Newman on July 20th, Alex pleaded not guilty to all counts relating to the murders.
So both sides had a literal mountain of evidence to go through and to prepare.
And so the trial start date was set for January 23rd 2023.
It was originally set for january 30th but was moved forward a week.
So the journey to the trials saw numerous battles for what would be in on and off limits for each side, but the most significant was the battle for whether or not the jury would be allowed to hear alex's financial crimes and the pressure that came with them at the time of the murders, because There's your fucking motive in just getting nailed with all these financial crimes and that, and then this happening to his wife and his son.
It's just.
It's terrible, but that is the motive they're working off of.
So the prosecution argued that this information was absolutely essential to proving motive in the case.
And naturally the defense was against it and argued that it would prejudice the jury and put him on trial for all of his crimes at once, rather than the current ones being examined, which were the murders.
Which doesn't really add up to me.
It's like every murder needs a motive.
And that is always discussed in trial.
It's like, why did this person do this or why would this person have a reason to do this?
Those crimes are very relevant.
So the defense is just weak as hell, in my opinion.
You know, I'm just a YouTuber.
What do I know?
Hearing was held in december of 2022 so that both sides could be properly heard and in february judge newman had his decision and the financial crimes would be heard in the trial quote.
I find that the jury is entitled to consider whether the apparent desperation of mr murdoch because of his dire financial situation and threat of being exposed for committing the crimes of which he was later charged with, resulted in the commission of the alleged crimes.
While motive is not a necessary element, the state must prove malice and evidence of motive may be used to prove it.
Unquote.
Mic drop.
We love Newman.
He's got he's got a noggin on him.
All right.
And then defense lawyer Jim Griffin said in response quote they've got a whole lot more evidence about financial misconduct than they do about evidence of guilt in the murder case.
And that's what this is all about.
Unquote.
Well, then it's too.
But they do have evidence.
They have enough evidence.
Whatever.
We're going to get into it.
This case makes me so incredibly angry.
But regardless of the major win for the prosecution, the defense did at least get a minor win with a blood splatter controversy which wouldn't be pursued because there was something that looked like blood on Alex's shirt, but it ended up being tested and it didn't come back as blood that matched maggie or paul, so that was that was uh, vetoed out of the case.
So the trial began in the beginning of 2023, around the end of january into march, and it was held at the colton county courthouse in waterborough, south carolina, with the judge being the honorable clifton newman the goat, and the prosecution team was led by creighton waters, whose title is a giant mouthful it's the chief attorney of the state grand jury section of the south carolina's attorney general's office.
Why?
But at his side were John Meters, an extremely experienced murder trial attorney, and the attorney general himself, Alan Wilson.
And then there's Alex's defense team, who was compromised, of Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin Harpootlian, who was a South Carolina state senator or was at the time of the trial.
And Griffin is a seasoned attorney who was a former prosecutor turned defense attorney.
So the prosecution's plan, as we know, was based on a clear motive.
The financial reckoning that fast approached Alex for his crimes in 2021 placed severe pressure on him.
And the millions of dollars he had embezzled were about to be displayed for the world to see, thanks to the beach death lawsuit and increased scrutiny from his firm.
And the state proposed that Alex murdered his wife Maggie and son Paul in order to gain sympathy and create a distraction amidst the growing turmoil in his life.
These people, all it is about is about what the public image is.
It's sick.
It makes me sick to my stomach.
They acknowledged that the boat case hearing regarding his financials was canceled and that his firm wasn't pressing him as hard about his missing money.
Which is exactly what Alex would have wanted.
And in support, they pointed to CFO Gene Seckinger's confrontation about the $792,000.
And Mark Tinsley's testimony stating that the scheduled financial hearing was only three days after the murders took place.
So, if he did it.
It was really well-timed.
And the comment Alex made to Marion Proctor, Maggie's sister, about how whoever had done it had thought about it for a really long time.
I don't know if I said that quote before, but he said that quote, which is very telling now that he's on trial for it.
Because, although motive isn't required to convict someone, the prosecution felt important to understand why he might have killed his family.
And it may have seemed a bit far-fetched without full context, but the jury would soon understand.
And the prosecution's narrative relied on several key points.
Alex was the only one who had the opportunity to commit the murders.
He was the only one there with them just before they died.
And it shows through Paul's kennel video.
And the timeline of his movements seems so tight that it's absurdly unlikely that someone else could have committed the crime between when he was there and when he found the bodies.
And the fact that Alex lied about being at the kennels just demonstrates an awareness of guilt.
And multiple people confirmed that the voice in the video was indeed Alex's voice.
And repeatedly lying over an extended period about something so critical suggests that he had something to hide.
That he's maybe guilty, you know?
Because innocent people tend to not lie about these types of things.
Not to mention the only reason he admitted it was because the video caught him.
And forensic evidence points to one specific shooter who had access to the family's weapons.
And the casings found at the scene matched other casings found on the Murdock property.
And Alex's behavior itself was also just suspicious to say the least.
Because why did he have no blood on him, even after claiming that he touched the bodies to see if they were breathing?
One plus one doesn't equal three, you know what I mean?
And also the change of clothes as well.
And furthermore, the rapid calls immediately after the murders look as if he was trying to establish an alibi.
Like he landed for a very long time, like he he said to somebody else, and just so together these points begin to paint a big picture, a very clear picture, and the jury was urged to examine things in a pattern rather than alone, and the evidence was presented systematically by the prosecution.
First responders described the scene and body cam footage was shown, including Alex's emotional state and statements In SLED.
Crime scene techs testified on the collection of shell casings and pathologist Dr Ellen Reimer gave graphic testimony as to the victim's wounds and how they would have been achieved.
Because both victims were shot at close range and ballistic experts demonstrated how the casings at the scene matched the others.
Murdoch's had fired before, which strongly pointed to Murdoch's weapons as the murder weapons.
And though it couldn't be conclusively demonstrated with the weapons still not found.
Special Agent Peter Rudofsky, extraordinarily detailed cell phone and GPS timeline, reconstructed the evening events from a new light, establishing location, timings and context.
And, of course, the kennel video where the jurors themselves could hear the voice of Rogan Gibson and testify.
He was certain that Alex's voice was on the other end.
And with financial information, approved.
The jury heard of Alex's great many misdeeds, showing Alex's extended lies as character evidence.
Because if he would lie to family friends, clients etc.
Then maybe lying about the crime isn't so crazy a thought.
So the defense had their work cut out for them, but they went with the tried and true reasonable doubt strategy because that's all they had.
And they argued that there was no direct evidence tying Alex to the murders.
There was no fingerprints, no confession, no eyewitness, no blood splatter on Alex.
Nothing of Alex's that was out of place and no murder weapon.
And how could he have gotten rid of the weapons without leaving any sort of confirmed trace?
And they pointed to the sloppy handling of the investigation by SLED.
The crime scene was contaminated through allowing multiple family members around and not properly protecting evidence in the rain, etc.
And they also proposed the idea that there may actually have been two shooters, specifically noting the two different murder weapons used in close proximity of each other, and the theory seemed primarily to be mentioned as a way to increase doubt, and the evidence tended not to clearly support the idea.
Alex was clearly a loving family man.
He repeatedly demonstrated that he adored his family, and those who knew him also struggled with imagining he was capable of doing such horrible things.
And his 911 call in following breakdowns also appeared to be genuine.
And Alex's own theory was echoed, as well as the defense pointed to the threats and social media bullying that Paul had received in regards to the boat crash.
So the defense called a number of witnesses to the stand, both expert and character.
And expert witnesses of note were Colton County Coroner, who testified that he had only taken the victim's body's temperature and thus the proposed time of death was an estimate.
And forensic pathologist Jonathan Einstadt testified that he agreed with Dr Reimer's assessment on some things, but questioned some of her conclusions about the autopsy of the victims.
And mainly about the fatal shots, because he claimed that both of the shots would have actually have been aiming downward, based on the way the wounds were formed.
And this was yet another instance in which the defense simply aimed to plant a seed of doubt.
Everything was about planting seeds of doubt for the defense, basically.
And Tim Palmback, a crime scene analysis and expert in blood splatters, testified that with the type of wound Paul sustained, the shooter would have had to have been at point blank range, which meant that the shooter would have been covered in blood and other bodily fluids.
Slash parts.
And he also believed that the wounds support the two shooter theory.
The prime character witness was Alex's surviving son, Buster.
And he testified in overwhelming support of his dad.
And family relationships were good and he wouldn't do something like this.
And Buster's presence had a humanizing effect for Alex.
