Alex Murdaugh’s law firm, PMPED, said Monday that it had pushed out the prominent South Carolina lawyer the day before he called 911 and said he had been shot in the head.
The firm said it had learned Murdaugh misappropriated millions of dollars from the law firm and told him of the allegations on Friday, the New York Times reported.
The Murdaugh’s legal family dynasty has been rocked over the summer since Alex Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul were found shot to death on the family’s hunting property in Islandton as Paul was awaiting trial related to a boat accident in 2019 that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Murdaugh, 53, announced Monday that he had quit the law firm, founded by his great-grandfather, and would enter rehab “after a long battle” that he said had been exacerbated by the murders of his wife and son, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
“I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends, and colleagues,” he said in a statement released by Dick Harpootian, one of his attorneys. “I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.”
Murdaugh’s former law firm said in a statement to the Times that a forensic accounting firm had investigated the suspected misappropriation and that it had notified the South Carolina Bar and law enforcement of the findings. The firm itself did not say how much money was missing, but a member of the firm spoke with the newspaper on the condition of anonymity and said it was in the millions of dollars.
Another of Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin — who providing the initial information about Saturday’s shooting — confirmed that his client resigned after the accusation. He said Murdaugh was released from the hospital on Monday after treatment for a superficial gunshot wound and met with investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division, which is looking into both the shooting on Saturday and the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
According to Murdaugh’s account of the shooting on Saturday, he had a flat tire while driving to Charleston and stopped to change it. While he was working on his vehicle, a truck passed by, turned around, and came back. Someone inside opened fire. There have been no arrests and no suspects announced. The same is true for the June 7 killings of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22. Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies when he returned to the secluded home and called 911.
Those murders brought new scrutiny to the charges against Paul Murdaugh, which were dropped upon his death. Murdaugh was reportedly driving the boat drunk on the night of the crash, which tossed Beach into the water. Reports have intimated that Paul Murdaugh may have received favorable treatment in the investigation because of his stories South Carolina family.
Paul Murdaugh’s great-great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr, founded the PMPED law firm and was elected solicitor of the 14th circuit more than 100 years ago. His son and grandson, Randolph Murdaugh Jr and Randolph Murdaugh III — Alex Murdaugh’s father — succeeded him in the position, while Alex Murdaugh himself worked with the office for years. Duffie Stone was elected to the post after Randolph III left it in 2006, but Stone last month recused himself from the investigation into the Murdaugh murders, citing new information that could lead to a conflict of interest.
See CrimeOnline’s continuing coverage of the Murdaugh Murders.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast
[Featured image: Alex and Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook]
