Money Crimes with Nicole Lapin - MURDER: Murdaugh Murders Pt. 2

Episode Date: February 13, 2025

In 2019, Alex Murdaugh's law firm discovered that he had conned several clients out of millions of dollars -- but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Alex flailed as his family, his business and his finances crumbled under the weight of public scrutiny... pushing Alex to commit his most unspeakable crime to date -- murder. Money Crimes is a Crime House Original. For more content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @crimehouse. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Crime House. There's a commonly held belief that money is power. But that doesn't only extend to oligarchs and billionaires. Everywhere around the world, wealthy, established families like the Murdos have an outsized impact on even the smallest communities. Sometimes that can be a force for good, and for years it seemed like the Murdos used their influence to help folks all around Hampton County. But when power becomes that concentrated, it only takes one person to bring it all down. Alex Murdaugh was one of those people.

Alex used his family's sterling reputation to commit all sorts of crimes. Whether he was covering up a scandal, stealing from his clients, or even committing murder, Alex took advantage of the trust his community had placed in him. As the saying goes, those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it. That's especially true when it comes to money. If you want to make the right decisions when it comes to managing your assets, you need to know what mistakes to avoid and how to spot a trap. This is Money Crimes, a Crime House original. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Every Thursday, I'll be telling you the story of a famous financial crime and giving you advice on how to avoid becoming a victim yourself.

At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you, our community, for making all of this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Money Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. And for ad free and early access to Money Crimes plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple podcasts. This is the second and final episode on the Murdaugh dynasty,

a family of prominent lawyers in Hampton County, South Carolina. In 2019, a tragic accident exposed the family patriarch, Alex, as a thief who stole millions from his clients. In the aftermath, he lost everything trying to salvage his reputation. Last time, I introduced you to Alex Murdoch and the methods he used to steal millions of dollars from his clients and friends and how he tried to intervene after his son Paul was involved in a fatal boating accident. In this episode, I'll tell you how Alex went to

extreme lengths to solve his problems and the shocking murders that caused his true nature to be revealed. money crimes, you won't want to miss our studio's new show, Crime House True Crime Stories. Every Monday, you'll go on an in-depth journey through two of the most notorious true crime cases from that week in history, all connected by a common theme. From notorious serial killers and mysterious disappearances to unsolved murders and more. Follow Crime House, True Crime Stories now, wherever you get your podcasts. And for ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You hear that?

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For a century, the Murdoch family was a fixture of Hampton County, South Carolina. Working in various roles as high-level prosecutors and personal injury lawyers, it seemed like justice in the Lowcountry ran through the Murdos. And in 2019, that theory was pushed to its limits. That February, 19-year-old Paul Murdoz was involved in a terrible boating accident after a long night of drinking with his friends. His best friend's girlfriend, a young woman named Mallory Beach, died in the crash. And now, Paul's dad, Alex Murdaugh, was in damage control mode. Not only was he trying to keep his son out of prison, he was also trying to conceal his

own crimes. Namely, that he'd stolen a huge settlement payment. It was supposed to go to the sons of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh's longtime employee who died on their property back in 2018. Instead, Alex had funneled it into his own personal account. And it wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. Around the same time Alex was conning the Satterfields, he was also allegedly stealing settlement money that rightfully belonged

to a South Carolina state trooper. His name was Lieutenant Tommy Moore. Tommy's story started back in 2018, a few months before Gloria Satterfield's death. That winter, Hampton County was pounded by a heavy storm locals called Snowmageddon. Blizzards aren't exactly common in the South Carolina Lowcountry, so the storm caused a lot of problems. State troopers like Tommy Moore worked crazy hours responding to emergencies all over the area.

And at one point, Tommy's cruiser got hit by another car. At first, it seemed like Tommy managed to escape only with a neck sprain. But his pain lasted for months. He eventually got a second opinion. Turns out his neck was actually fractured. This second doctor said Tommy needed surgery, but his workman's comp claim was denied because of the initial misdiagnosis. So Tommy hired a lawyer, Alex Murdaugh.

