It looks like each time we flip round, a brand new documentary is being made concerning the epic rise and fall of the Murdaugh household. Investigation Discovery has completed a bit on it, and HBO Max has additionally completed a restricted collection on the South Carolina legislation household. Now, with the precise trial of Alex Murdaugh simply concluded, Netflix has grabbed its piece of the scandalous story of large fraud, abuse of energy, and in the end a double homicide. Of all of the iterations which have come down the pike over the past 12 months, this one is by far one of the best. Nothing has modified since every part went to hell in a handbasket for the household that has been synonymous with wealth and energy within the Low Nation space of the state for over 4 generations, however by ready a little bit longer to inform its story, Netflix has been capable of collect virtually all of the tangential gamers concerned within the sordid story and inform a extra knowledgeable and complete account of all of the horrible issues that the Alex Murdaugh and his household have been concerned with in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
The Murdaughs Had been the Regulation and Generally, Above It
Because the institution of their legislation agency in 1910 (by the patriarch Randolph Murdaugh), the Murdaugh household has primarily been the legislation in Hampton County, South Carolina. From a community of solicitors, to legal professionals, to legislation enforcement officers and parole officers, should you had any sort of legislation and order problem, there was a great likelihood the Murdaugh household was in some way concerned. A sensible man as soon as mentioned, “With nice energy comes nice accountability.” When you might have such overwhelming authority, there are certain to be circumstances the place that energy is abused or utilized in a method that may be thought-about immoral or fallacious. By the point Alex rolled round, his household was so deeply ensconced and interwoven throughout the judicial system, it had change into a home of playing cards prepared to return tumbling down. And it began to rear its ugly head with Alex’s alcoholic teenage son, Paul. And on this Netflix model of how the wheels got here capturing off, the documentary filmmakers Jenner Furst and Jennifer Willoughby Nason do a terrific job of illustrating simply how troubled the Murdaughs had been. Notably Alex and his youngest son, Paul
The Boat Wreck on Beaufort River
Within the first episode of the Netflix documentary characteristic, we return to February 2019, when Paul Murdaugh was gathering his interior circle of buddies to exit for an oyster roast get together. There have been about 5 youngsters that took to ingesting early that fateful day to the purpose of extra. And it was Paul, who had a popularity for being an alcohol abuser and an offended drunk that gathered his crew onto his boat later that night time. It could change into a life and dying determination as candid interviews with Paul’s greatest buddy, Anthony Cook dinner, and his girlfriend Morgan Doughty recalled a belligerent Paul driving his boat recklessly beneath the affect as night time fell on the South Carolina Low Nation and the Beaufort River. Alcohol bought illegally was flowing on a chilly night time because the cooler on the boat was filled with beer and liquor.
Paul, as these closest to him element, had change into very inebriated and confrontational as per typical when he was severely intoxicated. Near 2 within the morning, after refusing to surrender management of the boat, he plowed right into a bridge, and his buddy, 19-year-old Mallory Seashore, went overboard and was discovered lifeless over every week later The interview along with her father is extremely tough to observe. Everybody was in a state of shock, however the very first thing Paul wished to do was name his highly effective father and grandfather to deal with the state of affairs on the hospital. It was one thing too large to maintain a deal with on and was the primary thread that may unravel the highly effective legislation household that was royalty within the state. And Netflix has in-depth interviews with all of the individuals concerned within the incident and their households speaking about how the Murdaughs had each lawman on the town of their again pocket from the get-go.
The Suspicious Demise of Stephen Smith in 2015
On July 2015, Stephen Smith was discovered in the midst of a rural freeway in Hampton County, lifeless. The documentary goes into by no means earlier than heard or seen element concerning the myriad of questions that instantly arose concerning the nature of the dying. It had been known as an accident, however every part concerning the physique and the way it was discovered screamed that it was something however an accident. Rumors started to flow into that the younger man discovered on the highway beneath suspicious circumstances was presumably concerned in a gay relationship with Alex’s different son, Buster, who was a number of years older than Paul. The collection does a deep dive into how when it was believed to be an unintentional hit-and-run, the neighborhood rallied across the grieving household of the younger man, however when the title “Buster Murdaugh” entered the dialogue, immediately every part grew to become way more secretive. Details about Stephen Smith and the character of his relationship with a member of the Murdaugh household and in the end his premature demise grew to become very exhausting to return by. Some might simply counsel that sure channels of legislation enforcement and the judicial system had immediately grown silent about the entire state of affairs. It’s closely implied via rigorous interviews with key gamers and observers that Alex intervened as soon as once more to cowl it up.
Fraud on a Large Scale
When he wasn’t busy making an attempt to cowl up a possible homicide cost levied towards his sons, Alex was busy committing virtually each sort of insurance coverage and wire fraud possible whereas additionally feeding a heavy, 20-year opiate habit. It was uncovered in 2020 that Alex had stolen insurance coverage funds meant for beneficiaries and funneled them into his personal account. When all is claimed and completed, it’s estimated that Murdaugh illegally transferred and misappropriated settlements of greater than $8.5 million, from individuals he was employed to signify — virtually $300,000 of which was from his personal brother. One other $5 million was meant for the sons of the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who additionally died beneath suspicious circumstances in 2018 at one of many Murdaughs’ residences. Prosecutors allege that Alex made out 437 checks to bogus individuals and shell firms with the intention to keep away from reporting earnings to the federal government. Quite a lot of the cash he stole was used to fund his Oxycontin habit and for playing in Las Vegas. Murdaugh would later be disbarred by the South Carolina Authorized Council, and each step of the way in which, the Netflix docuseries is uncovering new information and opinions from well-informed sources.
The Murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh
In June 2021, police arrived on the scene of the Murdaughs’ Moselle farmhouse and searching property to search out the our bodies of Alex’s spouse, Maggie, and his son, Paul. Each had been lifeless from gunshot wounds, however what made this double murder uncommon is that they every appeared to have been shot with completely different weapons. And these are the murders that Alex Murdaugh is in the end charged with. The collection goes in-depth with legal professionals concerned within the case as they talk about all of the issues that got here collectively to position the disgraced former lawyer on the scene on the time of the murders. The latest jailhouse cellphone calls made by Murdaugh about his state of affairs and trial are additionally revealed in unearthed footage. They reveal conversations that had by no means been fleshed out as totally within the earlier documentary characteristic iterations of the scandal that led to the downfall of the red-headed, blue-blooded silver spoon that managed to take over 100 years of authorized prominence and energy and flush all of it down the bathroom in lower than a decade. Within the closing line of the documentary, Murdaugh is overheard on a jailhouse name asking, “Is Netflix making a film out of this?” A terrific little bit of irony to shut out the three-episode collection. He has pled not responsible, and on the time of writing this text, the 54-year-old disgraced former lawyer has simply been discovered responsible of the murders of his spouse and son.