And the fact that he was willing to stand up for his dad illustrated the potential that he was the good father Buster claimed him to be.
But if Buster was an accomplice, I imagine he would stand up for his dad because he wouldn't want to go to jail either now, would he?
So on February 23rd Alex took himself to the stand and he testified for about 10 total hours over the course of two years.
And during direct examination, Alex firmly denied guilt, saying, quote, unquote.
But after denying his presence at the kennels, he finally admitted that he had been lying this whole time and confirmed that it was actually his voice heard on the kennel video.
And when asked why he had deceived investigators, he blamed it on paranoid thinking from his opioid addiction.
And after he had lied once, he continued to lie.
And in his version of the events that he relayed for jurors.
He arrived home, spent time around the property with Paul and then took a shower just before Maggie got home.
And shortly after dinner Maggie invited him down to the kennels and he didn't go immediately but followed shortly after.
And he came back to the house and sat for a little bit before heading to his mom's house.
He went, returned home, and only then found the bodies after 10 p.m.
And Alex broke down on the stand as he described the events, saying quote And one thing he wanted to make very clear is that he loved his wife and son and would never do anything to hurt them.
And when it came time for Prosecutor Waters' cross-examination, he came out swinging, immediately challenging Alex's credibility. he accused alex of his seemingly natural ability to bend the truth saying quote you've been able to lie quickly and easily and convincingly if you think it'll save your skin for well over a decade unquote oh that stinks noting that he willingly deceived those close to him for years to protect himself and he also commented on the convenience of this new story of alex's Saying, quote, unquote.
To which Alex replied, quote unquote, coupling this deceptive framing with his financial schemes, which he admitted were true and done to support his addiction, which only soured jurors' views of him.
Because years prior, Alex had spent upwards of 50000 a week for his opioid addiction, which is Crazy.
But that was just another thing on top of all the financial crimes and everything else.
He also had an opioid addiction to oxycodone specifically.
And several jurors didn't even need Walters to convince them.
And one even admitted, quote, when he got on the stand, I was like, okay, so it was him.
I don't know him, so I never knew his voice, but I realized it was him in the kennel video.
And that just kind of sealed the deal, unquote.
And another juror stated that they quote were able to read right through unquote, Alex's emotional outbursts while on the stand.
And many felt it was a mistake for him to testify as, quote, he didn't help himself, unquote.
And deliberations would be quick.
So in addition to the more standard courtroom drama, there were a few notable moments.
A bomb threat was phoned into the courthouse on February 8th, forcing an emergency evacuation and recess in the trial.
I can't help but think that Alex had something to do with that, but whatever.
And as the fourth week of the trial began, two jurors were dismissed after testing positive for COVID.
And this left only three alternates, but Judge Newman decided to continue on requesting that people mask up.
And Alex received a misdemeanor arrest warrant against him for an unknown offense on February 24th and allegedly it had to do with a contraband violation, possibly a book that was handed to him when it was not supposed to, or something.
And on March 1st the jury got to take a field trip to see the crime scene in kennels at Moselle.
Before closing arguments were given
I didn't know that was a thing, but that's very interesting, and I think that's very good.
And finally, on March 2nd, the infamous egg juror that asked to grab a dozen eggs they had left in the courtroom was actually dismissed by Judge Newman for discussing the case outside of the courtroom, which you're not allowed to do.
But all these moments aside, Waters gripped the jury's attention during closing arguments.
And he reaffirmed that Alex was the only person with the motive, means and opportunity to carry out the murders, the jury to hold him accountable for all his lies.
Alex is a master liar, he claimed, one who is trying to fool the jury.
Quote, he fooled Maggie and Paul and they paid for it with their lives.
Don't let him fool you too, unquote.
Another mic drop moment.
This guy needs an Oscar.
Except he's not acting, he's being real as fuck.
And Jim Griffin offered the defense's response, arguing that the prosecution hadn't done their one job to prove Alex's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
And he again pointed to a sloppy investigation, contaminated evidence and lack of actual direct physical proof that Alex had committed these crimes.
And he appeals to common sense because he believes that will lead the jurors to acquit.
And Jim argued that Alex loved his family and that it makes no sense for someone to go out and get caught committing a murder to distract from getting caught for financial crimes.
Quote if there is any reasonable cause for you to hesitate to write guilty, then the law requires you to write, not guilty unquote.
