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Today's story captures a powerful dynasty's very public fall from grace: the Murdochs. You likely know the name well by now. Since 2019, it has dominated global headlines spreading across continents and mutating by the minute as more and more and more evidence comes under the microscope.
However, in South Carolina's Lowcountry, the Murdock family name has been known for generations, as early as the early 1900s. It was once regarded as a title of power and status earned only through birthright or marriage. Now, the name is synonymous with a deadly Southern scandal. The Murdock man came from a long line of respected lawyers who amassed a fortune that saw their family living in luxury for decades to come.
Their private law firm was unparalleled in the Low Country, and so too were their generational reign. The Murdochs' role as presiders in the local prosecutor's office gave them the ears of the upper echelon and a certain sway reserved for the rich and high-ranking. They tried to hide it behind acts of altruism, gifting high school graduates, paying for funerals, and sending bouquets to those in the hospital.
However, their impunity certainly wasn't lost on the locals. The residents had long suspected that the Murdoch's connections gave the family carte blanche in the community. They were right.
But that all changed in 2019. On February 23rd, the youngest member of the Murdochs, Paul, made a series of reckless, selfish decisions that ended the life of an innocent 19-year-old girl. Of course, everyone thought that he would get away with it. And he very nearly did, were it not for the unbelievable events that followed.
What started out as a senseless accident became the catalyst for the Murdoch's descent into grace. As the family came under scrutiny, a litany of crimes came to light. The list was sprawling and seemingly never-ending, culminating in several criminal investigations that are still underway today. However, before we delve into the downfall of South Carolina's most infamous dynasty,
we must first go back to the very beginning, to the scandal that started it all. It began with a fatal boating accident and a family's flagrant abuse of power. In an extraordinary turn of events, it ended with murder. This is the story of Mallory Beach and the Murdochs. Part 1: A Life of Power and Privilege
The Murdochs were Lowcountry royalty, a prominent family of lawyers who ruled over their rural swath of salt marshes and swamp lands for over a century. It was there that they indulged in a life of power and privilege. It was also there that life unraveled. The Lowcountry, the family's former realm, is a stretch of the southeast coast of South Carolina, hugged by the Atlantic Ocean and Savannah River.
The flat expanse of winding waterways, sea islands, and sun-bleached beaches bordered by maritime forests is known for the stunning vistas unique to its lands. It's also known for a delicate diversity celebrated by many, but not all. In the Lowcountry, the line between Southern charm and rich Gullah culture blurs.
Creole cuisine spices up its small-town insular communities, almost mocking the antebellum architecture of the Old South. The streets are lined with white-picketed, plantation-style houses sporting deep porches, tall shuttered windows, and grand Greek columns. Each serves as a reminder of a dark past, as does the old money that controls the palmetto-treated paradise.
South Carolina's Low Country is generally considered to span four centuries: Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, and Hampton. Though small in the grand scheme of things, the Murdochs' power over their pond was indisputable.
"They were the law," said Bill Nettles, a former US attorney for the state. The men of the family were co-owners and partners of Peters, Murdoch, Parker, Eltzroth, and Dietrich, a law firm specializing in personal injury litigation. It was founded in 1910 by Randolph Murdoch Sr., the first big fish of the now disgraced dynasty.
Over the decades, the one-man practice became a monopoly and a mecca for plaintiffs seeking exorbitant settlements. Joe McCullough, a South Carolina lawyer, has since echoed this sentiment in an interview with the press. "They could get a verdict that would exceed the norm dramatically. And when I say exceed the norm, they could turn a $100,000 case into a million-dollar settlement," he said.
Keep this in mind, dear listeners. Of course, because of this, the Murdochs became a household name in the Low Country's legal landscape, landing to powerful connections and political influence.
Three generations of Murdoch men served uninterrupted terms as solicitors of the 14th Judicial Circuit for almost 100 consecutive years. In most other jurisdictions, they would have been called district attorneys. No other family in American history has ever held dominion over such a tenure for so long.
