From our correspondent in the United States,
Money, power and long periods of impunity. After three generations of prosecutors have ruled the region, this South Carolina dynasty is now synonymous with disgrace. That of Alex Murdaugh, who was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the double murder of his wife and son. But if that ruling – pending a possible appeal – puts an end to a mystery that has plagued America for two years, the legal saga is far from over. Investigations into two other suspicious deaths in 2015 and 2018 have resumed. They are discussed in the Netflix documentary Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
2015: A youth is found dead on a country road
Stephen Smith was 19 years old. In what was still a very conservative South, he was proud and openly gay. On July 8, 2015, his body was found in the middle of the night on a deserted country road with the back of his head sunken. The coroner concludes that the young man, who appears to have collapsed, was struck down and may have been hit by a vehicle’s rear-view mirror. But that thesis is challenged by the coroner, who is investigating the circumstances, not the cause of death. According to local broadcaster WISTV, the intervening first officer saw “no signs that the victim had been hit by a vehicle”: no debris or skid marks; and Stephen still has his shoes on, though they are unlaced.
Stephen Smith died at the age of 19. – Facebook
Officials question his relatives and friends. One name appears multiple times in the report: Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son, Buster, a former classmate of the victim. In the Netflix documentary, several young people mention the rumor of a secret homosexual relationship, which has not been confirmed at the time. But for some unclear reason, investigators have never heard from Buster.
The investigation is finally closed with a fatality by “hit and run” (death after a hit-and-run). But two weeks after the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, on June 22, 2021, South Carolina authorities announced they were reopening the investigation into Stephen Smith’s death. They say they received new information while investigating the double murder. Last January, investigators said they had made “progress,” without giving details. South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) contacted by 20 Minutes did not respond Friday night.
2018: Fatal fall of a domestic worker
Gloria Satterfield was more than a governess who worked for the Murdaughs for 20 years. Paul’s ex-girlfriend introduces her as the second mother to the youngest in the family. On February 2, 2018, Maggie Murdaugh called for help. She tells them that Gloria Satterfield fell backwards down a brick staircase and is bleeding profusely. Alex Murdaugh then told authorities his semi-conscious employee managed to speak to him before help arrived, telling him the dogs tripped him. But in the Netflix documentary, the family gardener disputes this version: According to him, Alex Murdaugh wasn’t there before help arrived.
Gloria Satterfield worked for the Murdaughs for 20 years. -DR
Gloria Satterfield dies two weeks later. Without anyone knowing why, his death was not reported to a coroner and no autopsy was performed. Alex Murdaugh then assures the Satterfield family that he will compensate them through his liability insurance. He gets $4 million…which he keeps for himself.
Paul Murdaugh’s ex-girlfriend claims that shortly before his fall, the clerk found a bag of pills belonging to Alex Murdaugh, who has an opiate addiction that he is hiding from his family. And that commercial insurance that’s giving him a jackpot? He took it out a month before the tragedy.
Alex Murdoch doesn’t know yet, but this insurance scam marks the beginning of his downfall. Gloria Satterfield’s relatives are suing him, and his law firm partners discover that he has embezzled millions of dollars for years. Under that threat – and the pursuit of his son Paul, who is responsible for the death of a friend in a boating accident he drove while drunk – Alex Murdoch kills his wife and son on June 7, 2021. According to prosecutors, to attract sympathy and gain time in the face of a tightening noose.
The SLED is launching an investigation into the death of Gloria Satterfield in September 2021. Last year, her family gave consent for her remains to be exhumed. One of her lawyers told the New York Post on Friday that the exhumation should take place soon.
2021: Failed suicide staged
Three months after the double homicide, while authorities still have no suspects, Alex Murdaugh calls the police after he was shot in the head while changing a tire. His story of an unknown assailant breaks down: he admits he tried to orchestrate his suicide by paying his dealer so his son Buster could get a $10 million life insurance policy.
Doubts remain about this version. Curtis Edward Smith, a very distant cousin, claims that Alex Murdaugh asked him to come and drew a gun. According to Smith, the two men fought back and a shot went off, injuring the attorney. In all, Murdaugh wrote his dealer 437 checks for $2.4 million over 8 years to buy oxycodone pills, which he swallowed handfuls, up to 60 a day. The most recent check for $22,109 was ten days before his wife and son were murdered.
The sequel: More tests to come
Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to two life sentences with no possibility of parole and was expected to appeal, his attorneys said. They believe he was unable to benefit from a fair trial given the media frenzy, particularly given the Netflix documentary released a week before the verdict.
Removed from the bar, the lawyer still faces 99 charges, mainly of financial and insurance fraud. He is also facing several civil lawsuits, most notably over the fatal boat accident.
“Even if he was sentenced to life imprisonment, the authorities will continue to investigate any other murder that Murdaugh may have committed,” said attorney Duncan Levin, who notably represented Harvey Weinstein and Clare Bronfman. “Even without extra time in prison, justice must be done, it is always a priority for law enforcement. »
The most important facts of the case
July 8, 2015. Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on a country road, killed with a blow to the head. He was a classmate of Buster, Alex Murdaugh’s eldest son. Relatives conjure up rumors of a possible secret homosexual affair in the Netflix documentary that have not yet been confirmed.
February 26, 2018. The Murdaughs’ housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died two weeks after falling down the steps of their Moselle estate. His death was never reported to a coroner, and no autopsy was performed. Younger brother Paul Murdaugh’s ex-girlfriend claims the clerk found a bag of Alex Murdaugh’s pills just before his fall.
February 24, 2019. Mallory Beach, 19, dies in drunken boat crash Paul Murdaugh.
June 7, 2021. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are shot.
June 22, 2021. Authorities are reopening their investigation into the death of Stephen Smith based on new information obtained during the investigation into the double murder of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.
September 4, 2021. Alex Murdaugh calls the police after being shot in the head. He has since admitted asking an acquaintance to kill him so his eldest son Buster could get a $10 million life insurance policy. But his accomplice apparently overlooked that.
March 3, 2023. Murdaugh is found guilty of the double murder of his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison.