South Carolina’s Most Corrupt Family: An In Depth Look Into the Murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh
50:14 Share

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. So happy to have you here with me today to discuss another case. And this one we have already discussed and we have a lot of new updates to go over here today. So today we're going to be talking about...

the alec murdoch trial and the case overall which how do you really sum it up into words i have gotten so many requests to talk about the updates in this case and go over the recent trial which was very long and there was so much information packed into that trial that it's taken me a while to pull all this together and today's video is going to be

A part two to the first Alec Murdoch video that I did over the summer, really covering the whole Murdoch family. And I will have that linked below if you want to check it out today, we're going to be kind of recapping a few things and then leading us up to the trial, which I will be covering next week because it was way too much to try and fit all in one video. This has been such a wildly interesting case to follow from start to finish.

and I have been truly captivated by it. There are really multiple cases here all wrapped up together with this family, the Murdoch family. I'm sure many of you have heard of this case and this family. The trial was watched by millions of people. And like I said, there's a lot to go over here. So let's just dive in.

So first of all, before I even get into this, I know a lot of people are under the impression that his name is Alex Murdoch. It's actually Alec Murdoch. I'm not sure why he spells Alec Murdoch.

A-L-E-X. Maybe that's a thing. I don't know. I've never seen anyone do that, but that's his name. And people first started really hearing about the Murdoch family back when they reached headlines on February 24th, 2019, when Paul Murdoch, the youngest of the Murdoch boys, was involved in a drunk boating incident that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

I went over this in my first video. So again, if you want more details, definitely check that out. But for those of you who are already familiar with this case, you already know that Mallory was...

a very loved, wonderful, kind, young person who was ejected from this boat after it crashed into a pylon. And it took a week for her body to even be recovered. It was incredibly sad, just traumatic for the whole community, for her family and friends especially. She was, like I said, a very loved person who had a bright future ahead of her and that was all stolen by Paul Murdoch deciding to drive his boat drunk.

And that was the first event to put the Murdochs in the spotlight, but it definitely wasn't the last. I mentioned last week that Netflix has recently come out with a documentary, a three-parter so far. I believe they're going to add more to it, maybe. But it's called The Murdoch Murders, A Southern Scandal. And it goes through the event of the boating incident very thoroughly and has tons of interviews from everyone involved and their families. We also went over the boat crash pretty in depth in 302.

The first video I did on the Murdoch family, again, that will be linked below. We also went over what was known about Maggie and Paul's murder. At the time, Alex staged suicide attempt, as well as details regarding his financial crimes. But this video in particular, we are going to be focusing on the murder of Paul and Maggie. We'll also be going over the alleged motive for this crime, the incidents before and after the murders that point to Alex's guilt, and introduce you to how the trial was conducted.

expected to unfold. So we're going to start here with June 7th, 2021. 22-year-old Paul Murdoch and 52-year-old Maggie Murdoch lost their lives that day in a shooting attack on their property on Moselle Road. At 10.06 p.m., a frantic 911 call comes in from Alec Murdoch stating that he had just found his wife and son badly shot on their hunting property near the dog kennels. And I'm going to go ahead and play that for you now.

Yes, sir. Stay on the line with me, okay? Okay.

- Call into County Communications. - Collison, I have an Alex Murdock on the line. Caller from 4147 Mosel Road. He's advising that his wife and child was shot. - I've been up to it now, it's bad. - Okay. Okay, and are they breathing?

No, ma'am. Okay, and you said it's your wife and your son? My wife and my son. Is he breathing at all? No. Is she? Okay, do you see anything? Do you see anyone in the area? No, ma'am. What's your name? My name is Alex Murdoch.

Okay, did you hear anything or did you come home and find them? I've been gone. I just came back. Okay, and was anyone else supposed to be at your house? No, ma'am. Okay, I don't want you to touch them at all, okay? I don't know if you've already touched them, but I don't want you to touch them just in case they can get any kind of evidence, okay? I already touched them trying to see if they were breathing. Okay.

Okay. Well, I just don't want you to move anything just in case they can get any kind of evidence. Okay. When that 911 call was released to the public, it was heavily redacted. And we have learned two very important things from this call.