Their legacy would have likely continued had it not been for Richard Alexander Murdoch. Alec, as he is commonly known, is the great-grandson of Randolph Murdoch Sr. Though he only worked as a part-time volunteer in the Solicitor's Office, he was poised to inherit his aging father's throne.
He studied at the University of South Carolina, where he met his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Branstetter. In 1990, Alec walked out of the prestigious campus armed with a degree in political science and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
Four years later, he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar Association and joined the family firm, where he built a reputation for himself as a ruthless personal injury litigator. Most notably, he specialized in wrongful death lawsuits. Alec and Maggie went on to have two sons, the heirs of the Murdoch dynasty. Richard Alexander Jr., named Buster, was born in 1996.
Three years later, his younger brother, Paul Terry, joined the bloodline. Alec's dynastic career inevitably raked in millions of dollars, which he used to fund his family's lavish lifestyle. Amongst other luxuries, the Murdochs owned two speedboats, several private islands, a beach house, a river house, a sprawling 1,700-acre hunting property they christened Moselle, and a legion of staff to boot.
For all intents and purposes, they were a proud family who took pride in their status. Their image and personal affairs were fiercely protected, not only by the Murdochs themselves, but by their many political and legal ties. So, naturally, when their youngest son, Paul, caused a fatal boating accident, every possible string was pulled in a desperate attempt to save face for the family.
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Paul Murdock grew up in the lap of luxury in Hampton County. When he wasn't partying with friends or studying at the University of South Carolina, he was joining his family on extravagant vacations overseas and making appearances at the hottest events. It's safe to say that Paul had it easy, from the outside at least. In a county where everybody knows everybody, his family stood out from the rest and by association, so did he.
However, their prominence was both a blessing and a curse for the boy. Paul was well known, but not necessarily well liked.
To low country locals, he was the epitome of the rich boy stereotype. Living off his family's fortune and under the protection of their name, he spent a lot of time setting catfish lines and hog hunting at Moselle, the Murdoch's sweeping hunting property on the outskirts of Hampton County. Why wouldn't he? It was an avid hunter's wet dream.
The land boasted kennels complete with packs of hunting dogs, equipment galore, a dedicated skinning shed, an airplane, and, naturally, their own private landing strip. According to his close friend, Anthony Cook, Paul often told tall tales about that plane, claiming it transported more than just supplies. Drugs and strippers were the words he used. Anthony brushed it off,
"You can't believe everything Paul says," he chuckled. Perhaps that's true. However, since the Murdoch scandal broke, Paul's words hold a different weight. Locals were expected to comply with the law. The Murdochs, on the other hand, seemed immune to it. Paul was a prime example. He got away with everything, including underage drinking,
His girlfriend at the time, Morgan Dowdy, has since broken her silence on the subject in a recent Netflix documentary. She claims that Paul drank excessively and wasn't afraid to get behind the wheel afterward.
The teenager inevitably got into trouble on several occasions, not officially, of course. When Paul broke the law, his family duly picked up the pieces. All he had to do was make the call to his grandfather, Randolph Murdoch III. It was as easy as that. Randolph and Alec would then come up with a coverup, making calls of their own to make it disappear.
To quote Michael DeWitt from the Hampton County Guardian, "The Murdochs had a net worth that varied from judges and lawyers to law enforcement, to sheriffs, to the average man on the street who served on the jury. They were the law in this area, and at times they were above the law."
Sometimes, the Murdochs even got their own hands dirty. In one instance, Paul refused to let Morgan drive them home from a Christmas party. Paul insisted he would drive his truck instead, despite being drunk. Paul ended up rolling his truck into a ditch. Morgan called 911. Paul called Randolph. The Murdochs descended upon the scene to pick up the pieces. This time, beer cans and a cache of guns.
