The Murdaugh Mysteries | Full Episode

foreign [Music] [Music] there used to be weeks back in the good old days when I had to find something to write about here in this quiet little town I'm Michael DeWitt Jr managing editor at the Hampton County Guardian and then these Murdoch incidents began and things haven't been quiet since then attorney Alec Murdock said he was shot in the head while changing a tire on this road in Hampton County South Carolina then police arrested 61-year-old Curtis Smith police say Murdoch hired Smith to kill him he wanted you to kill him yeah he wanted me to kill him to make it look like a suicide may happen why did you agree to sit down with us I think people should hear my side of it you'll hear a lot more from Curtis Smith the man accused of shooting high-profile attorney Alex Murdoch right here on this Rural Road in Hampton County South Carolina just one incident in a bizarre and tragic series of deadly events touching the Murdoch family the shooting of Alex Murdoch comes nearly three months after his son and his wife were both found shot in college and County First there's the double murder of his wife and son Maggie and Paul Murdock Alex told investigators he came home and found him they were both shot multiple times it's not Alex Murdoch do we really know who Alex Murdoch is I think we thought we did up until the double homicides we thought that Alex murdick was a this prominent wealthy entitled attorney when you are from a family that has been prominent for Generations it comes with access and connections when Maggie and Paul Murdock were found dead who were the most likely Suspects two common theories that were going around was one Alex murder has something to do with it did he murder his wife and son no does he have any idea who did no solitary was this was somehow related to the boat crash that killed teenager Mal allegedly drunk and there's six of us and one is missing okay who's missing female Mallory bam who was driving the boat you all know Alex Murdock that's his son good luck that's what he indicated that he couldn't be touched never set foot into jail do you feel that Mallory has gotten Justice I don't that's just that's just hard to answer all I ever wanted was for him to get on the stand and say I'm sorry then there's another incident with a connection to the murdochs the mysterious death of 19 year old Stephen Smith his body was found in a roadway with a wound to the Head the rumors were that there were several young men in a truck The Only Name that was given to me was the murder name and of course everybody's kind of to say that out you know what I mean I don't think anybody will be charged with Stephen Smith's homicide shot this past weekend himself of all the theories swirling around Maggie and Paul's murders what's the lead Theory today now I'm hearing more popular theories that he was somehow involved in this this is like a whodunit playing out in real time on the internet in the age of social media like a John Grisham novel come to life we're now in the third act and things have gotten weird how will it end with this story anything can happen [Music] thank you [Music] Paul Murdoch and his mother both found shot to death the shooting of Alex Myrtle Alex Murdoch was shot in the head over the weekend disgraced lawyer Alex Murdoch surrendered to Authority today one story practically dominated the new cycle in South Carolina's Low Country since 2021. it's a series of cases that the locals have dubbed the Murdoch Mysteries all somehow with the connection to a prominent and Powerful local attorney Alex Murdoch my wife and Tommy but how did it come to this Michael DeWitt editor of the Hampton County Guardian part of the gannet USA Today Network says Alex Murdoch came from a family that over Generations grew Deep Roots and amassed power and influence in this part of South Carolina the Murdoch's built an Empire of sorts here in the Lowcountry it began over a century ago when the family established a law firm three generations of Murdoch men also held the public office of solicitor the chief prosecutor Alex didn't continue that tradition Alex inherited the last name and the red hair and very little of the talent Alex worked as a volunteer prosecutor in the office but primarily he made a good living in the family law firm he married his college sweetheart Maggie and they had two sons Buster and Paul they lived the good life spending time at their 1700 acre estate and two private islands they have now generations of political power and political support and contacts and access and with access comes power Seth Stoughton is a law professor at the University of South Carolina a powerful legal family in small town South Carolina has a lot of levers they can pull but in sept like someone was out to challenge that power with what appeared to be an attempt on Alex Murdoch's life according to his lawyer Alex Murdoch told investigators he was changing a flat tire right here on this Rural Road when a person in a pickup truck passed by asked Alex if he was having car trouble and then shot him in the head when I turned my back they tried to shoot me they shot me but incredibly just 12 Days Later on September 16th Alex Murdock appeared in court for allegedly trying to plan his own death by conspiring with this man Curtis Smith to shoot him did you shoot Alex Murdoch no when did you first meet Alex Murdoch about 35 years ago Smith a handyman says he is a distant cousin of Murdoch but only got to know Alex well a few years ago and says he started doing odd jobs for the family we talked on phone most days as chatting back and forth by different things you've described Alex as like a brother to you you're like a brother Jimmy Smith was released on Bond and now faces