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Alex Murdaugh indicted for murders of wife Maggie and son Paul after 'troubled marriage' is revealed

'It is one of the areas that is being looked at,' a source close to the murder investigation said, referring to the marital rift between Maggie Murdaugh and Alex Murdaugh
UPDATED JUL 15, 2022
Paul Murdaugh and his parents Maggie and Alex Murdaugh in happier times (Facebook/Maggie Murdaugh)
Paul Murdaugh and his parents Maggie and Alex Murdaugh in happier times (Facebook/Maggie Murdaugh)

Update: Alex Murdaugh was indicted on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime after allegedly killing his wife and son. The court made this decision on July 14, Thursday. The news comes more than a year after his wife Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and son Paul Murdaugh, 22, died at family's hunting estate in June 2021.   

The South Carolina Grand Jury indicated that they believed that Murdaugh possessed both a rifle—which they allege he used to kill his wife—as well as a shotgun, which they believe he used to kill his youngest son.   

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ISLANDTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: On June 7, Margaret ‘Maggie’ Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found shot and killed on their family estate. As per reports now, Maggie and her husband Richard Alexander ‘Alex’ Murdaugh, prominent South Carolina attorney, may have been having marital troubles at the time of the double murder.

As per the Associated Press, deputies in Colleton County found the mother and son duo dead from gunshots on the property near Islandton around 10 pm on June 7. They were shot several times and their bodies were found near a dog kennel, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said. 

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Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a separate charge of boating under the influence, causing the February 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Her body was found seven days after the crash. The Murdaugh family has strong connections to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which serves Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties.

Almost a month since the deaths, police have still not named any suspects in the double homicide. Maggie’s husband Alex reportedly was the one to find his wife and son's bodies and called 911 from the scene. Alex was named a person of interest. But he is believed to have been visiting his ailing father in the hospital the night of the murders three days before his father died of natural causes. As per a FITS News report, multiple law enforcement and prosecutorial sources with direct knowledge of the investigation said that Alex remains a focus of the inquiry to this day. Attorneys close to the family have also said that Alex is “cooperating fully” with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and that he is not a suspect.

Maggie and her husband Alex Murdaugh. (Facebook/Maggie Murdaugh)

The news report also said that multiple sources close to the family have described Alex and Maggie’s marriage as “troubled”. The report also noted that there is “plenty of gossip and speculation -- both locally and among the state’s legal community -- but nothing concrete to confirm.” A source close to the inquiry told the news organization about their alleged marital problems, “It is one of the areas that is being looked at. It might not end up being the most promising lead, but it is being followed upon as part of the investigation.” Lowcountry criminal defense attorney Susan Williams told WIS News that in her 17 years of practicing law, she had not seen a case that has garnered as much attention across the country as this one. “Someone from law enforcement said the public should not be in fear. And no one has been arrested to date, and so it doesn’t make sense to me,” Williams said. “I’m sure there is an explanation for that -- that’s plausible, but just as a member of the general public, I don’t understand it. We’ve got two murders in Colleton County and we’ve got no arrests.”

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