Once the evidence had been disposed of, they approached Paul and Morgan, not to check on them, of course, but to scold Morgan for calling the police. Incidents like these didn't go unnoticed, leaving locals with a bad taste in their mouths and an even worse perception of Paul. To them, he was spoiled and sheltered. To those who knew him, however, Paul was trouble.
Morgan explained that he was the dynasty's greatest disappointment. Whilst his older brother, Buster, graduated from Wofford College with plans to follow in the Murdoch men's footsteps. Paul had no interest in becoming a lawyer. He was the black sheep, something his mother made evident. Maggie showered Buster with love and affection, solidifying his position as the family favorite.
Paul, on the other hand, was all but forgotten. He sought acceptance from another source, Gloria Satterfield, his family's housekeeper and nanny. She too was a tradition passed down the bloodline. After caring for Alec Murdoch and his siblings, she went on to care for his own children, most notably Paul. Gloria raised him, giving him the attention that was reserved exclusively for his brother.
She was everything to him that his mother wasn't. Until she suddenly and tragically died at Moselle in early 2018. We'll get to that later. Paul was devastated by Gloria's death, sending him into a tailspin he would never recover from. Over the following year, he started to act out. The teen's behavior became exponentially more dangerous and sadly, he drank more than ever before. Paul always turned to his grandfather to clean up his messes.
However, his final misadventure proved to be far too messy, even for the Murdochs. Part Three: Six Souls. By 2019, Paul's drinking was out of control. Morgan claims that he drank himself into a stupor almost daily. According to her, the usually kind and caring 19-year-old was a different person when he drank, becoming belligerent, nasty, and physically abusive.
Worse, Morgan and multiple other sources insist that Alec and Maggie knew about Paul's excessive drinking. In fact, they enabled it. The parents were known to give their underage son their credit cards to stock up on alcohol. Sometimes, they actually bought the booze themselves, even when Paul planned on taking one of their boats out afterward. Buster was just as complicit as their parents and often gave the 19-year-old his ID card for liquor store sprees.
The Murdochs were a family of big drinkers, you see. Morgan assumed that they hadn't noticed Paul's drinking had become a problem, prompting her to pull his mother aside and rally for an intervention. It didn't work because Maggie didn't care. In the end, the Murdochs' encouragement of and indifference towards Paul's drinking ultimately led to their own downfall. On February 23rd, 2019, the college junior had a big night ahead of him
He and a few similarly underage friends were going to take one of his father's boats to an oyster roast on Pauki Island. His friends knew that the alcohol would be flowing. What they didn't know was that Paul planned to skipper the vessel no matter how drunk he got.
At 6:30 p.m. that evening, the group gathered together and drove to Parker's convenience store with Alec's 17-foot 2006 Seahunt in tow. Armed with Buster's ID and his parents' credit card, Paul sauntered into the store to buy everybody's booze for the night. The 19-year-old then left the store, both hands clasping carrier bags filled with a six-pack of Ultra Lagers, a case of White Claws, and a case of Natural Lights.
As he approached his friends in the car, a surveillance camera captured him lifting the drinks above his head to show off his spoils like an athlete would a trophy. The group then drove to the Murdoch's River House on Chichese Creek, where they docked Alex, Sea Hunt, and started drinking. It was quite some distance from Pocky Island, particularly by boat. The group was anxious about making the journey at night. They hadn't cruised that far of Beaufort River before, but Paul was adamant about going.
At that stage, the 19-year-old had already funneled at least six natural lights. So, once everyone was sufficiently liquored up, they filled the cooler with booze, ventured out into the freezing air, and piled into Alec's sea hunt. Six souls boarded the boat that winter evening, all of whom were couples at the time. Most of them had been friends since childhood.
Paul captained the vessel, cradling a beer in one hand and his girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, in the other. The rest of his passengers were Connor Cook and his girlfriend, Miley Altman, Connor's cousin, Anthony Cook, and Anthony's girlfriend, Mallory Beach.
As Paul steered his father's boat, a Beaufort River, a thick fog rolled in and settled on the water's surface. It swirled over the lapping waves, making it near impossible to see the sandbars hidden in the depths. Still, Paul pressed on.
Everyone on board seemed blissfully unaware of the danger they danced with. Excited shrieks and laughter echoed across the water as the couples shared drinks, stories, and Snapchat videos. They were eager to hang out at their friend's oyster roast for a few hours, then head back to the river house, where they planned on keeping the party going. In the end, they never made it back. Part 4. Here's Timmy.
Miraculously, the group made it to Pocky Island in one piece. They arrived at the Oster Roast at around 8 p.m., docked the Sea Hunt, and joined the party. The couples routinely walked back and forth from the boat to grab booze out of the cooler, drinking well into the night. Eventually, the temperature dropped and the roast fizzled out. It was time to go, but there was one problem. Paul was hammered. Now, teenagers aren't known for playing it safe.
Southern teens, in particular, tend to push the boundaries as they grapple with the independence that comes with growing up in the country. That said, even those at the oyster roast were concerned about Paul getting behind the helm that night. It was dark and foggy, and the sea hunts' lights weren't working. Even the most seasoned skipper would struggle to navigate in those conditions, let alone a wasted 19-year-old.
Several people told Paul to leave the boat there and offered to drive the group home instead. Of course, he refused. Murdochs weren't used to being told what to do. More so, Paul was prone to Dutch courage. When he drank, he was invincible. In reality, though, he wasn't, and neither were his friends. Sadly, rather than staying behind and catching a lift home, the couples remained loyal until the bitter end.
They chose to board the sea hunt with Paul at around 12:00 AM, a decision the survivors still regret to this day. Everything seemed fine at first, though drunk, Paul managed to safely steer through the winding waterways using a flashlight as his guide. That changed when he decided that he wasn't drunk enough.
He declared that they would be making a pit stop at a waterfront bar in downtown Beaufort called Luther's. Connor was the only passenger who chose to join him. Not that any of them had a choice. They were at the Murdock boy's mercy. At 12:55 AM, Paul moored the sea hunt at the nearby day dock and headed to Luther's with Connor, leaving the rest of the group freezing and frustrated.
Though both boys were underage and Paul well-known, they managed to knock back two rounds of shots in plain view. At 1:15 a.m., surveillance cameras caught the two teens joining their friends at the day dock and heading back to the boat. Anthony and Mallory lagged behind, lost in conversation and in love. The childhood sweethearts had waited years to start their relationship. Tragically, it was about an hour from being over.
The group knew they were taking a risk when they boarded the boat after the oyster roast. Now, it felt like a death sentence. Paul was obliterated. He slurred and staggered, stretching his arms out and splaying his fingers as if disturbed. It quickly dawned on the group that they were no longer dealing with Paul. The blank stare belonged to Timmy, the alter ego that reared its ugly head when he drank too much.
Timmy was arrogant, aggressive, difficult, and in some cases, violent. Now, so was Paul. His friends begged him to let one of the other boys drive, but he wouldn't listen. Come hell or high water, he was going to drive that boat home. They considered calling an Uber, but Paul refused to leave the sea hunt there, and they didn't want to leave him alone with it. Eventually, they caved and, inevitably, chaos ensued.
Paul's driving was erratic. He could barely steer straight. The boys tried to intervene and a drunken argument erupted. Paul flew into a blind rage whenever Connor or Anthony tried to take the wheel, hollering, "This is my fucking boat. I know this river and you're not driving my boat."
The sea hunt jerked violently as it zigzagged through the darkness. Paul eventually started steering it in circles as he turned back to scream at his friends. Then he abandoned the wheel altogether. Connor quietly reached over and steered whenever he could, but it was futile. Any move made to regain control of the boat was met with belligerence.