At the time, it seemed like a great call. Alex got Tommy a $100,000 settlement, and unlike the Satterfields, Tommy actually received the check for it. But before Tommy could deposit it, Alex told him the money had to be set aside in a frozen bank account, one he wouldn't be able to access until all the litigation connected to his case was finished. Tommy had no reason to think Alex was lying. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he trusted that his lawyer was

telling him the truth. So he endorsed the check and gave it to Alex. Without Tommy's knowledge, Alex likely used that signature to replicate his name on additional paperwork. And instead of putting that money in the supposed frozen account, Alex deposited it into his own personal account. Alex even put it in the same account he used to steal from the Satterfields, the one under the name Forge LLC.

For months, Alex played the same game with Tommy that he did with Brian and Tony Satterfield. He told Tommy he just had to be patient, that the money would become unfrozen eventually. In the meantime, Tommy had no choice but to run up a ton of medical debt on his credit card, debt he thought he'd pay off once the settlement money was unfrozen. But if Alex had his way, Tommy would never see a cent of that money. After Paul's boat crash, though, the Myrdals were suddenly under a ton of scrutiny. And that meant a lot of prying eyes.

Alex was calling in every favor he could to make the family's problems go away, especially when it came to Paul's boat crash. It's hard to know what Alex's involvement was here, although it's undeniable that there were a lot of procedural mistakes during the investigation. And they all happened to work in Paul's favor. First, Paul wasn't immediately given a field sobriety test despite being visibly intoxicated. It was also reported that the police neglected to collect Paul's phone as evidence.

Then, a key witness statement wasn't recorded as it should have been. Officers also neglected to take photos of the wrecked boat while it was being tested for DNA evidence. But even with these mistakes going Paul's way, he still had an uphill battle ahead of him, especially because he was his own worst enemy. A few months after the crash, he was caught on video drinking at a house party, despite being under a court order not to consume alcohol. And even though Alex was able to delay things, Paul was still facing criminal charges.

They included boating under the influence causing bodily injury and BUI causing death. In total, he was facing 25 years in prison. And on June 10, 2021, nearly two and a half years after the crash, he was finally scheduled for his first court hearing. It was going to be a huge moment for the Murdoch family. If things didn't go well, they could be in huge trouble, criminally and financially. But behind the scenes, things were already falling apart. By this point, Alex and his wife Maggie were living separately.

She spent most of her time at the family's beach house on Edisto Island, about 70 miles from their main house in Hampton, although Alex made sure their separation wasn't public knowledge. Once Paul's trial got into full swing, the press would be constantly hounding them. Any weakness in the family's armor could lead to Alex's crimes being exposed. So on June 7, 2021, three days before Paul's court hearing, Alex called Maggie. His 81-year-old father was dealing with health problems, and he'd just been admitted to the hospital.

Alex asked Maggie if she'd meet him at their country estate, Moselle. Maggie reluctantly agreed and started the long drive out to Moselle. But something didn't feel right. She knew her husband and he wasn't acting like himself. It's not clear if Maggie knew anything about Alex's financial crimes, but she definitely knew about his role in Paul's case. When she finally arrived at Mosel, Maggie decided she wasn't staying long. She even left her car engine running. It's impossible to know exactly what happened on the Murdoch property that night,

but around 10 p.m., 30 minutes after Maggie arrived, Alex called 911 in a panic. He said he'd come home to M Mosel and found both Maggie and Paul. They'd been killed by gunshots. Maggie had been killed with an AR-15-style rifle, while Paul was killed at short range with a shotgun. It was a tragic development in the Murdaw's lives, and nobody could explain why it happened. But the truth would come out soon, and it was more horrifying than anyone could have ever imagined. Sick of dreaming smaller? Sick of high fees eating away at your investments but just don't have the time to invest in your own? Hi there. Invest for a fraction of the cost and become wealthier with Quest Wealth Portfolios. Get yours, Questrade.

