The fall of the prominent Murdaugh family: A timeline of deaths, embezzlement and an insurance scam

Alex Murdaugh is brought into the courtroom on January 29, 2024, for a hearing at the Richland County Judicial Center in Columbia, South Carolina, to determine whether he will receive a new murder trial over allegations of jury tampering by the clerk of court. (Credit: Andrew J. Whitaker/AP via CNN Newsource)

For 87 years, the Murdaugh family name came to represent a legal dynasty in coastal South Carolina, where three successive generations controlled the local prosecutor’s office.

But the family is now closely connected to a bloody tragedy, embezzlement and a bizarre murder-for-hire plot to score millions in life insurance.

It all centres on the actions of Alex Murdaugh, who stood trial for the 2021 murders of his wife and son. He was found guilty in March 2023 in a closely watched case and sentenced to life in prison.

Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed for a new trial based on allegations of jury tampering; legal briefs have been filed but it’s unclear when the state Supreme Court will consider the case.

In addition, Murdaugh, an attorney who was later disbarred, pleaded guilty to dozens of federal and state charges of financial crimes related to a wide-ranging scheme to bilk his law firm, clients and the government out of about US$9.3 million, according to the state attorney general.

Here’s a timeline of all the twists and turns in the Murdaugh family saga:

1920-2006

Over three generations, a member of the Murdaugh family has served as the 14th Circuit Solicitor, which leads prosecutions for Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties in the southern part of South Carolina.

Randolph Murdaugh Sr. was elected to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in 1920 and served in the position until his death in 1940.

His son, Randolph Murdaugh Jr., took over the position and served until his retirement in 1986.

Murdaugh Jr.’s son, Randolph Murdaugh III, was elected to the role in 1987 and served through the end of 2005.

Murdaugh III’s son, Alex Murdaugh, worked as an attorney at the law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, known as PMPED.

In 2006, then-Gov. Mark Sanford appointed attorney Duffie Stone to serve as the 14th Circuit solicitor, making him the first non-Murdaugh in the position. He has been elected to the position five times since, most recently in 2024, according to the solicitor’s website.

2018

Gloria Satterfield, a longtime housekeeper for the Murdaugh family, dies in what is described as a “trip and fall accident” at the Murdaugh home, according to attorney Eric Bland, who represented her estate.

After Satterfield’s death, a US$500,000 wrongful death claim was filed against Alex Murdaugh on behalf of her estate, Bland said.

2019

A boat crashes at a bridge near Parris Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, on Fe. 24, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach, according to the South Carolina attorney general in documents obtained by CNN.

Six people were on board at the time, including Alex Murdaugh’s 19-year-old son, Paul. Murdaugh owned the boat.

Stone recuses himself from the case because of personal connections.

Paul Murdaugh is indicted in April on charges of boating under the influence (BUI) causing great bodily harm and causing death in connection to the crash, court records show. He pleads not guilty.

Summer 2021

June 7: The chief financial officer at Alex Murdaugh’s namesake law firm, PMPED, confronts him about US$792,000 in missing funds.

That night, Murdaugh calls 911 and reports he found his wife Margaret (known as Maggie), 52, and son Paul, then 22, shot dead outside their home in Islandton, a small community about an hour north of Hilton Head Island, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Murdaugh tells officers he was not at the crime scene that night. He says he had visited his ailing mother in Almeda and returned to find his wife and son dead.

June 10: Randolph Murdaugh III dies peacefully at his home at age 81, according to his obituary.

June 15: SLED releases basic information about the June 7 killings, saying Alex Murdaugh called 911 at 10:07 p.m. and investigators collected evidence that night and the next morning.

June 17: Alex Murdaugh’s brothers, John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV, speak to “Good Morning America” about the killings. They say Alex called them “distraught” with the news that his wife and son had been shot. They say they do not believe their brother is involved.