Miley Altman, Connor's girlfriend, begged Paul to let them off, but he ignored her cries. Instead, he turned to Morgan, enraged that she wasn't backing him up. She screamed that he was acting crazy, and Paul snapped. He got in her face, leaving the wheel once again, and pushed, spat on, and slapped her. According to Miley, it was clear that it wasn't the first time. Paul then slammed the throttle down and the sea hunt lurched forward.
The bow pointed to the sky, sending Anthony sliding to the back of the boat. Astonishingly, even at full speed, Paul abandoned. Connor tried to straighten the wheel, but it was too late. He turned to Miley and told her that he loved her. Anthony pulled Mallory onto his lap, held her tight, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the night. The boat buckled, and bodies flew. Part 5. Good Luck
At 2:20 AM on February 24th, the Sea Hunt slammed headlong into the concrete pillars of Archer's Creek Bridge going full throttle. The sheer force of the collision brought it to such an abrupt, violent halt that the back of the boat shot up and catapulted Paul, Anthony, and Mallory into the darkness. Three souls plunged into the icy river that morning. Only two made it back to shore.
Anthony's lungs burned as he clawed against the current, desperate and disoriented. The water was dark and murky, a swirling oblivion devoid of direction. Muffled screams were his only guide.
He burst through the surface, gasping for air, and the true, terrifying pitch of his friends' cries flooded his ears. Morgan and Miley had been sitting in front, on the cooler when the Sea Hunt crashed. Miley had her feet up, which absorbed most of the impact, but Morgan hadn't been so lucky. She was flung forward into the bow, where her hand was crushed between the boat and the bridge.
Connor, who had been standing at the helm beside Paul, came off far worse. When they hit the bridge, he was hurled into the center console to the right of the wheel, bending a metal bar, cracking the windshield and breaking his jaw.
to Anthony's horror as he limped to shore with Paul. He realized that his friends weren't just screaming in pain, they were screaming Valerie's name. Anthony dove back into the freezing depths over and over again, determined to resurface with his girlfriend. However, each time he reemerged, he was empty-handed. He stayed in the water, fighting the racing current as long as he could, but the river eventually won.
Exhausted and despondent, Anthony dragged himself to shore and joined his friends as they searched for Mallory. It was no use. The fog was too thick and the current too strong. Dead or alive, she was downriver by now. Connor managed to call 911 despite his busted jaw. "Please send someone," he begged. The devastated howls of Morgan and Miley could be heard in the background as they cried out for their best friend.
Minutes later, officers descended upon the scene in droves. Shockingly, Paul's only concern was calling his grandfather. He asked to use an officer's phone, chuckling that he dropped his, and Anthony erupted. "You're fucking smiling like it's fucking funny? My fucking girlfriend is gone! Hope you rot in fucking hell!" He roared as officers held him back. At that point, the responding officers knew that Mallory was either gravely injured or dead.
Their call out was now a criminal investigation. However, it certainly didn't seem like one. Incredulously, despite it being a crime scene, the sea hunt was eventually towed away by Alec's brother, John Marvin Mardock. That's not all. The teenagers made it clear that Paul had been the one driving his father's boat.
Paul, who had been stripped down to his underwear, made it clear that he was grossly intoxicated. Yet, of the almost 20 different officers at the scene, no one questioned the 19-year-old. He wasn't given a field sobriety test, taken to jail for booking, nor was he ever even handcuffed.
One officer found his cell phone in the bushes and, instead of keeping it for evidence, it was promptly given back to him. After causing an accident that left two teenagers seriously injured and one missing presumed dead, Paul Murdock was treated like an innocent bystander. That's not incompetence. That's corruption. A sentiment that was echoed by Anthony in police dash cam footage. You all know Alec Murdock? That's his son. Good luck, he warned.
Part 6: The Frame Game Although Anthony had injured his shoulder, he refused to leave Archer's Creek Bridge without Mallory. The rest of the teenagers were transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for medical attention. Paul was being so difficult that it took 20 minutes and several EMS personnel to get him into the ambulance. Once inside, he called his grandfather, Randolph, and told him about the accident. "It was Cottontop that did it," he said.