The first being that he was not there at the kennels when the shooting happened. The second being that he had touched their bodies when he was checking for a pulse. And once the unredacted version came out, Alec also floated the idea that the attack was related to the boat crash. And he also stated that Paul had recently been receiving a lot of threats. And this was a really crucial piece of the story that he was telling. And when I say story, I mean that intentionally.

Because, as you will learn, telling a story is exactly what Alec was doing. Sergeant Daniel Green with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office was first to arrive at the scene following the 911 call, and the body cam footage shows a seemingly distraught Alec Murdoch, to say the least.

In this footage, he can be heard telling the deputy that he went and got a gun, even though the 911 operator asked that he remain unarmed when the officers arrived. And what's important to remember here about Alec going to grab a gun is that any gunshot residue that was found on his hands could possibly be explained by transfer particles from this weapon, which becomes important later on.

Sir, I wanted to let you know because of the scene, I did go get a gun and bring it down here. Okay, it's in your vehicle? Do you have any guns on you at all? No, sir, it's leaning up against the side of my car. You're fine, man, you're fine. Turn around for me. I don't have any guns. Okay, yes, sir, I see that. Okay, this is your wife and son? And son. Okay. It's a bang.

But it's what he said immediately after this that really struck people as odd. Just like he mentioned on the 911 call, Alex starts offering up the boat crash immediately as an explanation for why this could have happened. And while of course there is no right or wrong

wrong way to grieve in a situation like this. Many people have found this to be rather strange because officers hadn't even asked him to give any sort of explanation. In fact, they asked him specifically about the gun he brought to the scene, but instead he redirects the conversation to the boat crash, almost like he really wants them to start this investigation with that in mind.

This is the firearm you brought from inside the house? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I went and got it. This is a long story. My son was in a boat wreck months back. He's been getting threats. Most of it's been benign stuff we didn't take serious. Okay. You know, he's been getting, like, punched. I know that's what it is.

Sergeant Green then asked about when he got home, at which point Alec began providing his alibi. So Alec's alibi for that night was briefly shared with the first responding deputy, but he elaborated in much more detail about this and much more later that night during his first official interview.

And it was raining that night, so they did the interview inside of a vehicle, specifically a vehicle belonging to SLED, which stands for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. This is a 35 minute interview. It's very interesting. I will have the full version linked below. And it was conducted by SLED agent David O'Connor.

Owens and Culleton County Detective Laura Rutland. And in the footage from this interview, you'll also see Danny Henderson, Alec's personal lawyer in the backseat. He was one of the first people to arrive at their hunting property, Moselle, that night and was already representing Alec in a lawsuit stemming from the boat crash. And this interview would later become a crucial piece of evidence in Alec's trial. Before sharing his alibi, Alec says that he fully understands why they have to

question him and essentially says that he is going to fully cooperate. And while this detail may not stick out to many, I want to make it very clear that Alec as an attorney himself is very familiar with how detectives need to proceed in this type of situation. And while it might seem like this cooperation is the result of his familiarity with the law, I want you to consider the fact that he would

also have a very good understanding of how to manipulate law enforcement given what he knows and with that in mind let's walk through his alibi so according to alec it was a day like any other in the early afternoon he says that he spent 45 minutes to an hour riding around the property with paul and waited for maggie who had a doctor's appointment in charleston to arrive works for my brother

and he was coming home to deal with the sunflowers. He got here pretty early because he and I rode around looking at everything for a good little while, probably 45 minutes to an hour. Maggie had things she did in Charleston and she had a doctor's appointment in Charleston and she got back here. It was fairly late.

Was it dark yet when Paul got home? No, Paul got home early. Early, okay. So before dinner time? Oh, yes, ma'am. Lunchtime? No, ma'am. Okay.

Then the three of them ate dinner together. And after that, Maggie and Paul walked down to the dog kennels. In his statement, Alec says that he did not walk down there with them. Instead, he stayed back, watched a little TV and eventually fell asleep on the couch. And this is something that of course he continues to say every time that he is questioned about that night. No matter who is asking him, Alec was clear that he did not go down to the dog kennels

anytime after dinner. As for his little snooze, he estimated that he slept for about 25 to 30 minutes and then he went to go visit his mom. His mom's name is Libby and he went to her home in Alameda, which is about 15 to 20 minutes away. Now his mother has late stage dementia and his father was in the hospital with cancer. So he explained that even though it was late, he wanted to go and visit her.

