Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Police Arrested The South Carolina Lawyer Who They Said Planned His Own Killing For An Insurance Payout

Police Arrested The South Carolina Lawyer Who They Said Planned His Own Killing For An Insurance Payout

Alex Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina lawyer at the center of multiple investigations, was charged with insurance fraud after police said he planned his own killing for a $10 million insurance payout for his son.

Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina lawyer, was arrested Thursday for allegedly planning his own killing so that his son could get an insurance payout, three months after his wife and other son were fatally shot at their home.

Murdaugh, 53, was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report, according to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

He turned himself into the Hampton County Detention Center on Thursday morning and is awaiting a bond hearing scheduled for later in the day.

Murdaugh is now at the center of multiple investigations related to his alleged misuse of funds at his law firm, as well as the 2018 death of his housekeeper and the 2015 death of a teenager near the family's property.

Authorities alleged that Murdaugh conspired with his former client, Curtis Smith, to "assist him in committing suicide" so that Murdaugh's son, Buster, could collect a $10 million insurance payout.

Curtis Smith


Smith is alleged to have shot Murdaugh in the head with a gun provided by Murdaugh on the side of a rural road on Sept. 4. Murdaugh survived the shooting with a superficial wound and initially lied to authorities, claiming he had been shot by a passerby in a pickup truck.

Smith, 61, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery, and insurance fraud.

Murdaugh's lawyers said that he wanted to "end his life" after being depressed and struggling with an opioid addiction following the killings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh — who was awaiting trial on charges of drunk driving a boat that crashed and killed a 19-year-old woman in 2019.

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were fatally shot on the family's hunting lodge in Islandton in June. Authorities have not arrested any suspects in the case, and Murdaugh's lawyers have denied that he had any involvement in their killings.

They claimed that Murdaugh planned his own killing after mistakenly believing that his other son, Buster, would not receive the $10 million policy if he died by suicide.

A day before Murdaugh's shooting, he was pushed out of his law firm after they discovered his alleged misuse of millions of dollars — most of which, his lawyers said, he spent on buying opioids. Authorities are investigating the alleged misuse of funds.

The Murdaughs: Paul Murdaugh (left), Maggie Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh, and Buster Murdaugh.


In a new twist on Wednesday, SLED also opened a criminal investigation into the death of the Murdaugh family's housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018 in an alleged "trip and fall accident."

The Hampton County Coroner requested SLED to investigate Satterfield's death after it was not reported to the coroner's office at the time and because her manner of death was listed as natural, which was "inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident."

Authorities have also opened a new inquiry into the unsolved death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found on a road 10 miles from the Murdaugh home in 2015.

"I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations," SLED Chief Mark Keel said in a statement on Thursday. "The arrests in this case are only the first step in that process."

The killings, bizarre twists, and multiple investigations in the case have prompted scrutiny into the Murdaughs' powerful legal dynasty in the region. Three generations of the family have served as state prosecutors spanning eight decades.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
×