six felony charges in the shooting of Alex Murdoch Murdoch will face three charges in the shooting but with several ongoing investigations and lawsuits looming many wonder when and how this steep Fall From Grace will end Alex Murdoch's world unraveled and unraveled quickly it all started says DeWitt back in February 2019. things began unraveling for the Murdoch family with the boat crash we're in a boat crash on Arthur's Creek it was about 2 20 a.m six young friends who had been partying crashed a boat into a bridge one of them was 19 year old Paul Murdock there's six of us and one is missing another was 19 year old Mallory Beach who disappeared that morning who's missing a female Mallory beats the business she's in the water she was just this wonderful fun-loving happy girl and everybody loved her Lynn Revis and her niece Mallory were extremely close you always got a hug hello and a huggaba and the last thing she told me was she loved me as investigators later learned the Fatal night began around eight hours earlier at the Murdoch family's River home on a private island then 19 year old Paul Murdock gathered five friends for a night of partying among them were Connor Cook Connor's cousin Anthony cook and Anthony's girlfriend Mallory Beach all were underage say investigators and all were drinking alcohol just before they gathered Paul Murdoch used the ID of his brother Buster to buy beer at this convenience store and if you look at the video footage when Paul comes out of the store he's holding the beer up he's celebrating shortly after gathering at the river home they boarded the Murdoch family's boat and took off investigators with South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources would later use data from the boat's Garmin navigation system to create a timeline of events that led to the fatal crash around 8 PM the group arrived at a party at a house on the river just after midnight the six of them boarded the boat and headed toward downtown Beaufort Paul and Connor decided to go into this bar for a drink was very persistent not going up early dares and getting shot passenger Miley Altman later told police in this interview that the rest of them didn't want Paul to go in the person who he's strong they went in pounded a couple of shots somewhere around 1 30. see the video footage of them leaving the boat dock it appeared as if a couple of them were very intoxicated it was kind of a sad touching moment when you see Mallory and her boyfriend I think it's the last moment that anybody captured an image of her alive it was around 1 15 a.m when they took off again on the boat I was just driving doing donuts Miley Altman told investigators tempers were running short so Connor starts driving for a little bit and then Paul like he like stops Connor and he's like no this is Mama like let me drop that's all the bridge coming what Bridges Paul what bridge is this [Music] First Responders dash cam video captured the Mayhem uh where's everybody else at the bridge at the bottom of the bridge everybody was accounted for except uh we're still missing one what's her name everybody was crying scared shot just worried about their friend then Beaufort County deputy sheriff Stephen Domino was one of the first on the scene Paul Murdoch wasn't saying much but Mallory's very distraught boyfriend Anthony cook was talking to Deputy Domino after Domino got Anthony into his patrol car Paul Murdoch came into sight he was walking up from where the boat was right there away from me he actually tried to rush through me to get to Paul because I guess he saw him smiling or all smiling while Anthony's girlfriend's missing in the water correct well you funny that's when Anthony cook definitively identified the person he said was driving the boat you all know Alex Murdock that's his son good luck that's what he indicated that he couldn't be touched are you talking about Alex Murdoch's son good luck foreign tell me about February 24th 2019. I had got a phone call at about five o'clock that morning and my sister was calling to tell me that Mallory was lost that she had been in a boat crash and they couldn't vote Lynn Revis says erniece Mallory had already been missing for nearly three hours when her family finally learned the news but not from police one of my cousins had called our mom and wanted to know if she knew about the boat crash that Mallory had been in it everybody's on their way they all went to where it happened and I just couldn't go the search went on for days there was people from other states that came and they wanted help on the eighth day two volunteers Brothers found Mallory's body about five miles down the river from the crash site I was at home and someone called and said they had found her and I fell apart many in Hampton County were grieving says Michael DeWitt hundreds of people attended her funeral there were so many people it took like four hours to greet everybody I've never seen so many people Lynn says even the murdochs were there Paul was at Mallory's funeral and they even went to the to the cemetery when we buried her at the end of the weeks after that we're just waiting is someone going to make an arrest is there going to be a admission of guilt or responsibility they might never happen to Mallory the beach family filed a wrongful death suit against members of the Murdoch family now the beach family could depose the survivors about what led to the Fatal boat crash Paul was allegedly acting rash and Reckless those children say that They begged for him to stop and They begged just let us out and he refused and Mallory said she was scared yes and that hurts my heart then she was so terrified in her deposition Paul's then girlfriend Morgan Doty said Paul and I got into an argument