That was Connor's nickname. The hospital was a flurry of x-rays, needles, and sutures. As Morgan and Connor were being treated for their injuries, Paul was being restrained in another room. Two separate nurses later pulled Morgan's mother, Diane, aside and advised her to keep her daughter away from him. According to the hospital staff, he was aggressive, agitated, and uncooperative, so much so that they tested his blood for illicit substances.
That was the first and last time Paul's blood was drawn. Despite four hours having passed since the accident, the 19-year-old's blood alcohol content was still three times over the legal limit. Fortunately for him, Alec and Randolph Murdock arrived just in time to use their power and influence to protect them. Officer Austin Pritchard was about to interview Paul when Randolph stopped him dead in his tracks. "He's drunker than Cooter Brown," warned the aging lawyer.
Astonishingly, Pritchard backed off. Morgan and Connor, who were both grievously injured, had been questioned within 10 minutes of being admitted. While divers were searching Beaufort River for Mallory Beach, the Murdock men were scheming at the hospital. The lawyers stalked through the hallways, circling the teenagers as their wounds were being tended to and trying to infiltrate their rooms.
A nurse has since accused Alec of trying to orchestrate something before their parents arrived. At one point, Morgan was getting surgery on her mangled hand when she heard tapping on the window. It was Alec. He wanted in, and he told the nurses that he was her representation and acting guardian to make it happen.
Thankfully, his reputation held no sway over the hospital staff. Not that it mattered. Alec was hell-bent on insulating his son, so much so that he was willing to frame an innocent victim. Connor's jaw was so swollen that he could barely talk, but he managed to make a tearful call to his parents, Marty and Christine Cook. Moments later, Marty's phone rang again. Unsurprisingly, it was Alec.
The lawyer acted concerned, whispering that Connor had been driving the sea hunt when it slammed into the bridge and telling them not to worry. He would take care of their son. He didn't stop there either. Alec cornered Connor as he was being wheeled to his CAT scan, his jaw swollen and jutting out unnaturally. The lawyer leaned down and squeezed his shoulder. It seemed as though he was comforting the traumatized teen. In reality, he was threatening him.
Alec warned Connor to keep his mouth shut, promising to have his back if he did. Marty and Christine arrived shortly afterward. They rushed to their son's side while Randolph and Alec spoke with Officer Pritchard in the hallway. Seconds later, the Murdochs walked into the room and announced that Connor had been named as the driver of the boat. It was an obvious lie.
However, the lawyer sought to create confusion. If it wasn't immediately clear who caused the crash, laying charges would be complicated. The Murdoch's barely concealed attempt at covering up Paul's involvement was expected. Their indifference toward Mallory's disappearance, however, was a painful pill to swallow. When Miley's mother, Gina, arrived at the hospital, she rushed to Randolph in the hopes that he had news about Mallory. Who are you talking about? He asked, bewildered.
The mortified mother was forced to remind him about Mallory, the girl who had known the teenager since childhood, the girl who was missing, and the girl his grandson might have killed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure we know how that's gonna end," Randolph replied. Part 7: Too Good for This Earth In the days following the accident, a legion of Coast Guards and volunteer search parties combed the marshlands for Mallory Beach.
The Department of Natural Resources deployed rescue boats and divers to search the murky waters while helicopters scoured the swamps from above. Still, the 19-year-old was nowhere to be found. Every single day, Mallory's parents, Philip Beach and Renee Searson, arrived at Archer's Creek Bridge with Anthony by their side. Every single day, they stood on that bridge from sunrise to sunset, waiting, hoping.
Every single day, it got harder and harder to leave without her. Still, they kept coming back. Even though they weren't allowed anywhere near the water, a police blockade barred anyone but officers and rescue officials from the crash site. There was one exception though. One day, Renee approached a deputy and asked to walk down to the river's edge. She wanted to see it for herself. In truth, she just wanted to feel close to her daughter.