Hi there, it's Carter Roy, host of the Crime House original Murder True Crime Stories. If you're loving money crimes, you won't want to miss our studio's new show, Crime House True Crime Stories. Every Monday, you'll go on an in-depth journey through two of the most notorious true crime cases from that week in history, all linked by a common theme. From infamous serial killers and mysterious disappearances to unsolved murders, we are bringing you the defining events that shape true crime both past and present.

Each episode dives into the stories behind the headlines, featuring high profile cases from past and present, including the murder of Gabby Petito, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the Heaven's Gate cult tragedy, and so much more. Follow Crime House, True Crime Stories, now wherever you get your podcasts. And for ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House Plus

on Apple Podcasts. If Alex Murdoch had hoped to stay under the radar, it definitely wasn't going to happen now. After his son Paul and wife Maggie were murdered in June of 2021, the media descended on the Mosel estate. Naturally, that came with a lot of conspiracy theories. Because of Alex's deep connections with law enforcement in the area, some people had wondered if a disgruntled convict had targeted Maggie and Paul.

Or maybe it had something to do with Paul's boat crash, someone looking to avenge Mallory Beach. But one thing was clear, Alex Murdaugh was a person of interest. After all, he was the one who found the bodies, and a victim's spouse is usually at the top of a suspect list. The investigators' suspicions grew when they learned that Maggie wasn't even living with Alex. There was also a rumor she'd recently seen a divorce attorney.

Alex didn't handle the pressure well. At some point, he started using opioids. It's not clear how bad his problem was, but the drugs altered his mood and made him paranoid. It wasn't long before his colleagues realized he was slipping. Three months after the murders, on September 3rd, 2021, the partners at Alex's law firm

confronted him. They'd been looking into his past cases and didn't like what they were seeing. It was clear Alex was stealing from his clients, and when his partners took a deep dive into the firm's accounts, they discovered Alex had been stealing from them, too. Along with settlement fraud, Alex took money from the firm's accounts by disguising them as attorney's fees. He did the same thing to a lot of his clients, charging them for all kinds of fake expenses. And he got away with it for so long because of his prominence in the firm.

After all, the Murdoch name had been on the door for over a hundred years. Just like he was able to throw his weight around in the boat crash investigation, Alex had immense power at his firm. He'd reportedly tell the junior attorneys to send settlement checks directly to him instead of routing them through the firm like they were supposed to do. Since he was the big boss, nobody questioned him. It was a textbook embezzlement case. The word pops up a lot, but the definition of embezzlement is when somebody takes money

or assets that were entrusted to them and uses the funds for a different purpose. It happens a lot in professional or corporate settings, someone like Alex Murdaugh taking money from the company for themselves. And it can happen at any business, whether it's a mom-and-pop bookstore or a massive law firm. And a lot of times, embezzlers will rope innocent people into their schemes. So if you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel like you're being asked to do something shady, make sure you keep a record of it and notify the authorities. Once Alex Murdoz's partners realized what he was doing, everything unraveled for him pretty fast.

As they looked into Alex's records, they found the settlement money he'd stolen from Tommy Moore, the South Carolina state trooper. They asked Alex for an explanation, but there was no talking his way out of it, especially when the firm said they were hiring a forensic accountant to figure everything out. At that point, all Alex could do was agree to quietly resign. As he cleared out his office on the morning of September 3, 2021, Alex's mind must have been reeling. This was exactly what he'd feared for the past few years. His financial crimes were finally exposed. Now there was nothing he could do to stop the reckoning coming his way.

But the next day, September 4th, Alex found himself in another unpredictable situation. He called 911 to report a different crime, only this time, he was the victim. He told police he was changing a flat tire on the side of the road when an unknown assailant drove by and shot him. Luckily, the bullet only grazed him and the attacker sped away without firing again. It seemed like Alex had come within inches of death and miraculously survived.

