Murdaugh Murders Saga: Are Suspected Marital Problems Factored In Criminal Investigations?

Last week, People magazine published an “exclusive” cover claiming the marriage of the South Carolina lawyer Alex murdaugh and his late wife, Maggie Murdaugh, was on the rocks before his violent death four months ago. Written by KC Baker, the story detailed how Maggie Murdaugh “looked happy and carefree in the photos she posted of the family at weddings, balls and yacht club events – her in fancy dresses and her husband and sons , Buster, 26, and Paul, 22, fine – tailored tuxedos.

“But appearances, especially on social media, aren’t always what they appear to be,” Baker wrote.

According to Baker’s sources, the Murdaughs were “miserable people” behind the varnish of their “black ties and evening dresses”.

For example, one of Baker’s sources recalled that the couple attended a baseball game at the University of South Carolina just two days before Maggie and her youngest son, Paul murdaugh, were brutally murdered on family owned Lowcountry hunting property.

At the match, Maggie Murdaugh “looked aggravated” and was “mad” like her husband and eldest son, Buster murdaugh, made several trips to the bar for drinks, witnesses told Baker.

“While Alex and Buster went to the bar at least four times for a drink, Maggie sat quietly next to a young blonde woman,” recalls one of these witnesses.

Barely 48 hours later, Maggie Murdaugh and her youngest son were dead …

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“Paul Murdaugh was reportedly killed by a pair of shotgun blasts – one in the chest and another that hit him in the arm and head,” I reported at the time, citing my network of sources. responsible for law enforcement and prosecution.

This information has since been publicly confirmed by health officials to be the cause of Paul Murdaugh’s death – one of the few details about the still unsolved crime that has been made public.

As for Maggie Murdaugh, she was reportedly shot dead by a semi-automatic rifle at or around the same time that her son was killed.

Who killed the mother and the son? And why?

The investigation into these murders – and at least five other active criminal investigations involving Alex Murdaugh, his influential family and the powerful law firm he founded decades ago in Hampton, SC – are under investigation by officers from the SC State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Despite these investigations potentially tipping over into dangerous waters, the head of SLED Mark Keel vowed his agency would pursue justice for victims “no matter where the facts take us.”

“Keel’s promise was bold given where some of these probes could potentially lead – and given some of the powerful people who could possibly be involved in these investigations,” I noted last month.

And that was before I knew how deep that rabbit hole could go …

(Click to view)

(Via: Columbia SC Photographers Travis Bell)

Still, sources familiar with the various investigations assured me Keel (above) meant exactly what he said.

“No stone will be overlooked,” one source told me bluntly – a statement they reaffirmed following my recent report linking Alex Murdaugh to an alleged drug trafficker.

Obviously, I have heard similar reports alleging problems in the Murdaugh marriage. In fact, on July 4, 2021, I published a detailed (and a truly ‘exclusive’) report on these so-called marital issues – and the role they may play in various criminal investigations.

“Significant speculation continues to swirl around Alex Murdaugh – particularly regarding what several sources close to the family have described as a difficult marriage with his late wife,” I noted at the time.

While refusing to speculate on the status of union, I noted that “the marital status of the Murdaughs – whatever it was – is an area of interest in SLED’s ongoing double homicide investigation. “

“This is one of the areas that is being examined,” a source close to the investigation told me over the weekend of July 4. “This may not be the most promising lead, but it is being followed up as part of the investigation.”

Is this still the case?

Readers will recall that Maggie Murdaugh’s cell phone was recovered by investigators from a road in Colleton County on June 8, 2021 – the day after the murders. He was quickly sent to SLED’s crime lab in Columbia, SC for forensic analysis along with many other items recovered from the crime scene (and nearby).

The contents of Maggie’s cell phone are once again interesting considering a statement released by spokesperson for Alex Murdaugh following the People story – a statement that refuted his suggestion that the couple’s wedding was on the rocks.

“The most recent allegations of People magazine regarding the state of Maggie and Alex Murdaugh’s marriage is totally inconsistent with what friends and family have told us, ”the spokesperson said. Plus, we’ve reviewed many years of text messages on Alex’s phone, and the conversations between Alex and Maggie portray a very loving relationship. We hope the media will continue to focus on covering the story. investigate the person (s) responsible for the murder of Maggie and Paul and not to report salacious stories without credible sources linked to the Murdaugh family.

Wait a minute …. “Many years of texting on Alex’s phone?” “

Have these “several years of SMS” been given to investigators?

One could certainly hope so … especially considering that Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys told me he was “fully cooperating” with investigators after being identified as a “person of interest” in connection with the investigations. murders of his wife and youngest son.

Of course, Murdaugh’s lawyers have Many times provided the media with patently false information – particularly following a bizarre roadside shooting incident that took place in Hampton County a month ago in which Alex Murdaugh appears to have attempted to put end of his life so that his son can collect on a $ 10 million life insurance policy.

Murdaugh and a co-conspirator have since been charged with criminal charges in the case. Meanwhile, a civil case related to a 2019 boating accident involving the Murdaugh family has recently escalated, and the family remains at the center of an ongoing statewide investigation into whether any of their members attempted to obstruct justice as a result of this accident. , who killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach of Hampton, and which resulted in the filing of several criminal charges against the late Paul Murdaugh.

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SLED is also criminally investigating two previous suspicious family-related deaths – the unsolved 2015 murder Stephen smith, a friend of Buster Murdaugh, and the 2018 death of Gloria satterfield, the housekeeper of the family in Hampton, SC The Satterfield case further exposed what appears to be an elaborate contrivance erected and orchestrated by Murdaugh and various co-conspirators for the purpose of defrauding family members of the late housekeeper of the money they were entitled to receive in connection with a wrongful death settlement.

Rabbit holes everywhere, right?

Of course, the most publicized investigation remains the one aimed at identifying the person or persons responsible for the double homicide of June 7, 2021.

So … the allegations raised in the People article an important part of this investigation?

Not really. Several sources close to the investigation told me at the end of last week that nothing had changed on this front since they spoke to me in early July. Certainly, the Murdaugh’s marital status – whatever it is – has continued to garner attention as investigators advance their “blunt” mantra. However, as of this writing, it remains unlikely that the alleged marital discord between the Murdaughs will end up being the most successful avenue of investigation linked to the homicides themselves.

Even if such discord existed, sources familiar with the situation have indicated that there is nothing at this stage to suggest that she may have played a role as the primary motive for the crime.

In addition to the presence of what one source described as “more promising leads” related to the double homicide, there is no indication that investigators have obtained verifiable information regarding the Murdaughs.‘ alleged domestic issues – including reports that Maggie Murdaugh visited a divorce lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina, six weeks before she was killed and started “medical accounting. – legal “from her husband‘finances.

Sources close to the investigation have acknowledged that these reports “could very well be true”, but nothing at this point to suggest that any evidence has been offered to prove their veracity.

Stay tuned to this media for the latest developments on the various criminal and civil cases related to Alex Murdaugh, his family and his former law firm.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Via: FITSNews)

Will people is the founding editor of the newspaper you are reading now. Prior to founding FITSNews, he was press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children. And yes, he has a LOT of hats (including the San Diego Padres cover pictured above).

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