And before leaving Moselle, phone records indicate that Alec attempted to call Maggie at 9.04 p.m., which aligns with what he told investigators. And he explained that Maggie mentioned possibly going with him. But because she usually didn't go, it wasn't all that strange to him to not get a response from her. He said it was odd that she didn't reply, but not anything overly concerning. I was up at the house, laid down, took a nap on the couch, probably...

I don't know, 25, 30 minutes. I got up, I called Maggie, didn't get an answer. And I left to go to my mom's. She had said she might ride with me, but she normally doesn't when I go over there. And I think I texted her. And she's very good about answering the phone. So that was odd, or calling me back. So that was odd, but it wasn't that big a deal. And what time was that?

What time was what? That you sent her a text message. All right. I texted her at 9.08, going to check on Em, be right back. And then I texted her at 9.47. That must be when I started to come back. I think I called her before that.

Alec also explains that he made a handful of calls on his way to Alameda, and after a short amount of time of being there, he made his way back to Moselle. And all this time, he hadn't heard anything from Maggie or Paul, and he said it wasn't until he got back to their property that he realized something was wrong. When he saw that nobody was inside the house, he drove down to the kennels, which is when he discovered their bodies. What made you come out here at night?

I went to my mom's late stage Alzheimer's patient. My dad's in the hospital. My mom gets anxious when she does. I went to check on them and Maggie. Maggie's a dog lover and she fools with the dogs. And I knew she'd gone to the kennel. I was at the house. I left the house and went to my mom's.

for just a little while. Tried to call her when I left.

Texted her. No response. And during his interview, Alec explains the gruesome details of their condition. And he also notes once again that he touched both Maggie and Paul. And because both of them were found face down, Alec says that he attempted to turn Paul over and check his pulse, at which point Paul's phone slipped out of his pocket. Again, I keep saying that Alec brings up that he touched their bodies. This is a very important detail. Oh,

Like when I came back here, I mean, I pulled up and I could see him. And, you know, I knew something was bad. I ran out. I knew it was really bad. My boy over there, I could see it was... I'm so sorry. And I could see his brain on...

and i ran over to maggie and actually i think i tried to turn paul over first um uh you know i tried to turn him over and uh i don't know i figured it out um his cell phone popped out of his pocket that's

I started to try to do something with it, thinking maybe, but then I put it back down really quickly. Then I went to my wife and I mean, I could see. Did you touch Maggie at all? I did. I touched them both. I tried to take, I mean, I tried to do it as limited as possible, but I tried to take their pulse on both of them. Mm-hmm.

And, you know, I called 9-1-1 pretty much right away. And she was very good. I talked to her. I told her I was going to get off the phone to call some family members. I did that. And what family members did you call? I called my brother Randy and I called my brother John.

And I tried to call a little boy, real good friend that's right around the corner from here, but I didn't get him. After that, they start asking him about his relationship with Maggie and Paul, which he says is as good as it could be. He does say that there were things here and there in his marriage, but he really emphasizes that they were happy and that things were good.

But what he failed to mention was the accumulating emotional and financial stress that their family was going through. But don't worry, he doesn't fail to mention the boat crash over and over as a possible explanation as to why this tragedy could have occurred.

At one point, they start asking him if he has had any issues with the trespassers or threats in general to their family. And of course, Alec takes this opportunity to talk about the threats that Paul had been receiving. Have y'all been having any problems out here? Trespassers? People breaking in? None that I know of. The only thing that what comes to my mind is my son Paul was in a boat wreck once.

a couple of years ago. And there's been a, you know, he was charged with being arrested for being the driver. There's been a lot of negative publicity about that. And there's been a lot of people online, just really vile stuff. But when Paul's out and about, I mean, people routinely, I don't think I know the full story. Um, cause I don't think they give it

to me but i mean he's been punched and hit and just attacked a lot so you know but i mean nothing like this yeah and keep in mind at this point this is now the third time that he has brought up the boat crash first he said it on the 911 call then he mentioned it to sergeant daniel green and now he's telling a sled agent and colleton county detective

