It looks like each time we flip round, a brand new documentary is being made in regards to 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 the perfect. Nothing has modified since the whole lot went to hell in a handbasket for the household that has been synonymous with wealth and energy within the Low Country space of the state for over 4 generations, however by ready just a little longer to inform its story, Netflix has been in a position to 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 Were the Law and Sometimes, Above It
Since 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 attorneys, to legislation enforcement officers and parole officers, should you had any kind of legislation and order concern, there was a superb probability the Murdaugh household was by some means concerned. A sensible man as soon as stated, “With nice energy comes nice duty.” When you might have such overwhelming authority, there are certain to be instances the place that energy is abused or utilized in a approach that might be thought-about immoral or improper. By the time Alex rolled round, his household was so deeply ensconced and interwoven throughout the judicial system, it had grow to be 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 taking pictures off, the documentary filmmakers Jenner Furst and Jennifer Willoughby Nason do a terrific job of illustrating simply how troubled the Murdaughs had been. Particularly Alex and his youngest son, Paul
The Boat Wreck on Beaufort River
In the primary episode of the Netflix documentary characteristic, we return to February 2019, when Paul Murdaugh was gathering his inside circle of pals to exit for an oyster roast get together. There had been about 5 youngsters that took to consuming early that fateful day to the purpose of extra. And it was Paul, who had a repute for being an alcohol abuser and an offended drunk that gathered his crew onto his boat later that evening. It would grow to be a life and loss of life determination as candid interviews with Paul’s greatest good friend, Anthony Cook, and his girlfriend Morgan Doughty recalled a belligerent Paul driving his boat recklessly below the affect as evening fell on the South Carolina Low Country and the Beaufort River. Alcohol bought illegally was flowing on a chilly evening because the cooler on the boat was stuffed with beer and liquor.
Paul, as these closest to him element, had grow to be very inebriated and confrontational as per regular when he was severely intoxicated. Close to 2 within the morning, after refusing to surrender management of the boat, he plowed right into a bridge, and his good friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach, went overboard and was discovered lifeless over per week later The interview together with her father is extremely troublesome to look at. Everyone was in a state of shock, however the very first thing Paul needed to do was name his highly effective father and grandfather to deal with the scenario on the hospital. It was one thing too huge to maintain a deal with on and was the primary thread that might unravel the highly effective legislation household that was royalty within the state. And Netflix has in-depth interviews with all of the folks 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 Death of Stephen Smith in 2015
On July 2015, Stephen Smith was discovered in the course of a rural freeway in Hampton County, lifeless. The documentary goes into by no means earlier than heard or seen element in regards to the myriad of questions that instantly arose in regards to the nature of the loss of life. It had been referred to as an accident, however the whole lot in regards to 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 below suspicious circumstances was presumably concerned in a gay relationship with Alex’s different son, Buster, who was just a few 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, abruptly the whole lot turned way more secretive. Information about Stephen Smith and the character of his relationship with a member of the Murdaugh household and in the end his premature demise turned very laborious to return by. Some might simply counsel that sure channels of legislation enforcement and the judicial system had abruptly grown silent about the entire scenario. It is closely implied by way of rigorous interviews with key gamers and observers that Alex intervened as soon as once more to cowl it up.
Fraud on a Massive 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 kind of insurance coverage and wire fraud conceivable whereas additionally feeding a heavy, 20-year opiate dependancy. 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 folks he was employed to signify — virtually $300,000 of which was from his personal brother. Another $5 million was meant for the sons of the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who additionally died below suspicious circumstances in 2018 at one of many Murdaughs’ residences. Prosecutors allege that Alex made out 437 checks to bogus folks and shell firms as a way to keep away from reporting earnings to the federal government. A number of the cash he stole was used to fund his Oxycontin dependancy and for playing in Las Vegas. Murdaugh would later be disbarred by the South Carolina Legal Council, and each step of the best way, the Netflix docuseries is uncovering new info 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 looking property to seek out the our bodies of Alex’s spouse, Maggie, and his son, Paul. Both had been lifeless from gunshot wounds, however what made this double murder uncommon is that they every appeared to have been shot with totally different weapons. And these are the murders that Alex Murdaugh is in the end charged with. The collection goes in-depth with attorneys concerned within the case as they focus on all of the issues that got here collectively to put the disgraced former lawyer on the scene on the time of the murders. The most up-to-date jailhouse telephone calls made by Murdaugh about his scenario and trial are additionally revealed in unearthed footage. They reveal conversations that had by no means been fleshed out as completely 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. In the ultimate 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.