The deputy shook his head. He had strict orders. No one was allowed to pass. Except the Murdochs, apparently. Moments later, Randolph and Maggie pulled up in a black SUV. They were ushered under the police tape without hesitation while Mallory's mother watched on from behind it. At that moment, Renee realized that the Murdochs cared more about their reputation than they did her daughter. She was right.
Rather than using their power to help those affected by the accident Paul caused, they exploited it to protect their name. The surviving teenagers had all confirmed that Paul was driving the sea hunt. Some of those statements had been recorded, but the tapes never made it into evidence. How convenient. There was even dashcam footage of Anthony telling a Department of Natural Resources officer that Paul was the driver.
Yet, the officer's incident report stated that the passengers weren't sure who had been at the wheel. Connor's name, on the other hand, was mentioned several times. Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't be the last time his name was used by low country law enforcement to protect the Murdochs from public scrutiny. Three days after Mallory's disappearance, Beaufort County deputies told the press that one of two boys had been driving the boat, Paul Murdoch or Connor Cook.
The victims and their families were enraged by the Murdochs' cruelty in the face of such tragedy. However, their main focus was the search for Mallory. They gathered at the river as often as they could, watching rescue divers brave freezing temperatures and raging currents. As the days dragged on, the likelihood that Mallory would be found alive dwindled. Still, the teenagers, their parents, and the community at large prayed for God to return her to them.
One week after she went missing, their prayers were answered. But it felt more like a sick joke than a miracle. On March 3rd, 19-year-old Mallory Beach was discovered in a marsh five miles downriver from Archer's Creek Bridge. She was long dead.
The coroner confirmed that she had drowned on the morning of the accident. After being flung from the sea hunt, Mallory had sustained severe blunt force trauma to the head and succumbed to the current that carried her body to its final resting place. The news ripped through the heart of Hampton County as the devastated wails of those who knew Mallory reverberated through its waterways. For her parents, March 3rd will always be remembered as the day their world crumbled.
Even today, they struggle to say her name without weeping. They're not alone. Though her time on this earth was short, Mallory's vibrancy and warmth will be remembered by many people for many lifetimes. Her funeral was held on March 7th, 2019 at Open Arms Fellowship Church in Hampton. Hundreds of tearful mourners came to pay their respects and celebrate her life. They spilled out of the church, creating a sprawling line that snaked through the parking lot.
An entire county grieved the loss of Mallory Beach, which in itself was a testament to the love she radiated. She was purity incarnate, a dose of serotonin felt by all in her presence. Mallory soothed the harshest of heartaches with her goofy disposition, trading silliness for smiles out of instinct rather than obligation.
She was active in her church and community, a die-hard daddy's girl, a lover of animals, and a light taken senselessly and far too soon. "I think that she was just too good for this earth," said Miley, Mallory's best friend since childhood. Part 8: A Southern Scandal The story of Mallory's tragic death dominated headlines across the Lowcountry and South Carolina as a whole.
Her pictures were shared throughout social media with heartbreaking captions about the devastation felt in her absence. She wasn't posing or pouting. In each photo, Mallory's face was adorned with a smile bigger and brighter than the sun itself, just as she is remembered. However, hers was soon joined by another. In the days following the discovery of Mallory's body, Paul Murdock's name and face went viral.
Finally, he was exposed as the driver, and Connor Cook's name was rightfully cleared, though not without difficulty. Connor endured both physical and psychological suffering thanks to Paul. He was rushed to the hospital as a hero, who had done everything in his power to steer the boat to safety. When he left, he did so as a suspect. Connor was forced to not only live under a cloud of suspicion, but in fear of the Murdochs.