And if going down this rabbit hole wasn't enough to distract investigators, Alec also brings up a very odd and frankly random story while being interviewed that night. He starts talking about the groundskeeper for Moselle, a guy named C.B. Rowe, and

and how he told Paul a strange story the week before the murders about how he was once recruited by the FBI to kill radical members of the Black Panther Party. And in this interview, it sounds like Alec is questioning if he could have been involved. Even though he doesn't directly say that, you can tell he's trying to lead them in that direction. And if hearing that is kind of confusing to you, even in the slightest,

you're not alone the investigators were also confused as well he's sort of just offering up this information even though investigators never asked although they did take down some information about cb but it just didn't seem to be relevant at all now alec really starts breaking down getting very emotional during this interview and people have pretty mixed feelings on it whether or not you believe that alex breakdowns during this interview are real or fake one thing is undeniable

Paul and Maggie were horrifically and intentionally murdered. Paul was shot twice and killed with a 12-gauge shotgun on the property that brought him the most joy in life. Obviously, like many of you, I'm not the biggest fan of Paul. I do not condone his actions on the night of the boat crash and...

how he killed Mallory Beach and her death should definitely not be overlooked. However, loss is loss and because of his murder, he will never be able to face consequences for what he did that night. So let's talk a little bit about Maggie Murdoch. So Maggie Murdoch was shot five times with an AR style rifle with 300 blackout ammunition and her loss has been felt tremendously by her family and friends.

People who knew Maggie described her as a sweet, easygoing mother of two, and she cherished her family above all else. But she was a stay-at-home mom, and she devoted most of her young life to raising her boys and was said to have loved them even during their hardest times. And both of them were shot at close range,

and evidence showed that neither Paul or Maggie had defensive wounds. Now the interview on June 7th was just the beginning for Alec. In fact, three days later, he is questioned again by SLED agent David Owen in his vehicle, and he goes through the events of the night again, this time in more detail. - So when we spoke the other night, I got kind of a basic overview. - Yes, sir. - And it was pretty traumatic.

That's okay. I know you need to ask me. You asked me what you need to. So I just, I want you to let's start Monday morning and take me through your day. And during this interview, Alec talks about the morning of June 7th. And even though it's only been a few days, he has a hard time remembering a lot of the specifics. But what he does remember is that he went to work

and came home a little earlier than usual because Paul was going to be there and they were preparing to plant sunflower seeds the following day. Alec also spends a good amount of time talking about riding around the property with Paul and he says that at some point he, Paul, and Maggie all got together to have dinner, like I mentioned earlier. You know, at some point we were all back at the house together. Maggie had gotten home and, you know, we sat down and we ate supper.

which we usually suffer together. So the one thing I remember, I don't know how much detail y'all want. So if I start talking about something that you don't need, just tell me and I'll move to something else. The more detailed, the better. So Paul has been having high blood pressure and his mama was worried sick about it. So we were actually, you know, this was

a direct thing getting him, he doesn't like to go to doctors, making him go get his blood pressure checked. His feet had swollen up recently. - Wow. - So, you know, that was a big, huge deal. - Okay. - You know, we hung around the house for a little while. I know that Maggie went to the kennels

I don't know exactly where Paul went, but he left the house too. Okay. And for the second time during an official interview, Alec talks about how he did not go down to the dog kennels with Maggie and Paul. Instead, he stays back, watches a little TV, and takes a snooze. What did you do once Maggie and Paul left? I stayed in the house. Okay. And I was watching TV.

looking at my phone and I actually fell asleep on the couch. Okay.

And we know from his previous interview that shortly after he wakes up, he gives Maggie a call. She doesn't answer. He doesn't think it's that weird. So he drives over to see his mom in Alameda. But in this interview, he introduces something new. Alex says that he isn't exactly sure, but he could have sworn that he heard someone pull up to the house. Now, he's pretty unspecific about this, but he essentially says that

that between waking up from his nap and leaving the house, he heard a car driving up towards the property, and he was under the impression that it was Maggie or Paul. I was certain that I heard them pull up. I mean, I was positive that I heard them.

And people don't just come out there. You know, we don't get like passed through. I was certain that I heard them pull up, but they didn't. - Okay. Well, if you heard something pull up, what did it sound like? - You know, I can't tell you what it sounded like. I just know that I thought that my wife had pulled up or that Paul had pulled up. - Would it have been the buggy that she normally drives or would it be a car? - No, no.