because I didn't take his side he slapped her and spit on her she said and kept leaving the boat's wheel to fight with her whenever it was done she said he would go back and take over again authorities believe all that movement explains the last moments recorded by the boat's Garmin device at 2 20 am the Garmin recorded the boat slowing down and then speeding up seconds later the Garment shows the boat coming to an abrupt stop when it struck up piling over here at archers Creek Bridge in his deposition Connor Cook said that the morning of the crash he held back from telling investigators that Paul was driving the boat because he was afraid and while at the hospital being treated for a broken jaw he says he was told by Alex Murdoch that he didn't need to tell anyone who was driving Alex reportedly went from room to room to try to communicate with the other boat crash passengers and get them all on the same page a hospital security guard said he overheard Alex Murdoch on his cell phone say she's gone don't worry that hurt when I read that because we were asleep did not know anything what's going on instead of worrying about who's driving the boat let us know I think that from day one Ground Zero the effort was what can we do to get Paul out of this in fact in a recent lawsuit Connor Cook claims Alex Murdoch tried to frame him as the driver of the boat not Paul how can we create a cloud of confusion and say can you prove who was driving the boat at the hospital Paul Murdoch's blood alcohol level was tested by doctors treating him several hours after the crash the 19 year old was three times over the legal limit and was allegedly still acting out he was getting belligerent with the the nurse's staff according to court records just being loud and Troublesome but that morning and for weeks to come many felt that Paul Murdoch was not treated like a suspect in a crime we didn't think he was going to be charged why because it was taken so long we just didn't think we'd see that day and then for it to happen on our birthday nearly two months after the boat crash on what would have been Mallory's 20th birthday Paul was charged with three felony counts including boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs and causing the death of Mallory Beach he pleaded not guilty an officer of the Court came forward with handcuffs to a formerly arresting fingerprinting and they were waved away like we don't need that you know so he was never handcuffed in his booking photograph Murdoch is wearing his street clothes were you surprised that Paul Murdock never spent a day in jail I don't know how it happened um my personal opinion yes Bond was set at fifty thousand dollars and we see from news reports after this that Paul continued to live his lifestyle how you doing sir about a year later Paul got a speeding ticket while towing a boat the reason I pulled you over you were booking it yeah okay I got you at 78. 78 yes two years after charges were filed there was still no trial date set when on June 7th 2021 Alex Murdock called police and said he'd found his wife and son Paul shot dead Maggie and Paul Maggie is her name yes ma'am and please hurry [Music] June 7th 2021 as Paul Murdoch was awaiting trial in the death of Mallory Beach a fuselad of gunfire erupted on the Murdoch Family Estate at 10 07 PM a panic sounding Alex Murdoch called 9-1-1 saying he had just arrived home to find his wife of nearly 28 years Maggie and their son shot is he moving at all your son I know you said that she was shot but what about your son nobody's they're not neither one of them First Responders rushed to the Murdoch family hunting lodge a sprawling 1770 acre property in Colleton County but it was too late 52 year old Maggie and her 22 year old son Paul were dead this place of Refuge where the family had spent their free time hunting and enjoying the outdoors where Paul had honed his shooting skills alongside his father and brother was now a gruesome crime scene describe the reaction of the community after the double homicide shock a lot of people know them so there was grief and and dismay from a lot of people Mallory Beach's aunts Lynn Revis was one of those people the thought of the horror that they went through I cried who would want to kill a mother and son that's what I can't stop thinking that we've thought about it too things like that shouldn't be happening in our little community but what happened in this little Community soon became vocational investigation into this double homicide continues and an international news a series of family tragedies began in June the South Carolina law enforcement division known as sled the state's top investigative agency took over the case the Colleton County coroner estimates that they were killed between 9 and 9 30 PM they were found fairly close to one another on the ground near the dog kennels was said to have spent a lot of time at the kennels with the hunting hunting dogs sources tell media that Maggie was killed with some type of automatic rifle like an AR-15 of some sort and Paul was killed with a shotgun and they were both shot multiple times Prime the South Carolina law enforcement division hadn't named any suspects but that didn't stop social media sleuths from espousing theories one Alex murder has something to do with it secretary was this was somehow related to the boat crash somebody wanted Justice that they didn't think they would get in the courts in relation to the boat crash I Alex claims to have an airtight Alibi he was at the hospital visiting his sick father when the shootings took place but Alibis can be deceiving says Professor Stoughton sometimes the person behind the murderer is not the same person as the one who pulls the trigger you think there could be a Hitman