The poor boy publicly proclaimed his innocence, but behind closed doors, he was scared. According to his father, Marty, Connor was terrified that the Murdochs would use their connections to silence him. The Cooks later filed a civil lawsuit against the Murdochs, claiming that the family had tried to frame their son for the crash. They hired a team of lawyers to help them go up against the dynasty, and damning evidence was eventually uncovered.
The Cooks' lawyers found that five separate officers had intentionally spread false information about who caused the crash to mislead the public and other law enforcement officials. It was believed that they were conspiring with the Murdochs to create confusion and shift any scrutiny away from Paul and on to Connor.
The Cooks also alleged that Alec tried to pressure them into hiring his friend and fellow lawyer, Corey Fleming, to help shield his son from punishment. Remember that name. It will come up again as our story unfolds and the Murdoch scandal is exposed. Unsurprisingly, the Cooks weren't the only ones who sought to bring the dynasty to justice.
Weeks after her death, Mallory's parents filed wrongful death lawsuits against Parker's convenience store, Luther's, and of course, the Murdock family. Philip and Renee accused Buster of giving his little brother his ID to buy the booze that got the teenagers blasted. They also alleged that Maggie knew about it and allowed Paul to take passengers out on the boat anyway. In the end, the story garnered so much attention that for once, the Murdocks couldn't smother it.
Paul's dangerous, selfish behavior had killed Mallory Beach and the public wanted him to finally face the consequences of his actions. However, those who resided in the Low Country doubted that the case would even make it to court. They saw the tragic accident as a test of their legal system and the Murdoch's power over it, one that failed spectacularly. That said, their allegations of corruption and misconduct ultimately spurred local officials to prove them wrong.
Well, those not connected to the Murdochs, at least. Paul was taken to court, but frustratingly, he still received special treatment. On April 18th, 2019, the same day Mallory should have been celebrating her 20th birthday, Paul Murdoch was formally indicted. He was charged with one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of causing significant bodily injury, all of which were felonies.
Then the 20-year-old was arraigned at Beaufort County General Sessions Court on May 6th, where he pleaded not guilty to all three counts. Despite facing felony charges, the proceedings were made as easy as possible for Paul. He was never handcuffed during his arraignment, nor was he taken to the police department for a formal mugshot. Apparently, the Murdochs were above standard legal procedures.
Paul maintained an image of innocence and after being released on a $50,000 bond, he was ushered outside of the courtroom to be photographed in a polo shirt with an iPhone 7. Of course, this special treatment wasn't just confined to the court. Paul was an obvious flight risk. With that in mind, Judge Steven John ordered that his release be conditional.
the 20-year-old was required to relinquish his passport and was forbidden from traveling outside of the 14th Judicial Circuit without written permission. Two months later, however, that very condition was revoked. It gets worse. Paul was also warned against committing any offenses, big or small. Any violation of that condition should have seen him being taken into custody to await his trial, according to Judge John, at least. The Murdoch boy went on to have two brushes with the law that we know of.
In May of 2020, Paul was slapped with a traffic ticket after being caught driving 15 miles over the speed limit. One year later, he was fined for a minor boating violation in Charleston County. None of these offenses resulted in confinement. Instead, Paul was allowed to return to the life of carefree luxury he lived before he caused the death of Mallory Beach. In early 2021, he moved into the log cabin on Moselle, the Murdoch's hunting property.
Despite facing three boating under the influence felony charges, Paul was never ordered to abstain from drinking or boating, which is exactly what he did while he awaited his trial. Then the 22-year-old spent his time partying and drinking with friends. The other survivors spent that time suffering. They struggled through physiotherapy, survivor's guilt, mental health troubles, and unimaginable grief. Watching Paul sail through life after the accident only made it harder.
They wanted him to finally learn his lesson, which they thought would happen later that year. His trial was due to commence in the first week of June of 2021. If convicted, he faced 25 years imprisonment. However, that day would never come because he wouldn't live long enough to see it. On June 7th, 2021, Paul and Maggie Murdock were murdered.
