Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP Remastered #3 - Who Killed Mallory Beach? Part One

Starting point is 00:00:00 The new BMO ViPorter MasterCard is your ticket to more. More perks. More points. More flights. More of all the things you want in a travel rewards card. And then some. Get your ticket to more with the new BMO ViPorter MasterCard and get up to $2,400 in value in your first 13 months.

Starting point is 00:00:24 Terms and conditions apply. Visit BMO.com slash ViPorter to learn more. more. When I look back at my younger self, I remember the feeling of being bullied and disrespected. I remember hating that feeling, and I remember the day that I resolved that it would never happen again. When I founded Blan Richter with my partner Ronnie Richter, we committed to build a firm that demanded respect that would fight for the powerful on behalf of the clients who felt powerless. Since forming Blan Richter, we've stood tall against the largest law firms in the state, in the country, and in the world, and we've remained true to the commitment

Starting point is 00:01:03 not to be pushed around, to give tenacious representation with proven results. Tenacious representation, proven results, Bland Richter. Learn more about what we do and who we are by visiting blan-rictor.com. That's B-L-A-N-D-R-I-C-H-E-R dot com. Hello and welcome back to the remastered Murdoch murders podcast with commentary from me, Mandy Matney, and conversations with other key players and reflections. When I first found out that Maggie and Paul were murdered in June of 2021, I knew that it had to be related to the boat crash somehow.

Starting point is 00:01:49 I had reported on the boat crash for more than two years at that point, and I knew from sources close to the Murdox that the crash served as a seismic event in the family, perhaps the first mess that they could not contain. While I believed the two events were related somehow, I never believed that any of the kids involved in the crash had anything to do with the murders. I knew how terrified those kids were of the Murdoch family, and there was no world where any of them could ever have been involved. But mainstream media, who hopped on this story after the murders and found out about the crash through a Google search, recklessly started connecting all of the wrong dots in this story and started insinuating that the murders

Starting point is 00:02:33 might be a revenge killing for what happened to Mallory Beach. This blamed the boat crash kids. Narrative floating around mainstream media at the time ultimately inspired me to create this podcast and lay out all of the facts on a big platform in a way that people could understand and stop blaming people who did not deserve it. Turns out I was right. The murders were in fact, connected to the boat crash and all the time that I spent pulling on strings in the boat crash case, strings that people made fun of me for obsessing over. Well, they were all worth it. Let's dive into episode three, the first of many episodes focused on the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. I think I know who killed Mallory Beach and I think something went wrong in the investigation after

Starting point is 00:03:27 her death, but I want you to hear the evidence and decide for yourself. My name is Mandy Matney. I have been investigating the Murdoch family for more than two years now. And this is the Murdoch Martyrs podcast. Before we start, I want to say thank you. Thank you to our sponsors. Thank you to everyone who has left a five-star review. Thank you to everyone who shared this podcast. We're just blown away. So thank you again.

Starting point is 00:04:07 So I follow a lot of these loose groups on Facebook about the Murdoch murders. And I just want to say a couple things before we get into this episode. So first of all, the name is pronounced Murdoch, not Murdaugh. If you hear a reporter saying the name without the k at the end, they're basically admitting to having no sort of. in Hanson County and not knowing what they're talking about. Also, Alex is pronounced Elic. That's just the way that it is. That's how all of my sources and people that know him say it. So it's Elic Murdoch. And the second thing, I saw another post asking, where has

Starting point is 00:04:46 Manny Matney been? And questioning if I have been silenced by the Murdoch family, I promise you I have not been silenced. I don't think people understand everything that happens behind the scenes when reporting a story. When I'm not publishing a story on this, I'm almost always working on it. I'm calling sources for updates. I'm calling other sources and talking to them several times before I ever publish anything that they say. Just because I'm not publishing stories does not mean that I'm not working on this. And it does not mean that I'm giving up on this case. There are so many moving parts with the story, and I would rather take my time and get the facts straight. And unlike most other journalists reporting on the story, I take this very, very seriously, and I'm not going to report on anything