June 22: SLED reopens an investigation into the unsolved death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose body was found on a road in Hampton County in 2015. The agency says the case is being reopened based on information gathered while investigating the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

June 25: Alex Murdaugh and his other son, Buster, announce a US$100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the killings of Maggie and Paul.

July 22: SLED releases redacted audio of Alex Murdaugh’s 911 call the night of the killings. In the audio, a distraught Murdaugh advises dispatchers his wife and son had been shot, are on the ground and are not breathing.

Aug. 11: An investigator with SLED sharply questions Murdaugh and intimates he is a suspect in the killings. Murdaugh again denies killing them.

Stone, the solicitor, writes a letter to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson saying he intends to recuse himself from the Murdaugh death investigations, CNN affiliate WCSC-TV reports.

Sept. 2021

Sept. 3: Alex Murdaugh resigns from the law firm PMPED, according to the firm.

Sept. 4: Murdaugh calls 911 and reports he was shot early Saturday afternoon on a road in Hampton County, according to a SLED spokesman. He was taken to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, where he was treated for a “superficial gunshot wound to the head,” the statement said.

Sept. 6: Murdaugh releases a statement through his attorney, Dick Harpootlian, to WCSC saying he is resigning from the law firm and entering rehab. Murdaugh’s other attorney, Jim Griffin, says his client has an opioid addiction.

Sept. 7: The law firm says Murdaugh resigned “after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies.”

Sept. 8: The South Carolina Supreme Court issues an order suspending Alex Murdaugh’s license to practice law in the state.

Sept. 10: A family spokesperson issues a statement about Alex Murdaugh’s shooting that indicates the injury was more serious than a superficial wound. The spokesperson also says an unknown person was to blame.

“Alex pulled over after seeing a low tire indicator light. A male driver in a blue pickup asked him if he had car troubles, as soon as Alex replied, he was shot,” the statement said.

Sept. 13: SLED releases a statement announcing it has opened an investigation into Alex Murdaugh for allegedly misappropriating funds at his law firm.

Sept. 14: Court documents allege Murdaugh’s roadside shooting was part of an arrangement in which he hired a former client to kill him so Murdaugh’s surviving son could collect a life insurance payout of about US$10 million.

Curtis Edward Smith, 61, who allegedly shot Murdaugh, was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, according to SLED.

Sept. 15: SLED announces it is opening a criminal investigation into the Feb. 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield, the housekeeper for the Murdaugh family, and the handling of her estate.

Sept. 16: Alex Murdaugh is arrested in connection to an insurance fraud scheme that court documents say involved Murdaugh arranging for his own killing. He is charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report, according to a law enforcement statement.

Sept. 22: Connor Cook, a survivor of the 2019 boat crash, files a lawsuit against Murdaugh claiming the former attorney attempted to orchestrate a campaign to falsely blame him for the crash. Cook also alleges Murdaugh should have been aware his underage son, Paul, had alcohol issues and should not have been allowed to use his boat.

Sept. 26: The PMPED law firm issues a statement claiming Murdaugh “lied and stole from us.” The firm says no member was aware of “Alex’s scheme” or his drug addiction.

Sept. 28: The children of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh family housekeeper who died in 2018, file a motion for Murdaugh’s arrest and detention until the money he allegedly embezzled from her estate is returned. The estate has not received any of the money owed as the result of a 2018 civil settlement, the estate’s attorney says.

Oct. 2021

Oct. 6: Murdaugh’s law firm announces it is suing him to recover funds he allegedly stole from clients for his own personal use, according to a statement from the firm.

Oct. 14: After being released from a drug rehabilitation centre, Alex Murdaugh is arrested in Orlando on suspicion of misappropriating settlement funds in connection with Gloria Satterfield’s 2018 death, authorities said.

He is charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, according to SLED.

Oct. 16: A pair of affidavits are released that allege Alex Murdaugh coordinated with the family of Gloria Satterfield, his former housekeeper, to sue himself for insurance money that he then pocketed for himself.