possibly we've certainly seen other cases where there are hired Killers Hired Guns I wouldn't want to suggest that is the case here but sometimes people are smart about how they do bad things some are asking if Alex hired the man now accused of shooting him did Alex ever try to hire you as a hitman no did you kill Maggie or Paul Murdoch no at a recent hearing I questioned the Murdoch family attorney dick harputlian about the double murder did he murder his wife and son no does he have any idea he did no recent reports about The Murdoch marriage have raised questions about a possible motive People magazine which cited unnamed law enforcement sources claimed it Maggie and Alex did not have a good relationship and they were going to get a divorce and she was Consulting with the Allentown attorney trust me I was with them for almost two years always affectionate always courteous you just a picture of a domestic Bliss and what about the oldest motive in the book money they didn't have any insurance they did not have they had no insurance they had no insurance okay getting to the truth in this case will be a challenge says Professor Stoughton investigators are going to have a hell of a time sorting through all of the possible explanations and motives given the different contacts and connections here I do not envy them that job as investigators were attempting to untangle the snarls of evidence in the double murders they came across yet another case with the connection to the Murdoch's the mysterious death of Stephen Smith foreign just 15 days after the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdock sled made a stunning announcement they had found information while investigating the double murders that led them to open a new investigation into an old case the mysterious death of 19 year old Stephen Smith tell me who is Steven Smith Steven Smith was a young man living in Hampton County he had a sister they were twins openly gay and well-liked Stephen attended the same high school as Buster Murdoch they were in the same class but apparently traveled in different circles neither friends nor enemies after graduation Buster went to college to study government and international Affairs Stephen went to a community college to pursue his dream of becoming a nurse but all those dreams came to a sudden halt here on this two-lane Country Road sometime in the early morning hours of July 8 2015. what happened to Stephen has been the subject of rumors and speculation ever since Hampton County 911 where's your emergency uh passerby calls 9-1-1 I see somebody laying out and is it in the road or on the side of the road yeah somebody boy he didn't talk Stephen Smith was found dead at the scene from blunt force trauma to the Head Steven's yellow Chevy was found roughly three miles away his wallet inside the gas cap unscrewed initial reports by the highway patrol claimed Stephen ran into car trouble and was likely walking when he was struck and killed by a vehicle but recently released audio interviews shows some officers on the case did not agree with that hit and run Theory nothing at the scene appeared that it was a vehicular accident this is the voice of Trooper David Rowell walk both shoulders of the Highway East down West looking for any evidence didn't see anything that appeared to be vehicular involved there was no vehicle debris no broken headlight or or paint scrapes or anything when someone is hit by a car they're very frequently knocked out of their shoes Steven Smith's Shoes were still on when he was found they were still on and they were loose it certainly raises questions as to whether hit and run is the right conclusion [Music] I believe the hit and run scenario either the only damage to his body was his head when someone is struck by a car going at speed and I don't mean 70 miles an hour I mean even something like 25 30 35 miles an hour you fly bodies get pushed a long way the body rolls and moves and there's there's Road burn there's rash marks there's evidence often on the road Sandy Smith told Michael Dewitt's newspaper she believed her son was murdered she believed it was a hate Crown related in some way to his sexuality and in our interviews with her she pleaded to the public if anybody knows anything please I want answers investigators like Trooper Todd Proctor spent months talking to Steven's friends family and possible love interests trying to get those answers that I've talked to so far about kept coming up over and over again Steven's sister Stephanie heard that name multiple times I went into the store and a bunch of people kept coming up to me and they're like did you know the Murdock boys are behind it neither brother has ever been named a suspect and the Murdoch family attorney has not responded to 48 Hours request for comment on the Smith case but Smith family attorney Andy Savage said publicly the focus on the Murdoch family may be unfounded quote there are suspects we have in sight that are unconnected to Murdoch the pathologist ruled the blunt head trauma that killed Stephen could have possibly come from contact with the side view mirror of a passing truck former Trooper Todd Proctor told Fox News he didn't believe it then and he doesn't believe it now it looked like it was more staged um like possibly the body had been placed case was never solved and went cold until the house of Murdoch came crumbling down one brick at a time and it's almost been a case of episodic television where tune in this week and we'll see what's next from Hampton County home of the murdochs [Music] foreign [Music] on September 6 2021 two days after being shot Alex Murdoch found himself once again making front page news when he stunned the World by releasing this statement