I had the impression that a car pulled up. Okay. You know? And had you woken up by that time but hadn't left for your mom's? Yep. Okay. But it wasn't much time in between there because I left pretty damn close.

It wasn't much time between me waking up and me leaving the house. Okay. Then Alec continues to go through the timeline of that night, and he shares that he spoke on the phone with his brother, a friend and fellow attorney named Chris Wilson, and also his son, Buster. And, um, you know, I know that I called some people on the way there. I know I returned a call from my brother John. Um, I know that I called Chris Wilson. Um...

I know that I talked to Buster. And something interesting I want to point out here is that Alec doesn't seem to get very upset until about halfway through this conversation. And of course, like I said, it's difficult to judge because grief looks different on everyone.

but it's something about the way that he is talking about his wife and his son and that day in general for so long without getting choked up or crying. That is really telling to me. You can also see at many points throughout the interview that he is looking out the corner of his eye towards the slut agent and

and what's being written down. Almost as if he's trying to see if what he's saying is being perceived well. After that, there's a good portion of the interview where Alec is being questioned about the guns on their property. And he talks about how everyone, but Paul in particular, was guilty of leaving guns where they shouldn't be. And even though neither of the murder weapons were found at the scene, it was interesting to investigators that both guns used in their death

were weapons that could have come from the Murdoch collection because these people had hella guns. And at this point, they hadn't yet connected the murder weapons to family owned weapons. However, I imagine they were pretty suspicious that this was the case. This second interview really helped establish that the Murdochs in fact

own the kind of weapon that was used to kill Maggie, but that's not even the most interesting part here. Alex shares that they owned two of these rifles. One belonged to Paul and the other belonged to Buster. But around Christmas in 2020, Paul's went missing. There was some confusion over whether the missing rifle had been replaced, but Alex says he's certain that they ended up buying a new one. And now following the murders,

only one of the three rifles is accounted for. So the original lost one has never been found. And the one that is suspected of killing Maggie has also never been found. And the last thing that I want to mention from this interview that has been a major point of contention happens towards the end. In the recording, Alec can be heard saying, it was so bad. They did him so bad.

However, many people have also heard him say, "It was so bad. I did him so bad." And sitting here talking today is tough. It's just so bad. They did it so bad. And the debate over whether Alex said "they" or "I" was heavily debated during the trial. Obviously, if he is saying, "I did him so bad,"

That is an admission of guilt, but we will discuss this more later. And what is said throughout this entire interview ends up being crucial throughout the trial. And it still wasn't the last time that Alec gave official statements. On August 11th, 2021, Alec again speaks with SLED agent David Owen. And I don't want to keep repeating the same story, but I do want to address something new that was revealed as a result of this third interview. And this is huge.

there is a video on Paul's phone, which is later referred to as the Snapchat video, and it shows Alex standing on his property and messing around with a flimsy tree. And what makes this video so significant is that the clothes he is seen wearing in the video are not

the clothes that he was wearing when officers arrived at the scene on June 7th. So, SLED agent David Owen tells Alec about this video and asks at what point he changed into the shorts and white t-shirt that he had on when police arrived. There is a video on Paul's phone of you and him on the farm that night. And you were in khaki pants and a dress shirt. You were playing with a tree.

I don't remember playing with a tree. I guess there was a tree sapling or something that had fallen over or bending over and you were trying to get it to stand back, stand up. But the question in that is, when I met you that night, you were in shorts and a t-shirt. At what point in that evening did you change clothes? I'm not sure. You know, it would have been... Before dinner or after dinner? No, it would have been...

What time of day was that? I would have thought I had already changed. There's not a time. I guess I changed when I got back to the house.

And here's why this matters. You're going to hear in my next video, when we go over the trial, that Alec wasn't wearing the khaki pants and blue collared shirt to work, which means he changed two times that afternoon. And in the eyes of those prosecuting the case against Alec, this has the potential to mean he changed out of the clothes he was wearing when he killed Maggie and Paul.