The news ignited another media firestorm. Now it really looked like someone was targeting the Murdoch family. First they'd come after Maggie and Paul, and now it seemed like someone was trying to kill Alex too. Not everyone saw it that way, though, because Alex's story wasn't exactly airtight. First of all, his Mercedes SUV didn't come with a spare tire, so it didn't make sense that he'd been trying to fix a flat on the side of the road that day.

Alex also said he was on his way to the city of Charleston when the shooting happened. But the road he was on wouldn't get him there. Finally, it was odd that the shooter had driven off after only firing once. If they really were targeting Alex, they probably would have shot at him a few more times before driving away. Of course, none of those holes in his story proved Alex was lying, but they were enough to raise the investigator's eyebrows, especially with everything else going on in his life. Alex must have sensed their doubts because just one day after the shooting, he changed his tune.

He released a surprise press statement and confessed to being a long-term opioid addict. He said his issue had only worsened since the deaths of his wife and son, and he checked himself into rehab. This day seemed to give Alex some perspective. After a week in the rehab facility, he said he was more clear-headed than ever. He even approached the police and changed his story about the recent shooting. In this new version of events, Alex said he'd engineered the whole thing. He claimed that after he was forced to resign from his law firm, he snapped. With his mind clouded by the opioids, Alex had decided there was no way out for him.

But he wanted to do right by the only family he had left, his oldest son, 28-year-old Buster. So he made a reckless choice. He called his friend, a guy named Curtis Smith, and offered him money in exchange for killing him. By making it look like a murder, Alex was hoping his one surviving son could collect his $10 million life insurance policy. This was going to be his final, desperate way to make things right. According to Alex, Curtis agreed to his scheme and met him on the side of the road.

But things didn't go as planned. Somehow, Curtis missed his shot and refused to try again. He drove off and Alex called 911 pretending he'd been randomly attacked. Investigators were baffled by Alex's confession and they'd only become more confused after talking to the alleged hitman, Curtis Smith, who also happened to be Alex's drug dealer. As it turned out, Curtis had his own version

of what went down. According to him, he met Alex on the side of the road, but he was there as a concerned friend, not a hitman. He claimed that Alex was acting strange, and at some point he drew a gun and handed it to Curtis. When Curtis refused to shoot him, Alex tried to grab the gun himself. Curtis claimed that as they wrestled over it, the gun went off. But the bullet missed Alex completely.

So police had three versions of the same incident. Random shooting, suicide for hire, and now a struggle over a weapon. It wasn't immediately clear which story they should believe, but one thing was clear. Alex Murdoch had officially admitted to insurance fraud, which meant he'd almost certainly go to jail. The question now was, for how long? Over the coming months, Alex was arrested and faced an avalanche of criminal charges. Most of them were finance-related, like embezzlement. And it turned out he took his opioid addiction to the next level through a money laundering scheme, which I'll get into later.

But the biggest and most shocking indictment came down on July 14, 2022. That day, Alex Murdahl was charged with double double murder of his wife and son in July of 2022, it sent shockwaves through his tight-knit community. Even people who were suspicious of Alex couldn't believe he was capable of something this evil. And that was only one of his many legal problems. Because while his murder case was going on, Alex also had to answer for the laundry list of financial crimes he'd been accused of. On top of all the other ones I've covered so far, the authorities revealed that Alex

had operated another fraud scheme. This one was with the CEO of Palmetto State Bank, which operated locally around the area. The CEO in question was a guy named Russell Lafitte. Alex and Russell worked together in a way that was very similar to how he defrauded Brian and Tony Satterfield. First, Alex appointed Russell as the personal representative

or executor for a lot of his personal injury clients. This meant that if Alex successfully won a settlement for that client, he could send the check straight to Russell. From there, Russell distributed the settlement money, however Alex told him to, while taking a cut for himself. Between 2011 and 2021, they both used the stolen money to cover overdraft fees on their bank accounts and to pay back their personal loans. In total, these funds amounted to almost $1.4 million.