Oct. 26: Attorneys for the estate of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh’s housekeeper, say they’ve reached a settlement with his former law firm.

Nov. 2021

Nov. 12: Alex Murdaugh cites privilege against self-incrimination in declining to respond to allegations by his former law firm that he converted firm and client money to his own personal use, according to court filings.

Nov. 19: South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office announces a state grand jury has issued five indictments with a total of 27 charges against Alex Murdaugh alleging he defrauded and laundered almost US$5 million.

The indictments include four counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent; seven counts of obtaining signature or property by false pretenses; seven counts of money laundering; eight counts of computer crimes; and one count of forgery.

Dec. 2021

Dec. 10: Seven indictments with another 21 criminal charges are filed against Murdaugh for allegedly defrauding victims of millions of dollars, according to the state attorney general.

Dec. 14: Murdaugh agrees to a $4.3 million settlement with the family of Gloria Satterfield, his former housekeeper, according to family attorney Eric Bland.

2022

Jan. 21: Alex Murdaugh is charged with 23 more crimes in four new indictments returned by a grand jury, the state attorney general said.

The fresh indictments allege Murdaugh stole more than US$2.2 million meant for four clients. The new charges include 19 counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent and four counts of computer crimes.

March 16: Murdaugh is indicted on four more crimes, including conspiracy and false statement or misrepresentation in an insurance transaction, related to a scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies, according to the attorney general.

June 3: South Carolina law enforcement officials announce they sought and received permission from the family of Gloria Satterfield, Murdaugh’s housekeeper, to exhume her remains.

The exhumation stems from a Hampton County coroner’s request that led to the state law enforcement division opening a criminal investigation into Satterfield’s death.

“The decedent’s death was not reported to the Coroner at the time, nor was an autopsy performed. On the death certificate the manner of death was ruled ‘Natural,’ which is inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident,” the coroner’s request to the law enforcement division said.

June 28: Murdaugh and former acquaintance Curtis Smith are indicted on two counts of criminal conspiracy by a state grand jury, according to the attorney general. The indictment alleges Murdaugh gave Smith hundreds of checks over a number of years totaling about $2.4 million.

Smith is also indicted on charges of money laundering, forgery, drug trafficking and drug possession, the attorney general’s office says.

July 12: The South Carolina Supreme Court disbars Alex Murdaugh, according to an order released by the court.

July 14: Alex Murdaugh is indicted on two counts of murder and two weapons counts in connection with the 2021 killings of his wife and son, according to authorities.

July 20: Murdaugh pleads not guilty to murder.

Aug. 19: Murdaugh is indicted by a grand jury on nine charges, including four counts of obtaining signature or property by false pretenses, three counts of money laundering and two counts of computer crime, the attorney general says.

Dec. 16: Murdaugh is indicted on nine counts of tax evasion for failing to report more than US$6.9 million in income he earned through illegal acts, the attorney general says.

2023

Jan. 25: Murdaugh’s trial for the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul begins in Walterboro, South Carolina.

In opening statements, prosecutor Creighton Waters says Murdaugh killed his family as a “gathering storm” was set to expose his vast financial crimes. Defence attorney Dick Harpootlian says the state’s accusations are filled with “theories” and “conjecture.”

Feb. 1: Prosecutors play video taken by Paul Murdaugh on the night he was killed in which Alex Murdaugh’s voice can be heard in the background, contradicting his claim he was not at the crime scene that night.

March 2: After weeks of testimony in the murder trial, jurors deliberated for less than three hours before returning guilty verdicts on all four charges Murdaugh was facing – two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime. He is sentenced the next day to life in prison.

March 9: Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys file a notice of appeal of his murder conviction.

March 21: The death of Stephen Smith, whose body was found in the middle of a road in 2015, is being investigated as a homicide, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division told CNN on Tuesday. The agency announced two years earlier it was reopening the case based on information it learned while probing the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

April 2: Stephen Smith’s body was exhumed over the weekend and an autopsy conducted, family attorney Eric Bland says. Smith’s family raised more than US$100,000 to put toward the exhumation and a private autopsy in what his mother described on a GoFundMe page as a “fight for justice.”

