Major update as Alex Murdaugh indicted for murder of wife & son found dead at hunting lodge after his chilling 911 call
DISGRACED attorney Alex Murdaugh has been indicted for the murders of his wife and youngest son in a shock twist after he called 911 to report their deaths.
Murdaugh, a member of an infamous legal dynasty, was officially indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Maggie and 22-year-old Paul on Thursday.
The 54-year-old is already jailed on dozens of charges including a scam to fake his own death.
The state's attorney general's office has not released any details on how police linked Murdaugh to the deaths after a 13-month investigation.
'BLOOD SPATTERED SHIRT'
However, a source told on Thursday that blood spatters were found on his clothing — suggesting he had been close to at least one of his family members when they were shot.
The source confirmed an earlier report by , which said that a significant amount of high-velocity impact spatter was found on the shirt Murdaugh wore that night.
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It “could have only come from one thing,” a source told the local outlet, which has broken numerous stories in the case while producing a podcast, “Murdaugh Murders.”
On Wednesday, the show said that video footage was discovered placing the once powerful lawyer at the murder scene.
The video was recovered from his deceased son’s phone, a source told CNN.
Although Murdaugh was not seen in the video, he was heard talking to his wife — with a timestamp showing it was just before the slaying, when the lawyer claimed to be visiting his ailing dad and checking on his mom, CNN reports.
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'IT'S BAD'
On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh called 911 after he found Maggie and Paul shot multiple times on their hunting lodge property in rural Colleton County.
On the day of the murders, authorities said Murdaugh sounded deeply upset and agitated when he called 911, immediately identifying himself and telling the operator his “wife and child have been shot” on his property.
“I’ve been up to it now. It’s bad,” Murdaugh said.
Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey revealed that Maggie and Paul were found on the ground near the family dog kennels, and both died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The disgraced lawyer and his attorneys have repeatedly denied any role in the deaths.
However, a South Carolina grand jury charged Murdaugh with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon.
State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said agents and city officials had worked tirelessly to build a case against the person "responsible for the murders of Maggie and Paul".
He added that Thursday's indictment is "one more step in a long process for justice for Maggie and Paul.
More details may be released in a bond hearing, which has not been scheduled.
MURDAUGH FACING DOZENS OF CHARGES
Murdaugh has been behind bars on a $7million bond, facing dozens of charges, including financial crimes and faking his own death in an attempted life insurance scam.
In September 2021, Alex allegedly hired a hitman to kill him so that his remaining son "Buster" could collect life insurance money.
He also admitted to a secret 20-year opioid addiction.
It comes after a string of scandals for the high-profile family.
MYSTERIOUS DEATHS
The reputable South Carolina family first made headlines in 2019, when the then-teenage son Paul was involved in a boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
He had allegedly been driving the boat that crashed, flinging the teen girl from the vessel.
Her body was found seven days later.
The group on the boat had been "grossly intoxicated," according to police, even though they were all underage and could not legally buy alcohol.
Paul's family’s ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into the teen's death was done properly.
ROADSIDE MYSTERY
Questions also arose about the unsolved roadside death of Stephen Smith in 2015.
The body of 19-year-old Smith was found on Sandy Run Road early on the morning of July 8, 2015.
Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head, but some of the responding troopers confidently reported that the injuries were .
The SLED reopened the Smith case after discovering information in the investigation into the double homicide of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
Though no members of the Murdaugh family have officially been tied to Smith, investigators were repeatedly directed towards Buster Murdaugh being someone that law enforcement should question in connection to Smith's death, according to investigative files from Highway Patrol.
Case files indicated 10 of 18 people interviewed had mentioned Murdaugh possibly being involved, according to
No details have been released as to why the Smith case was reopened.
HOUSEKEEPER'S DEATH
Last month, South Carolina authorities announced they will be exhuming the body of former Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield to investigate her death further.
Satterfield died in 2018 after allegedly tripping and falling in the Murdaugh home, where she had worked for two decades.
Last year, SLED announced it was opening a criminal investigation into her death.
Hampton County requested further investigations after the coroner noted inconsistencies in the conclusion of Satterfield's cause of death and information found during the agency's ongoing investigations into Murdaugh's wrongdoings.
"The decedent's death was not reported to the Coroner at the time, nor was an autopsy performed," the coroner's request to SLED said at the time.
"On the death certificate, the manner of death was ruled 'Natural,' which is inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident."
According to court documents, Murdaugh told Satterfield's sons that he was personally responsible for the fall and that he would "sue himself" so that they would be financially taken care of.
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The family said they had never received any money from him three years later.
Last September, Satterfield's sons filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Murdaugh.