In 2023, Russell was sentenced to seven years in prison and was ordered to pay $3.5 million to his victims. Alex pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. And those were only a few of the charges Alex was facing. By July 2022, he was facing a whopping 84 criminal charges, spread over 11 different lawsuits. Which brings us back to one final financial crime, the money laundering. Turns out Alex didn't just have an opioid problem, he was allegedly funding an entire

drug ring. Here's how authorities said it worked. Alex would write small checks to his friend Curtis Smith, the same friend that may have tried to kill him. These payments were under the guise of legitimate services like yard work or the odd handyman job. In total, he paid Curtis $2.4 million. Curtis would cash those checks, then use it for their opioid ring. So how did it take so long for them to get caught? for them to get caught. Alex deliberately wrote the checks for relatively small amounts because federal regulations

require banks to report checks over $10,000. Those laws are intended to help prevent money laundering by making it easier for the government to track large cash transfers. Skirting these regulations like Alex did by breaking transactions into smaller pieces is called structuring and it's definitely illegal. That lawsuit is ongoing at the time of this recording but there are plenty of other cases that have been resolved. In all, Alex Myrnaw was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and that was just for his

financial crimes. He was also ordered to forfeit over $10 million in ill-gotten gains and to pay an additional $8.7 million to his many victims. And that's not even including the biggest charges he faced, murdering his wife and son. That trial finally began in the first few months of 2023. The proceedings attracted media from all over the world and turned the Murdoff family into a household name. Throughout the proceedings, Alex maintained his innocence.

He told police he was nowhere near Mosel that night, swearing that he'd gone to visit his elderly father in the hospital. His lone surviving son Buster even took the stand to defend him. Because Paul and Maggie Murdahl were killed using two different weapons, the defense suggested that there had been two shooters. But based on the testimony of a crime scene analyst, that was pretty unlikely. The angle of both entry wounds was the same, which meant that the two gunshots came from the same height.

Not only that, but evidence directly placed Alex at the crime scene. Toward the end of the trial, prosecutors played a video taken from Paul Murdoch's phone just minutes before his death. The video showed Paul and the dog kennel by the house. In the background, Alex Murdoch could clearly be heard, proving he didn't just find his wife and son dead. He was there when it happened. On March 2nd, 2023, after less than three hours of deliberation, a jury unanimously convicted Alex of murder. He was served with two consecutive life sentences. Some of his cases are still playing out in court,

but it's safe to say the Murdaugh dynasty has ended. For a century, the Murdaughs were the biggest name in Hampton County. Whether they were prosecuting criminals or winning massive settlements for their clients, they were trusted members of the community. Alex Murdaugh took advantage of that trust to lie, cheat, steal, and murder. His story is the ultimate reminder that you can't put your faith in someone for their name alone. Even if their track record may seem impeccable, you never know what they're like behind the scenes. And in the case of Alex Murdaugh, he turned out to be a monster. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Come back next week as I take you through another wild story and offer you some advice along the way. Money Crimes is a Crime House original. Join me every Thursday for a new episode. Here

at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, at Crime House on TikTok and on Instagram. And don't forget to rate, review and follow Money Crimes wherever you got your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes all the difference. And for ad free and early access to Money Crimes plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple podcasts. Money Crimes is hosted by me, Nicole Lapin, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios.

It is executive produced by Max Cutler. This episode of Money Crimes was produced and directed by Ron Shapiro, written by Terrell Wells, edited by Lori Marinelli, fact-checked by Sarah Tartuffe, sound designed by Russell Nash, and included production assistance from Sarah Carroll. Looking for a deep dive into history's most notorious true crime cases? Check out Crime House True Crime Stories. Follow Crime House True Crime Stories now wherever you get your podcasts.

And for ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts.