Buster Murdaugh and other family members were on a list of potential witnesses who could be called to the stand during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial, which began on Monday.
During juror selection, Judge Clifton Newman read off a list of possible witnesses to prospective jurors to ensure there were no prior connections. The State reported that in addition to Alex’s son Buster, the ex-attorney’s brothers, John Marvin and Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV, may testify.
Alex Murdaugh is currently standing trial for killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, 52 and 22; the victims were found fatally shot at the family’s hunting lodge in Colleton County in June 2021. Prosecutors concluded Alex killed his wife and son last year to distract from mounting accusations that the former lawyer stole $9 million from clients and his family law firm.
Alex is believed to have acted alone in the slayings, allegedly shooting Maggie with a rifle and killing Paul with a shotgun. He was reportedly filmed driving away from the lodge an hour before he called 911 to report their deaths.
In September 2021, months after Paul and Maggie’s slayings, Alex suffered superficial head wounds when he allegedly had former client Curtis Smith, 61, shoot him in the head so his surviving son, Buster, would receive a $10 million insurance payout.
A day before the shooting, Alex was forced out of his family law firm amid allegations he misappropriated funds.
Two days after the apparent botched suicide, Alex announced he was entering rehabilitation for drugs. Shortly thereafter, he was charged with insurance fraud in connection with the September 2021 suicide-for-hire plot and released on bail.
However, in October 2021, Alex was rearrested upon leaving a rehabilitation center in Florida for allegedly stealing $4.3 million from the estate of his former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who suffered a fatal fall on his property in February 2018.
In that case, he was accused of stealing insurance payouts that were intended for Satterfield’s family. Authorities plan to exhume her body amid an ongoing investigation regarding her death.
In addition to the murder charges, Alex faces more than 100 criminal counts related to fraud.
In June 2022, Alex and Smith were indicted for allegedly purchasing and distributing oxycodone in multiple counties. In December 2022, Alex was indicted for tax evasion for allegedly failing to claim the $6 million he allegedly earned through illegal acts between 2011 and 2019.
Alex was charged with Maggie and Paul’s murders days after he was formally disbarred by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Juror selection began on Monday. Though Alex’s murder trial was supposed to be live-streamed, Judge Clifton Newman decided on Monday that this portion of the trial would not be filmed.
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[Featured image: Buster, Maggie, Paul, Alex Murdaugh/Facebook]
