Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP Remastered #51 - 'Overkill' Incoming Call From Alex Murdaugh... Part Four

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

In this episode from June 2022—Investigative journalists ⁠Mandy Matney⁠ and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ share revealing jailhouse phone calls that exposed Alex Murdaugh's true character months before his murder conviction. Hear Alex dismissively mention Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield by name, suggest Buster give away Maggie's belongings as Christmas gifts, and obsessively manipulate his family while positioning himself as the victim. Mandy and David add retrospective commentary on the recordings revealing textbook narcissistic patterns: blame-shifting, victim mentality, and seemingly an inability to express genuine remorse.Episode ReferencesMMP #33 - Incoming Call From Alex Murdaugh: The Jailhouse TapesMMP #49 - Incoming Call From Alex Murdaugh - Part TwoMMP #50 - Incoming Call From Alex Murdaugh - Part Three 🔗 Watch ⁠⁠⁠Murdaugh: Death in the Family⁠⁠⁠ — now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ 🔗 Watch the ⁠⁠⁠MDITF Official Companion Podcast⁠⁠⁠ featuring interviews with the cast, crew, and creators behind the series on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ or listen to extended audio episodes wherever you get your podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠hulumurdaughpod.com⁠⁠⁠. LUNASHARK Premium Members are also getting access to a wealth of additional content matched to each Hulu series episode… We’re calling it LUNA VISION! Soak up The Sun Members get to explore the case documents, new case videos, ad-free video episodes, invitations to live events and so much more.  Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunashark.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more.  Premium Members also get bonus episodes like our Premium Dives, Corruption Watchlist, Girl Talk, and Soundbites that help you Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunashark.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Here's a link to some of our favorite things: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4cJ0eVn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** ALERT: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we'll send fun merch to the first listener that finds something that needs to be adjusted! *** * All statements reflect the hosts’ analysis and opinions based on publicly available information and official public records.  For current & accurate updates: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunashark.supercast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/mandy_matney⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   |   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/elizfarrell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/mandy-matney.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky.app/profile/elizfarrell.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TrueSunlight.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/TrueSunlightPodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram.com/TrueSunlightPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@LunaSharkMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@lunasharkmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, everyone. This is David, and this is one of my favorite episodes from our jailhouse call series, MMP 51, Overkill. Incoming Call from Alec Murdoch, Part 4. And I highly recommend you listen to parts one through three linked in the description. And this is a little out of sequence, but I think it will all make sense in the end. And I'm Mandy Matney. Wow, listening back to this episode. Knowing everything we know now is absolutely surreal.

When we first released this episode, Alec Murdoch had not been charged with the murders of Maggie and Paul yet. We were still piecing together who this man really was through these jailhouse phone calls. Calls that many journalists at the time thought we should not even be requesting. And I don't even think they knew it was possible to request it. They didn't. And now, as we sit here in November 2025, 5. Alec has been convicted of murdering his wife and son.

He is serving two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He's also been convicted of stealing millions from vulnerable clients. The Stephen Smith case, unfortunately, is still open and still unsolved. What strikes me the most listening back is how calculated Alex sounds, knowing now everything that we do, even knowing that he's being recorded, Even knowing prosecutors are listening, he cannot stop himself from trying to control the narrative, manipulate his family, and position himself as the victim. This episode features one of the only times Ehrlich mentioned Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield by name,

and the disdain in his voice is chilling. Remember, Gloria was the woman who raised his children, and his response, dismissive, minimizing, calling legitimate questions about her death bullshit. We also listen to Alex suggesting that Buster give away Maggie and Paul's belongings as Christmas gifts. Let that sink in. This was recorded just months after their murders, and, well, it's gross. Alex's narcissistic personality patterns that we identified in this episode, the victim mentality, the blame shifting, the obsessive need to control how others perceive him,

The lack of genuine remorse. All of that has been validated through the trial in subsequent investigations. And sentencings. Since this episode published, Russell Lafitte admitted his guilt and was convicted of federal and state charges related to the financial schemes. But as of the publishing of this episode, in November of 2025, he has yet to report to prison. Wasting his sentence on house arrest. Interesting. Curtis Smith, who we discussed being indicted for a drug conspiracy with Alec in this episode,

while his case remains in the wind and unresolved to date. What's most important about this episode, though, is that it gave the public an unfiltered look at how the powerful operate when they think they're untouchable. Even behind bars, even recorded, Alec could not stop himself. And if you listen to this remastered episode, remember, This is who Ehrlich Murdoch is when he thinks that he's in control. Imagine who he was when he actually had all the power. Hello, this is an Amtel operator calling from Albinusk Glen Detention Center with a prepaid collect call from

ELEC. To accept this prepaid collect call, press 1. All phone calls are subject to monitoring and recording. Thank you for using Amtel. I don't know if we will ever have answers to all of the unsolved deaths allegedly tied to the Murdoch family. But after listening and re-listening to hours upon hours of jailhouse phone call tapes, I think we have a better understanding of how Ellick's family sees this tangled web playing

out in the media and a clearer picture of how Ellick has manipulated those close to him for years. My name is Mandy Matney. I have been investigating the Murdoch family for more than three years now. This is the Murdoch Murder's podcast with David Moses and Liz Farrell. Wow. So the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I feel like I've been in a fever dream since we've got the phone calls a few weeks ago. So I'm starting off today by saying that the MMP team is finally taking a real vacation, and we will not have a podcast next week. I've said this before and I'll say it again. It's really important to take breaks and vacations and step away from this stuff that can be so heavy and overbearing and downright depressed. at times. And I promise we will be back the second week of July, re-energized, and ready to take on the good old boys again. I know Liz, David, and I have all hit walls in the last few weeks,

and I hope you all understand that we need the break. But in the meantime, please check out our new YouTube channel. Our team has been working hard going through old episodes, adding visualizations, photos, and graphics to each episode. And it's really a whole different way of experiencing the show. Also, be sure to follow Murdoch Murder's podcast on Facebook and Instagram. We will continue to post while we're gone. Hey guys, this is Liz.

Before we get into the episode, I want to first update you on the shocking news we got late Tuesday morning, Elyke Murdoch now officially stands accused of dealing drugs. On June 23rd, the stakeholder jury indicted Ehrlich on two new counts, one charge of criminal conspiracy,

and one count of manufacturing, distributing, or possessing oxycodone. We've been reporting on Alex's alleged connections to drug trafficking for the better part of the past year on the podcast, but it was still surprising to see it in black and white. This definitely furthers our suspicion into Alex's claim that he has had an addiction to oxycodone for more than 20 years. It's hard to imagine that someone accused of dealing this highly destructive drug from 2013 through September 2021 would be able to come out on the other end of it without anyone in his life.

having noticed his addiction. Also on Tuesday, we found out why Curtis Eddie Smith was arrested Friday evening. The circumstances of his arrest were a mystery until 40 minutes before his bond hearing at noon Tuesday. The indictment implicating both him and Eleg wasn't sealed until then. We were really concerned about this because of how differently Eddie's case was being handled from Corey Fleming's and Russell Lefeeds. Eddie was arrested at his home, meaning the cops went and got him. But Corey and Russell were both able to turn themselves in seemingly when it was convenient for them. They both knew what was in their indictments in advance of their bond hearings. Meanwhile, as of Monday evening, Eddie's attorney still hadn't been given the unsealed indictment. It's hard to

compare the cases because they're so different, but there are noticeable differences in how the person with the least amount of power and resources in all of this, who isn't accused of stealing millions from people, is being treated compared to those with significant power and resources. So the indictment is interesting and offers a few new details about the checks Eddie was allegedly cashing for ELEC. First, there were at least 437 checks cached over an eight-year period, 437. The checks were almost always for less than $10,000, but starting in 2021, the amounts and frequencies of the checks increased by a lot. So far, Eddie is accused of laundering more than $2.4 million for ELEC.

He's also accused of engaging in a criminal conspiracy with him. and charged with forging his daughters and girlfriend's names on these checks. Eddie also faces new drug charges in this indictment. At the hearing Tuesday, he seemed really restless, and he told the judge that he didn't have any money, that all that cash, quote, went to Eleg Murdoch. His lawyer advocated for a personal reconnaissance bond, but Judge Newman decided to set his bond at $250,000.

If Eddie postponed, he'll be required to wear an ankle monitor and get drug tested. Sources are telling us that this latest challenge, is one that's going to send shockways throughout the state because a lot of, quote, big names and politics and in the legal community could be implicated in Ellick's alleged drug dealing. We'll be looking into this more after a much-needed break. And speaking of needing a break, I want to be honest about something. We missed a few things in the jailhouse phone calls, and I will take responsibility for that. I say all of this because I'm sure we will play some of these calls on this episode. which is the third episode on this round of phone calls, and y'all will probably think, why wasn't this the first thing you reported on while listening to the phone calls?

Well, as we've said, there was over 100 phone calls to listen to and over 13 hours of content in the CD-ROMs we've received. In the first episode, we played various clips from those calls to give you all an idea of what we were working with, but a majority of those calls were very boring and very painful to listen to, and without news value. I completely underestimated how mentally draining just the act of listening to these phone calls would be.

It's impossible to not feel for Ellick's family members who are clearly being manipulated by him. And finding nuggets and news between the exhausting talk of exercise, life in jail, and canteens, it's tedious and draining and really takes a lot of time. But while dividing up the calls, one apparently slipped through the cracks, which makes sense considering we have a small team and we are working time. tirelessly, trying to crank out stories and podcasts about the bits of newsworthy information in the phone calls. Before I play this particular call we missed, I want you to hear this clip from January 11th. Now remember, on January 10th, Ellick had a bond hearing, where prosecutor Creighton Waters made it a point to say that they listened to Ellick's jailhouse phone calls, and it was clear that he had access to his assets.

Buster clearly took notice of this. But moving forward, I think that these conversations on this phone should be nothing more than surface level. And if you have something of, you know... You're talking about that stuff they were saying at the hearing yesterday? Yeah. I mean, I'll be honest, every single phone call I get on, I know they're listening to it. Well, I just kind of thought it was more something that was said and wouldn't exactly be utilized. but I can see that I was wrong.

So if there's something of substance, you want to talk to me about, just write me a letter and I'll write it back. Well, I mean, all of that stuff is really just taking snippets and making it, you know, that's just advocating as lawyers, which... I understand that, but not very much in my life is private. The more I can keep private, the more I would like to. I understand. totally for sure like we've said before this story requires constant

conversation about how to cover it because we know that everything we report on has very specific and personal impacts Buster Murdoch is one of those people greatly affected obviously and every time we write about him or talk about him we consider the news value in doing so so hearing that loss call was really difficult for a couple of reasons one is obviously knowing the role we are playing in broadcasting his father's jailhouse calls. And real quick, I just wanted to throw a little timeline note in here. This conversation occurred before we foiled for the calls about a week later.

This means Buster was observant enough and wise enough to know that there are consequences to what they had been discussing. The second reason is that we understand that Ehrlich's alleged crimes are not Buster's alleged crimes, but he is inextricably linked to how Ehrlich has been behaving behind. bars, which is where our interest lies, especially as we work to nudge this state and the 14th Circuit toward a much-needed reckoning. Buster appears to have been playing a role in hiding the family's assets. He also sought to benefit from a special backroom deal that would have allowed him to return to law school, the law school he got kicked out of

allegedly because of plagiarism, and not just return to law school, but return on his terms. This is in part why we continue to stand by the decision to publish and write about these calls. They give us a look at how someone like Elyke Murdoch regards the system, how he thinks and how he acts. Buster is at a fork in the road. If he bears left, he will continue on Murdoch Boulevard. If he bears right, he has the opportunity to create a new legacy for the family, one that doesn't wholly depend on the system they corrupted for their own benefit. We thought this clip was important because it seems like ELEC made a lot less phone calls from this point forward.

But this also could be because the jail had more COVID lockdowns during this period, which ELEC does discuss. But for this particular phone call on January 17th, so less than a week after the don't talk about things of substance chat, Ehrlich and Buster were very much aware that their phone calls were being listened to by the AG's office. After chatting about Busters weekend, Ehrlich mentions that he's caught a glimpse of the 2020 episode, The Fall of the House of Murdoch, which aired on January 14th, 2022. What was on TV Friday, bus? I saw John Marvin on there for just a second. Dad, it was something, ABC 2020.