Starting point is 00:05:34 that isn't verified. In the last episode, we left you with several cliffhangers in the Stephen Smith case. But we're going to switch to the 2019 boat crash. I made this podcast so that people could get a better understanding of the current news surrounding this national saga. I understand how complicated this story is, and I want to help guide you through the twist and turns before jumping to conclusions. So for a quick review on June 7, 2021, Paul and Maggie Murdoch, who are members of one of the most prominent families in South Carolina, were found murdered on their 1700-acre hunting property about 60 miles west of Charleston, South Carolina. So to understand, and why the Murdox were so prominent and powerful in South Carolina,

Starting point is 00:06:22 we have to look at the family's history. Paul Murdoch's grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, all served as the solicitors of the 14th Judicial Circuit from 1920 to 2006. In South Carolina, a solicitor is an elected official similar to a district attorney. They are very much connected to law enforcement. They are considered to be, by many, one of the most powerful, positions in the South Carolina justice system. So while the Murdoch family was powerful and prominent for years, they didn't start making headlines until the 2019 boat crash in Beaufort County, South

Starting point is 00:06:59 Carolina. In the recent weeks since the murders, I've seen some bloggers and web slews ranting about how they don't understand why the boat crash is such a big deal. Since Paul Murdoch's death, we have learned more shocking information about the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach and the investigation that was chaotic from the beginning. So what happened on the night Mallory Beach was killed? Everything I'm about to tell you is straight from depositions in the case. And just as a warning, I'm going to say, according to the depositions, a lot because we don't want to get sued. February 23rd, 2019 was date night for Mallory Beach, two of her best friends and their boyfriends.

Starting point is 00:07:46 They were a bunch of college-aged kids between the ages of 18 and 20. They had plans to boat to a friend's oyster roast on Pocky Island before they all were going to spend the night at the Murdox River home. And yes, the Murdox have a river home, among many other impressive properties on the South Carolina coast. That residence is located on what the kids call Murdoch Island on the Chichessie River in Beaufort County, South Carolina. So around 5.30 p.m. on February 23rd, 2019, Palmyrdock bought White Claw, Natural Light, and Mickelow Vulture from a clerk at Parker's 55 gas station in Ridgeland, according to court documents. Paul was 20 years old at the time and allegedly used his older brother's ID for the purchase. According to depositions, the kids heard that there was an alcohol checkpoint that night,

Starting point is 00:08:36 and that's why they went by boat. So the plan was to drive the boat owned by Paul's dad, the 17th century. foot sea hunt, which didn't have working lights, to the oyster roast. So for about five hours, the six friends hung out at the oyster roast. According to depositions, several adults at the party and Mallory Beach's boyfriend Anthony Cook, who was the oldest in the group, suggested that the group get an Uber because of the alcohol they consumed. One of the voters testified and said everybody at the party was talking about how they shouldn't be driving the boat back. Several of the voters testified that Paul was intoxicated when he left the party, but was also determined to drive

Starting point is 00:09:18 the boat back. Paul, who was already allegedly intoxicated, then decided he wanted to get a shot from Luther's in downtown Beaufort, according to depositions. Paul Murdoch and Connor Cook then each purchased two rounds of shots, one lemon drop shot, and one quote unquote cup of Yeager at Luther's rare and well done in downtown Beaufort, according to depositions. they were at Luther's, Paul Murdoch allegedly became very drunk. His friends claimed that he had a drunk alter ego named Temi, who came out that night. According to Paul's friends, his eyes would get, quote, unquote, as wide as half dollars, without blinking when he goes into this Timmy mode. Deposition said Paul would sprawl his fingers out. He would do erratic movements

Starting point is 00:10:04 with his arms and, quote, he was an angry drunk too, so you could always tell when he became Timmy. Paul was allegedly so intoxicated at Luther's that he almost got into a fight with another customer and started throwing chairs before they left, according to depositions. Meanwhile, the four other friends waited near the boat and shared their last moments together with Mallory Beach. Timestamp video evidence from the dock shows that they were at Luther's for only about nine minutes. When the boat left downtown Beaufort around 1 a.m., Paul was visibly in intoxicated according to depositions. So according to depositions, after they left the dock and Buford, Paul started driving extremely slowly. Paul then allegedly took his clothes off while they