And the state gets the last word with John Meter's closing rebuttal.
And he also argues that the jury should use, quote unquote, common sense.
And he recognizes that they didn't leave it behind when the trial started.
Common Sense says that Alex didn't go to his mom's because he loved his mom.
No, he went because he loves Alex and wanted to create his alibi.
Common Sense says that Alex took Maggie's phone, threw it out the window as he drove and texted it as he went away.
He ultimately said that he believes Alex loved his wife and son, but he loves himself more and the self-love caused him to perpetually lie.
Quote, the state requests that it stop here. find him guilty, unquote.
Another mic drop moment.
So on March 2nd, 2023, the jury deliberated for less than three hours.
That's not a lot of time.
If you read a lot of cases like I do, that's literally like a minute in jury, in jury hours.
And they returned with a guilty verdict on all counts for the murder of Maggie, for the murder of Paul and for both counts of possessing a weapon during a violent crime, in the deaths of both Maggie and Paul.
And Alex showed almost no visible sign of emotion as a verdict was delivered and the once mighty lawyer had essentially lost everything.
And the defense instantly moved for a mistrial, but Judge Newman shut it down saying, quote the evidence of guilt is overwhelming unquote, and cheers erupted in and out of the courtrooms at the conviction.
Justice has been done, and Attorney General Alan Wilson exclaimed, quote, a great day for the people of South Carolina.
Today's verdict proves that no one no one, no matter who you are in society is above the law unquote.
And the verdict was seen as having given a voice to Maggie and Paul and people everywhere, especially all the victims of Alex, whether it was in death or financially.
So within 24 hours of the verdict, court was reconvened in the presence of judge newman for sentencing, but before the punishment was revealed, alex affirmed his innocence one more time, saying quote good morning, your honor, And Judge Newman responded that maybe it wasn't him in his own mind, maybe a creature come from the opiates, but the jury found otherwise.
And he doesn't question the state's decision not to pursue the death penalty, but he comments that people have received it for less than what Alex did.
And Alex was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, served back-to-back in state prison, which was the maximum sentence.
And the weapons charged also added a five-year term for each charge, which ran concurrently.
And the defense makes sure to note they will appeal the decision.
So Alex Murdoch away for the rest of his miserable goddamn life. as he deserves.
He is a waste of oxygen human being.
In my opinion, I mean, he's guilty.
I genuinely, in looking at this case, think he is extremely guilty.
And there's been so much coverage on this case as well.
There's multiple docuseries about it on HBO Max and Netflix.
And I think it's Something just came out on Hulu as well.
So if you want even more and to get more interviews and everything, you can watch those as well.
But in watching it it's just like it's really sad.
The corruption and just the elite taking advantage of the system and then just treating human beings like they're nothing, just to gain sympathy to, to distract it's just, it's.
It's horrible, it's horrifying and I'm really glad the justice system did their job.
But yeah he, he absolutely got what he deserved.
And in even newer news, the Mallory Beach boat crash settlement was finally complete and the wrongful death suit finally concluded for the Beach family.
In 2024, after Alex's conviction, he settled a lawsuit and the boat insurance company agreed to pay 500 000 to the Beach family for their loss and hardship.
And also in 2023, they managed to settle their suit with parker's, the convenience store that paul bought the alcohol from, for 15 million dollars.
And the family says it was never about the money, of course, just about their beloved mallory.
But i'm sure the 15 million really helps out.
So i'm really glad that they got something out of that.
But yeah, alex murdoch will remain in prison for the rest of his miserable life.
And the most significant development is the pending Supreme Court appeal, potentially bolstered by criminal charges, against Becky Hill, who testified in Alex Murdoch's trial but was found wrongful in her testimony.
So that's a whole other thing that's going on.
And the Stephen Smith case remains one of South Carolina's most frustrating unsolved mysteries, despite renewed attention and resources.
But that is it. for the Murdoch murders and everything else involved.
The Murdoch crime dynasty.
This was a very big one.
A lot of you guys asked me to deep dive into this one, so I appreciate that.
If you have any other cases you want me to deep dive into, let me know down below.
Could be, conspiracy could be.
You know crime could be cults.
You know crime conspiracy cults, serial killers, murders.
You know that's how it goes.
So please let me know what else you want me to deep dive into.
And until then, please stay safe and stay beautiful.
And I will see you in the next one.
All right.