May 24: A federal grand jury indicts Alex Murdaugh on 22 counts for alleged financial schemes to obtain money and property from his personal injury clients.

Aug. 15: Cory Fleming, a former South Carolina attorney and longtime friend of Alex Murdaugh, is sentenced to nearly 4 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with Murdaugh to defraud Gloria Satterfield’s estate.

Sept. 5: The South Carolina attorney general asks SLED to investigate claims of jury tampering during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial. It comes after Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a court motion demanding a new trial and alleging the clerk of court tampered with the jury.

Sept. 14: Cory Fleming is sentenced to an additional 10 years on state charges related to stealing settlement money from the estates of Gloria Satterfield and Hakeem Pinckney, whose family hired Murdaugh after he was severely injured in a car crash in 2009. Pinckney died two years later.

Sept. 21: Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to the 22 federal financial crimes for which he was indicted in May.

Oct. 17: The South Carolina Court of Appeals grants Alex Murdaugh’s motion to suspend his appeal and send his murder case back to circuit court to consider allegations of jury tampering by Becky Hill, the court clerk during his trial.

October 27: Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys file a motion for a new trial, asking a judge to hold an evidentiary hearing on their allegations of jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill. “When those facts are proven, the court must grant a new trial,” the motion reads.

Nov. 17: Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to dozens of state financial charges and waives his right to appeal. The financial crimes he is accused of include embezzlement, computer crime, money laundering and tax evasion related to schemes to defraud victims of millions of dollars.

Nov. 28: Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to 27 years in prison for the state financial crimes.

2024

Jan. 29: A South Carolina judge rules Alex Murdaugh will not receive a new murder trial, despite his allegation the court clerk tampered with the jury that found him guilty in March 2023. Judge Jean Toal says the clerk made improper comments to the jury but the comments did not influence the verdict.

March 25: Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill resigns. Her attorney, Justin Bamberg, says her resignation is not in response to any investigation.

April 1: Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to 40 years for the federal financial crimes he pleaded guilty to in September.

Aug. 13: The South Carolina Supreme Court agrees to hear Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of the January ruling that he would not receive a new trial.

Oct. 15: Alex Murdaugh settles a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Mallory Beach, the teenager killed in the 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh’s son Paul. Under the agreement, an insurer will pay the US$500,000 policy Murdaugh had on the boat, according to The Associated Press.

2025

May 14: Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill is arrested and charged with obstructing justice and two counts of misconduct, and one count of perjury, related to Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial. SLED had been investigating Hill over allegations of jury tampering in the trial; Murdaugh’s legal team requested a new trial based on those allegations, which she has repeatedly denied.

Aug. 11: Prosecutors submit a 182-page filing on why Murdaugh’s murder conviction should stand and he should not get a new trial, arguing a Colleton County jury convicted the disgraced attorney because he was “obviously” guilty.

Sept. 9: Alex Murdaugh’s legal team files its reply to the prosecutors’ filing, alleging corruption, prosecutorial misconduct and jury tampering.

Sept. 28: Alex Murdaugh’s former banker, Russell Laffitte, is sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and financial crimes. The charges are related to helping Murdaugh hide millions in stolen settlement funds from the disgraced attorney’s clients.

Oct. 13: Russell Laffitte is sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to state felony charges including breach of trust, computer crime and conspiracy. The charges relate to helping Alex Murdaugh misappropriate hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to Murdaugh’s former clients.

Dec. 8: Becky Hill pleads guilty in Colleton County Circuit Court to four charges: obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter sealed crime scene photos and then lying about it, and two counts of misconduct for taking bonuses and using her public role to promote a book she wrote about the Murdaugh trial. Judge Heath Taylor sentences Hill to three years of probation.