Starting point is 00:10:53 were on the boat. The temperature was about 59 degrees at the time. This was something that Timmy, the alter ego, was known to do. Another boater said that Paul was acting like he was on drugs, quote unquote, and making a fool out of himself. On several occasions, Connor Cook allegedly took the wheel while Paul allegedly paced around and shouted at his then-girlfriend. Around this time, an argument broke out, according to depositions. Tensions appear to be boiling within the group for more than an hour at this point. It looks like the four boaters who did not go to the bar were mad that Paul and Connor went to the bar, and it was late. It was well past 1 a.m. Paul's slow and erratic driving at times in service.

Starting point is 00:11:39 was irritating the frustrated group. According to depositions, Anthony and Paul were fighting because Mallory was telling Anthony that she was scared, and Paul said something to Mallory along the lines of shut up, and according to the other passengers, Anthony did not like that. Then there was one final argument. Paul Murdoch's then-girlfriend was at the front of the boat. A quote-unquote belligerent Paul Murdoch would then leave the wheel, walk to the front of the boat to yell at her, while Connor Cook would then grab the wheel. This happened three times

Starting point is 00:12:15 according to depositions. Paul Murdoch then pushed, spit on, and slapped his then-girlfriend in the face, according to multiple depositions. In the back of the boat, Mallory Beach and her boyfriend Anthony Cook had enough, according to depositions. 19-year-old Mallory yelled at Paul to stop. I'll read Anthony Cook's deposition here. Quote, he turned and pointed at her and And I could tell he was about to say something, and I told him to not make that mistake. And then he stared at me for a second and went to the steering wheel. I believe that's when we took off, end quote. The boat then accelerated rapidly, according to depositions.

Starting point is 00:12:55 After entering the twisted waterway of Archer's Creek, which is near Paris Island, Anthony Cook sat on the bottom of the boat, clinging to his girlfriend, Mallory, and his lap because the boat was going too fast and they were scared. according to depositions. Seconds later, the 17-foot boat struck a piling at Archer's Creek Bridge. Mallory Beach and Anthony Cook were both flung into the dark water. Only one of them resurfaced. Hey there, E.B. here. Your faithful Cup of Justice co-host.

Starting point is 00:13:32 I am so excited to tell you about my new book, Anything But Bland. In this memoir, I share some. stories about my childhood, marked by bullying, my father's job loss, and the indomitable spirit that propelled me into the law and ultimately international recognition during the Alex Murdole murder trial. I believe in certain life principles that have helped me and helped others achieve success, from the power of organization and a sense of urgency to the importance of truth, leadership, and resilience. With vivid recollection from challenges and triumphs framing each chapter. Success isn't about luck. It's earned through skill and hard work.

Starting point is 00:14:14 Please visit theericblan.com to learn more about the book, Anything But Bland is the manifesto for those seeking triumph over adversity and a guide for anyone aspiring to reach their full potential. The boat crash investigation was chaotic from the second it began when Connor Cook called 911. What bridge is this? Call what bridge is this? Oh, 911, where's your emergency? Hello.

Starting point is 00:14:48 Police fire. Hello? We're in a boat crash on Archer's Creek. Whereabouts on Archer Street? In Archer Street, the only bridge on Archer Street. Archer Street? Archer's Creek. Archer's Creek.

Starting point is 00:15:06 Archer's Creek. Archer's Creek. Three, is it down? Okay. What's going on? It's five pairs of island. Right. What's going on?

Starting point is 00:15:20 We're in a boat crash. You know what kind of a? A boat crash. A boat, did you say a boat crash? The 911 recordings are hard to listen to. It takes the 911 dispatcher several minutes to determine the exact location. of the crash. Also, Connor Cook, who is speaking, has a broken jaw at the time. The dispatcher appears nervous and breathy, and she can't get a grasp of what's going on. It's important to note

Starting point is 00:15:50 that this dispatcher resigned from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office soon after this crash. Okay. And who's that in the background? There's six of us and one is missing. Okay, there's six, but one is missing. So six, do you guys, they have license checkers on? Yes, man, we have more than enough life jackets, but we're on the thing. Okay, who's missing? A female, Mallory Beach. Okay.

Starting point is 00:16:20 Where is that? Y'all was so much fly, oh, my God, I was just going, come on. Okay. What do you name's your name? My name is Connor Cook. Okay. What of a boat are you on? We're on a seaball.

Starting point is 00:16:42 A seaball? Okay. So did you crash into the... Did you crash into the bridge? We're under the only bridge. Okay. It's frustrating because the dispatcher wastes so much time on questions that just don't matter. She asked about life jackets, about the type of boat they're in, about what. Mallory looks like and about what Mallory's wearing.

Starting point is 00:17:12 It's the only boat in the water and she would be the only person in the water. We should be getting there any time. Can you hear sirens? Now, can you hear sirens? They didn't hear sirens for another 30 minutes because first responders were sent to the wrong bridge. So when first responders finally arrived on scene, they had three missions. Some were assigned to find Mallory Beach in the water. Some were assigned to treat the injured and get them to the hospital. And others were assigned to gather initial evidence in the criminal investigation.

Starting point is 00:17:46 In South Carolina, all boat crash investigations are handled by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, also known as DNR. Because it took DNR a while to get to the scene, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office collected some initial evidence in the case. Reports from several officers who were on scene that night indicated that there was confusion in determining who drove the boat. But was there? According to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report, a deputy documented that it was unclear who was driving the boat, despite the fact that Anthony Cook told authorities that Paul Murdoch was driving, and none of the other boaters said anything to contradict that.

Starting point is 00:18:26 A Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report said that Paul was almost aggressive towards EMS personnel during the ambulance ride to the hospital. Those reports underscore concerns as to why Paul Murdoch was never administered. a field sobriety test. And unlike the vast majority of fatal BUI cases across the country, in this case, Paul Mardock, who is the alleged driver, was not offered a field sobriety test that night, nor was he arrested that night, despite the belief that he was grossly intoxicated, according to most of the officers on scene.

Starting point is 00:19:00 Weeks ago, sources have said that Elic Mardock and possibly other members of his influential family were part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged obstruction of justice related to the ongoing boat crash probe, according to our sources. Now, years later, sources are questioning if obstruction of justice took place that night. This obstruction of justice investigation is currently before the statewide grand jury in Columbia, South Carolina, according to sources. In a statement, an attorney representing Connor Cook recently said that there is missing evidence in the case. But whatever happened that night in the investigation definitely delayed the case,

Starting point is 00:19:40 and it took two months before Paul Murdoch was charged with three felony boating under the influence counts for allegedly killing Mallory Beach and severely hurting two other people. In May 2019, Paul Murdoch appeared in his first court hearing. Unlike most other bond hearings that involve crimes with alcohol, Paul was not ordered to wear an alcohol monitor. Instead, he was ordered to stay within a five-county region in South Carolina. Paul Murdoch was not treated like other defendants who were charged with multiple felonies. He was never booked in jail like other defendants.

Starting point is 00:20:17 He never had to wear a jumpsuit. He was never handcuffed. When I asked authorities about a mugshot on the day of the hearing, I was sent a photo. And when I opened up the files properties, I saw that this photo was taken in the courthouse hallway, and it was taken on an iPhone 7. and Paul was wearing a plaid shirt.

Starting point is 00:20:35 This is not normal. Months later, in July 2019, Paul's attorneys decided that his bond conditions were too much, and they asked the court to loosen them. Specifically, they asked for the court to allow Paul to roam the entire state of South Carolina while on bond. The prosecutor for the Attorney General's office fought this. Specifically, she asked the court to at least put a alcohol monitor on Paul.

