Buster Murdaugh testified on Monday that Paul and Maggie were aware of Alex’s opioid issues because they had discovered his pills.
Buster also said that Alex entered a detox facility sometime after Christmas 2018 and additionally did at-home detoxes. Buster claimed he knew a little about his father’s alleged drug addiction.
“I knew that either my brother or mom found them [pills] at one point…there were a couple more times, after the fact…where they would find pills, ” Buster testified.
Buster went on to state that he was under the belief father had “beat” his drug addiction.
#BREAKING: Buster Murdaugh testifies that Maggie & Paul discovered his dad #AlexMurdaugh's drug use. Buster said he thought his dad had "beat it."#CourtTV What do YOU think? ⚖️👇 #MurdaughTrial pic.twitter.com/7fX5LHES3S
— Court TV (@CourtTV) February 21, 2023
A month before the slayings, Paul reportedly texted Alex about Maggie finding “several bags” of pills in his computer bag. Maggie reportedly did a Google search to identify the pills. Cellphone data indicated she searched “Green gel pill p30” and “White pill 30 on one side rp,” according to BuzzFeed.
Paul reportedly wrote to Alex, “I am still in EB [Edisto Beach] because when you get here we have to talk. Mom found several bags of pills in your computer bag.”
Prosecutors said cell phone data and forensic evidence tie Alex to Paul and Maggie’s slayings. Meanwhile, Alex’s attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said the cell phone records were incomplete and asserted that Alex would be covered in blood if he killed his wife and son at close range. Harpootlian said no blood was found on Alex’s clothing.
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 after that, 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 Satterfield’s estate. 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.
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