I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret he said and announced he was leaving the law firm Alex Murdoch put out a statement saying he's going into rehab Alex Murdoch was now saying he has been addicted to opioids for two decades a surprise to many the idea of a 20 year old serious opioid addiction does not seem consistent with Alex Murdoch's successful practice as an attorney it wasn't only claims of drug abuse now staining Murdoch's reputation Murdoch has also been accused of stealing Millions from his own law firm and was asked to resign the day before he was shot Friday the law firm has a come to Jesus meeting with him we know you're allegedly stealing money you're out Saturday the reported shooting Monday Alice releases the statement saying I'm going into rehab [Music] then came Murdock had allegedly hired Curtis Smith he says it was to make his suicide look like murder so his son Buster could collect a 10 million dollar insurance payout I believe one of the initial statements was that because he did not know whether his life insurance would pay out in the event of a suicide he's a lawyer who is perfectly capable of reading his insurance policy Murdoch's confession Send Curtis Smith to jail for two days and until he posted a 50 55 thousand dollar bond for his alleged role in the shooting and another five thousand dollars for possession of methamphetamine found in his home when he was arrested they just arrested me based on what he said according to Curtis higher Curtis says he found a desperate man holding a gun he's then it would like this he said yeah you got to take care of this and I said well I can't do it he told me he turned his head I just grabbed his arm put it by his head to the gun for me Curtis says the gun went off in the struggle but he managed to take it from Alex and dispose of it then he got out of there as fast as he could why did you leave the scene I didn't know anything else do he was alive he was alive and the gun was out of his hand Curtis Smith's defense attorney Johnny McCoy some people would think call the police call someone well Alex Murdoch is the police he's a prosecutor Curtis didn't report anything because there's no crime if he saved his life on September 16 2021 facing charges of insurance fraud conspiracy and filing a false police report Alex Murdoch turned himself in no plea has been entered yet the fact that a Murdoch sat in a chair in a jumpsuit with handcuffs is something I've never seen in my lifetime despite the serious charges against him Alex Murdoch was released on twenty thousand dollars Bond and allowed to go back to rehab in Florida while there investigators were looking into all of his business dealings when the list of missing money and suspicious deaths orbiting Alex Murdoch's World grew longer and now included this woman Gloria Satterfield Gloria was the housekeeper for the Murdoch family for more than 20 years Ronnie Richter is an attorney for the she literally helped raise Alec murdaugh's Sons Paul and Buster in 28 2018 the 57 year old died after a trip and fall accident at the Murdoch estate the very same property where Maggie and Paul would be found dead in 2021 what's been reported is that she was at the house that day on the front steps the dogs got a little rambunctious and gave her a push and she fell down the stairs back then satterfield's death was not questioned instead it was ruled natural and no autopsy was ever performed there's nothing natural about a 57 year old woman falling down a flight of steps and dying from head trauma at Gloria's funeral Murdoch did something very odd says Richter he recommended satterfield's son's file a wrongful death lawsuit against him Alex even steered them toward an attorney his former college roommate and Paul Murdoch's Godfather Corey Fleming a lot of trust was placed in both Alec and in Corey to do the right things and it really went South from the outset court documents show a 4.3 million dollar payout by Alex's insurance company but none of the money ever went to Gloria's family where did that money go well allegedly it went into Alex Murdock's pocket [Music] on September 15 2021 sled announced they were opening a criminal investigation into satterfield's death and the handling of her estate then on October 14th another twist in the Alex Murdoch case the new criminal charges the disgraced lawyer is facing Alex Murdoch then faced two felony charges Four's alleged role in the Satterfield insurance fraud no plea was entered in this case either but this time a judge ordered Alex Murdoch to be held without bond he's been in Richland County jail since October 16 2021 and the family of Mallory Beach hope Murdoch is investigated for obstruction of justice in the investigation into Mallory's death [Music] this is where Mallory is buried foreign of Mallory Beach there's just days where you just want to cry all day long The Grieving continues what would Justice possibly look like for your family now suit would be settled so we can get on with their lives because Mallory died almost three years ago and every time these stories come out like it happens all over again [Music] thank you charged with the murder of his new wife's two children did your father Chad dabel play any role in killing JJ and Tyler his children speak out together if he didn't kill them then why were their bodies found buried in her father's backyard 48 hours Saturday on CBS

Channel: 48 Hours

Views: 7,358,966

Keywords: 48 hours, cbs news, Alex murdaugh, Murdaugh mysteries, Murdaugh murders, lowcountry, south carolina, true crime, paul murdaugh, maggie murdaugh, mallory beach, alex murdaugh case, the murdaugh mysteries, murdaugh

Id: YIBe2LybGcQ

Length: 42min 2sec (2522 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 24 2023