Starting point is 00:21:02 Or they're requesting that we change what Judge John has put in place to adjust from going to college. The state is asking that we do in fact put in an ankle or rather an alcohol monitoring situation. And second to that, either we raised the amount of the bond or put in some sort of GPS monitor given that he's now moving outside the circuit. But her request was denied by the court. That was it. That was the last of the criminal case before Paul was murdered on June 7, 2021. Halloween. Is on Disney Plus

Starting point is 00:21:46 So you can feel a little fear. What's this? Or a little more fear. I see dead people. Or a lot of fear. Mama. Or you can. Get completely terrified.

Starting point is 00:22:06 Choose wisely with Halloween on Disney Plus. So that brings us to the civil case. While Paul Murdoch was indicted on three felony BUI charges in the aftermath of the boat crash, he was never named as a defendant in the civil lawsuit. Instead, the lawsuit blamed a chain of convenience stores in members of the Murdoch's influential family, including his father, Elyke Murdoch,

Starting point is 00:22:31 and his brother, Richard Alexander Murdoch, who's also known as Buster. Mallory Beach's mother, Renee Beach, is seeking damages from Parker's 55 gas station where the underage Paul Murdoch allegedly purchased alcohol prior to the crash, as well as Murdoch's brother and father who facilitated Murdoch's drinking, according to the lawsuit. The focus of the civil suit isn't simply who is at fault for Mallory's death. It's who's at fault for Paul Murdoch's alleged intoxication prior to the crash? Was it Paul Murdoch's father and brother of whom are accused of allowing Paul to purchase and drink

Starting point is 00:23:09 alcohol illegally on multiple occasions in the past? Or is it Parker's, a nearly billion-dollar gas station company, which is allegedly responsible for selling the underage boaters most of the booze that they drank on that fateful evening? It's important to note that there was a hearing scheduled on June 10th in this lawsuit. That would be three days after the murdered. Renee Beach's lawyer, Mark Tensley, said that that hearing involved a number of motions, including requiring ELEC and Buster Murdoch to fully respond to previous requests for financial disclosure, requiring Parkers to produce evidence in the case, and asking a judge to have the case moved to Beaver County. This hearing could have meant that Paul and Maggie Murdoch would be added to the lawsuit due to an obscure maritime law, which I will get into later. The lawsuit will move forward despite the double homicide.

Starting point is 00:24:05 So while national and some local media have pushed this theory that the murders could have been an act of revenge for the 2019 boat crash, according to my sources, there is nothing to suggest that there is any credence to this theory. According to our sources, all of the boat crash survivors and Mallory Beach's family members voluntarily submitted to questioning and volunteered to provide their DNA as a part of the double homicide investigation. And that brings us to the latest developments. National and some local media have reported earlier this week that Ehrlich Murdoch's marital status, whatever it was, is one of the areas of interest in Slud's ongoing investigation. According to my sources, more information should be released soon about the obstruction of justice allegations,

Starting point is 00:24:51 and we should learn more about what happened in the aftermath of the boat crash. So let's rewind. The boat crash is important because in a lot of ways, it's served as a catalyst in this awful story. And it's sad because there's so much surrounding Mallory Beach's death that her story gets forgotten in all of this. She deserves justice. Her family deserves justice.

Starting point is 00:25:14 And so do all of the other victims in this saga. This case is nowhere near over. And this should be one of several episodes about the tragedy on Archer's Creek. Stay tuned. So for the latest developments on this case, Follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com slash Mandy, M-A-N-D-Y, Matney, M-A-T-N-E-Y. And don't forget to leave a five-star review

Starting point is 00:25:40 unless you're going to be nasty and talk about my vocal friend. The Mardock Martyrs podcast is created by me, Mandy Matney, and my fiance, David Moses. Produced by Luna Shoeuvre Productions. I wanted to dedicate this episode to the four survivors of the boat crash, Morgan, Miley, Connor, and Anthony. They never asked to be a part of this tragedy, and they have done everything they could do to get justice for Mallory. Today, the boat crash kids are all in their mid-20s, and they are busy building beautiful lives of their own.

Starting point is 00:26:25 Anthony became a father to a baby girl this September, and Miley and Connor was, welcomed their first child in 2023. I wish nothing but peace and happiness for them and their families.

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP Remastered #3 - Who Killed Mallory Beach? Part One

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.