All three of these interviews wound up being crucial evidence for the state during Alec's trial. But at the time they were conducting them, they were months away from any major breaks in the case. Now going back a little bit here, it's important to understand what the Murdoch family was going through in the time leading up to the murders. In the two years between the boat crash and the murders, the Murdoch family was going through a hard time.

in their eyes. And it's also really important that you understand the history of this family. And I did go over it in more detail in my first video. However, I wanted to recap it here again. Randolph Murdoch Sr. was elected solicitor for the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office. And for more than

85 years, a member of the Murdoch family has held title as 14th Circuit Solicitor. And for those of you who aren't familiar with the legal jargon, a solicitor is the same as a county prosecutor. And although Alec himself never served as the 14th Circuit Solicitor, he carried on the influence that the Murdoch family had in Lowcountry, which is what this area is referred to. Alec also worked for the Family Law

firm, which is called PMPED, which was first established by Randolph Sr. back in 1910. And so for over a century, the Murdoch family was synonymous with the law. And in more recent years, they have become even more synonymous with...

bending the law for their own advantage. And they have totally abused this. And everyone in this area has known this for a long time. For example, if Buster or Paul ever got in trouble for anything underage drinking and beyond, it only took one phone call to their grandpa or their daddy to

to take care of it. So when I say that people in this area, especially have viewed the Murdoch's unsympathetically from February, 2019, when the boating accident happened to June of 2021, when the murders happened, it's because the boat crash was the first time the law wasn't being bent to rescue a Murdoch from trouble.

In fact, not only was the law not being bent, but Mark Tinsley, an attorney representing the Beach family in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against Alec Murdoch, was stopping at nothing to make sure that someone was held accountable. And this lawsuit is another really important piece of the puzzle when it comes to the murders of Paul and Maggie.

After the 2019 boat crash, Mallory's family, as well as the families of Miley and Morgan, who were also on the boat, I know there's a lot of M names here, but they all hired Mark Tinsley to represent them in a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec Murdoch. There were actually several lawsuits happening at the same time involving the boat crash and the victims.

However, I just want to focus on the big one because it can get really confusing. So Mark was seeking $10 million in this civil suit, which was really picking up steam in the spring of 2021. And not long before the murders took place, Alec told Mark that he was broke.

which obviously means he was unable to pay the full $10 million. But instead, he said he could scrape together about $1 million. And if you're not buying that Alec was broke, you're definitely not the only one. I mean, the entire Murdoch reputation was built on generational wealth and privilege. So for Alec to be saying he was broke was quite the shock and almost unbelievable.

And keep in mind, I'm trying to keep this simple. So I'm explaining this in everyday terms, not legal terms. But in response to this claim, Mark filed what's called a motion to compel, which essentially means that Alec needed to prove that he was broke.

And what makes all of this so important to the overall story here is that the hearing where Alec had to show his finances proving he had no money was scheduled for June 10th, 2021. And at this point, Alec hadn't yet been caught for stealing millions and millions of dollars.

So if this hearing happened, which, spoiler alert, it didn't, Alec would have had to reveal years of theft and fraud. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the prosecution would later say was a motive for killing his wife and son.

Rather than expose himself as the liar and thief that he was, they allege that he killed his wife and son to distract investigators from his finances and gain sympathy. I mean, how many people are going to pursue a $10 million lawsuit three days after someone's wife and son were brutally murdered? And this horrible idea of his...

did temporarily work because the hearing never happened, which gave Alec more time to plan his next scheme. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. So in the weeks and months following their deaths, investigators still had to piece together what happened on the night of June 7th and find the person responsible. Even though Alec and his lawyers would later claim that investigators zeroed in on him from the start and

and fixed the evidence to prove their theory, SLED is firm in the fact that in the early weeks after the murders, they looked at all possibilities. And while they're conducting their investigation, more and more attention is being brought

to alec and not just because his wife and son had been brutally shot to death on the same day that maggie and paul were killed jeannie sechinger who is the chief financial officer at alec's family law firm confronted him after learning that 792 000 in legal fees

were missing. It came to her attention that the money was missing and she had reason to believe that he had taken it for personal reasons. Now these legal fees were supposed to be paid to PMPED from attorney Chris Wilson's firm after a major settlement was reached. And Chris Wilson was one of Alec's closest friends since high school. They go way back.

and Alec assured Janine that Chris had the funds and that he could get it. But before she even had the chance to ask more questions and raise suspicions about his financial activity, their conversation was cut short because Alec received a text about his sick father's condition. And what...

you know, decent human is going to accuse someone of stealing money when they just found out that their father is extremely sick and possibly dying. And again, spoiler alert, but this text was not what it seemed.

It turns out his father's condition may have actually been improving, and that's what the text was about. But Alex spun the text to his advantage so he could avoid a potentially life-threatening conversation. And I bring this confrontation up for one specific reason, and that is because it happened on the same day of the murders.

And just days before he was scheduled to reveal his financial status in the wrongful death lawsuit. And this means that Alec had pressure from two outside forces that had the potential to reveal years worth of fraud. And so this, not so surprisingly, is the second alleged fraud.

motive behind the double homicide. Basically, the pressure was building for Alec and he was about to be found out. So like I was saying, more and more attention was being brought on Alec in the months after the murders.

And even though he was doing everything he could to keep people from finding out about the truth when it comes to the money, it did eventually come out. On September 3rd, 2021, Alec was forced to resign from PMPED after an internal investigation revealed he had misappropriated millions and millions of dollars worth of client and company money.

Now, his financial crimes I have talked about briefly in part one, and they could really get a video all on their own. In fact, he hasn't faced trial for those yet. And so maybe we'll do a part four on that. But I definitely did go pretty deep into it when I first covered the case, if you want to learn about it in more detail. But what I believe is most important to note here is that in total, Alec has been charged with nearly 100 financial crimes. 100.

including embezzlement, computer crime, money laundering, conspiracy, and much more. And in total, he has defrauded his firm, his own firm, and his clients, and also the government out of almost $10 million. And while I would love to go into all of those, we would be here for hours. However, there is one specific instance of

theft that I feel is really important we go over here once again. If you're familiar with the story or you watched my last video, then you know that one of the victims of these crimes was the Satterfield family. Gloria Satterfield, who not only worked as the Murdoch family housekeeper, but also a

practically raised Paul and Buster, especially Paul, died on the Mosel property in 2018. And the belief at the time is that Gloria was standing at the top of a staircase at the front of their home when four of the family dogs jumped on her

which caused her to fall backwards down the cement stairs and hit her head. Now she suffered multiple rib fractures, a subdural hematoma and a pulmonary contusion. And sadly, Gloria passed away in the hospital after a few short weeks on life support. And an autopsy was never performed.

And that was because her cause of death was immediately believed to be accidental. And this was a tragedy to everyone except Alec, who saw this as another opportunity to steal money. Because Alec convinced Gloria's two sons to sue him in a wrongful death lawsuit so that they could collect an insurance payout that would, in theory, support them for many years.

But in true Alec fashion, he stole the money. He stole all the funds from his insurance company and spent years telling the Satterfield boys that the case was still in progress, even though it wasn't. He had put it all in his own bank account. And it wasn't until they read a news article

and realized that the case had already been settled that they figured this out. And in recent months, SLED investigators have taken a closer look at her accidental death, and they're considering the possibility that there was foul play. In June of 2022, SLED announced that her body would be exhumed as part of their investigation. However, it's unclear whether or not this is going to happen.

And Gloria's sons believe that she was the first victim of Alec Murdoch and will continue to fight for justice until a proper investigation has taken place. And this is only a fraction of the terrible things that Alec did, but it's really a prime example of the kind of person he is. And rather than face the consequences of his own actions, since the world was about to find out what he had done, Alec actually attempted to stage his own heartbreak.

On September 4th, 2021, just a day after he was forced to resign from his own law firm, Alec made another frantic 911 call claiming that he was shot in the head in a roadside attack. To spare you a million details about this, and since I have already covered it in detail in my first video, basically investigators found out that the entire thing was a botched suicide attempt. It

It turns out that Alec had orchestrated all of this in an attempt to end his own life and leave his last living son, Buster, his $10 million life insurance policy. And not only did they find out that he planned the entire thing, they also learned that the man he paid over $100,000 to shoot him in the head

was also his drug dealer. And this is when the saga of Alec's addiction began. Rather than admit to his own wrongdoings, Alec tried to put the blame on his use of opioids. Now I've said it before and I'll say it again, addiction is a disease and it's not to be taken lightly. So when I talk about Alec's addiction moving forward here, I don't want to diminish what a serious issue it is.

But the point I'm stressing here is that Alec has never taken accountability for his actions and will place blame on anything but himself when he is faced with the truth. And in response to his failed murder for hire suicide type plot, Alec's lawyers argued that the loss of his wife and son and addiction to

pills caused him to do this and therefore he shouldn't be at serious fault given the circumstances. But he was ultimately arrested on September 16th, 2021 for fraud and conspiracy in this botched suicide scheme.

although he was released under the condition that he check into a rehab center. And it was during this time while he was in rehab that investigators uncovered more of his financial crimes, and they prepared to make another arrest, which occurred on October 14th, 2021, and this time at a detox center in Florida, and he was charged with misappropriating settlement funds in the Gloria Satterfield case.

And over the following months, SLED uncovered dozens of financial crimes, which he is still facing charges for.

And since his arrest in October 2021, Alec has remained in jail. And if lying, stealing, and trying to stage his own death wasn't despicable enough, Alec was indicted by a Colleton County jury on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime on July 14th, 2022. And less than a week after being indicted, no surprise here, but Alec pleaded not guilty at his bond hearing.

On to more breaking news this afternoon. The trial date has been set for former South Carolina lawyer Alec Murdoch in the killing of his wife and son. The trial is set to begin on January 30th in 2023, according to the state attorney general's office.

Now, Maggie and Paul Murdoch were found dead in Colleton County in June of last year. The case has made national news. Alec Murdoch has pleaded not guilty. The South Carolina State Attorney General's Office pursued these charges, and the case against Alec was prosecuted by lead attorney Creighton Waters, as well as David Fernandez, John Meters, and more.

And I mentioned earlier that the alleged motive for the murders of Maggie and Paul were related to Alec's additional financial crimes. So it was up to the prosecution, also referred to as the state, to prove that Alec had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.

It was their overarching argument that Alex shot Maggie with an AR-style rifle with 300 blackout ammo and Paul with a 12-gauge shotgun to avoid being exposed, and that he manufactured an alibi and misled the investigation in an attempt to get away with it. But what was tricky about their case is that there was no direct evidence available

tying Alec to the murders. All they had was circumstantial evidence, and it's obviously a lot harder to get a conviction on...

on circumstantial evidence. And what made it even harder for the state was the fact that they wouldn't know until pre-trial motion started whether or not Alec's financial crimes would be admissible during trial. Considering the alleged motive was entirely dependent on Alec not wanting to be exposed for his financial crimes, this was a battle that the prosecution desperately needed to win.

especially without direct evidence. As for Alec's defense team, he was represented by attorneys Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, both who have substantial experience winning in the courtroom. And it was their overarching argument that a loving father and husband such as Alec Murdoch would be incapable of a crime so horrific.

They based their argument heavily on what they considered to be a botched investigation by SLED, a solid alibi, a lack of murder weapons, and a direct testimony to Alec's character to prove his innocence. They planned to paint him as a nonviolent man who loved his family way too much

to do something like that to them. And something that you're going to hear a lot when we get started talking about the trial next week is the idea that there were two shooters. This was a huge component for the defense because Maggie and Paul were shot with two different weapons. So they argued that these murders were the result of

of two shooters. And like you'll hear later on, part of their strategy was to admit that he was a liar and a thief. The defense wanted the jury to believe that even though Alec lied about stealing from his clients and law firm, they could believe him when he said he wasn't a killer, which is completely backwards to me. I mean, if you admit that you're a liar and also admit to have stolen from clients and your own law firm,

Why would anyone believe you when you say that you are not lying when it comes to these murders? From the beginning, it was very clear that this trial was going to be monumental one way or the other. But no matter how much you thought you knew going into this, if you did follow the trial, I don't think anyone could have really anticipated how long this thing would go on and how many witnesses would be called to testify. And that's why I'm going to be making a part three because it is way

way too much for me to go over in one video. This trial was supposed to last like three weeks. It lasted six. It went on and on and on. There were more than 250 potential witnesses with 75 called when it was all said and done.

And five of the 12 original jurors were removed from the panel, leaving only one alternative standing when deliberation started. And I say all this now because I really want you to understand just how long it took for the truth to be finally exposed.

That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there. Bye.