I didn't watch it. Did it was a new interview or was it from that old interview? all as soon as it had him on TV it had to be the old one he has not gone on TV since he hasn't cared for care for all right I mean did they was it the same old stuff with a bunch of innuendo and false stuff or were they being semi-truthful dad I'd love to be able to give me some insight but I didn't watch it and I didn't seek out anything any transcripts from it I I don't know.

I know it ain't a big deal. I would assume that's the same old thing. Brooklyn told me some stuff that was on it, and it was stuff that's wrong. So, I mean, it's just that same old. Stephen Smith and Glory and all that bullshit. You know, I think it probably had to touch on that. I think this is, I think this,

I think this one hit maybe a little bit more on the boat wreck. I got you. I just know that there was some stuff that they, that Brooklyn said that was said in the, um, in the little show. And it's just stuff that, it's just stuff that's not important, but it just shows that if they believe, if they are willing to state that in fact that they just don't know what they're saying, because it's just stuff that's not true. Okay, so this is the only conversation we have listened to that brings up gloria's and Stephen's deaths. Again, this is after Ehrlich became imminently aware that not only were the calls being reviewed by the Attorney General's office, the content of the calls could be used against him. It's hard to know why Ehrlich wanted to discuss this with Buster, not even a week after Buster was like, surface stuff only please. But part of me suspects that he's decided he could use this phone power to help his case.

So maybe in the moment he thought it would be a good idea for law enforcement to hear this conversation and that maybe they'd be like, hey, guys, guys, Ehrlich is saying there's nothing to the Gloria and Stephen Smith cases. Crazy that we thought things weren't adding up there. At any rate, it is surreal hearing him say their names, especially with such disdain. I understand. So are they still trying to say out there like if something meets you surrounding Gloria is, Yeah, about how she died. Saying what now?

About how she died. Are they still trying to make some innuendo there? About Gloria? Yeah. I don't know. I have. Also, with Gloria, who was the woman who raised Elyke's sons, by the way, he is absolutely minimizing the harm that was done to her and her family.

And logically, there is a lot of mystery surrounding her death. Think about it. No one saw her trip over. the dogs. Elick is the only one who allegedly heard her say that she tripped over the dogs, even though she was in and out of consciousness at the time. There are several inconsistencies in the details surrounding her death, enough inconsistencies to prompt a new investigation from sled into her death and the exhumation of her body. And don't forget, Elick admittedly stole millions of dollars from her death settlement. So yes, That's a mystery, and anyone who ever cared about Gloria would want those questions to be answered for the sake of her family.

But it's clear that Buster isn't paying attention to details here. And again, I can't imagine how hard this must be on him, especially on top of grieving the loss of his mother and brother. But Elyke doesn't accept that Buster is trying to stay out of this. He keeps pressing. I think about Stephen Smith, even though Andy Savage, yeah. I mean, I don't think anybody... There's no connection to us? Yeah, I don't think anybody took the heart.

They never come out and say there's no connection? No, they were never... You didn't only told Andy Savage that? No, the flood has not released anything. Ah, Andy Savage. If you'll remember, Andy Savage was Sandy Smith's attorney until Sandy fired him last fall after he told a reporter that the Murdox

weren't connected to the Stephen Smith case before talking to Sandy. There still haven't been any arrests, and we still don't know what happened to Stephen. But here, it sounds like Ehrlich was astonished that what Andy Savage told the press didn't work, that it didn't solve the issue of people logically making the jump that the Murdox, whose names are all over the case file, might have had something to do with Stephen's case. I'm not sure if you caught this part, but Buster said back to him, Yeah, I don't think anybody took to heart what Andy Savage was saying.

Andy Savage is a really well-known, expensive, high-profile, highly-connected defense attorney in Charleston. We still have a lot of questions about whose interests ended up being served best during his time representing Sandy, especially when a key component of his agreement with her seemed to be that she not publicly comment on the case, at a time when she should have been encouraged to put Stephen's name in the headlines every day. Okay, so that all was said, and then, for the only time in all of these phone calls, Buster brings up the double homicide investigation. They didn't even release a statement about what was this most recent thing. There was something, something came out not long as you're talking about how there's been like a breakthrough and evidence to do with like the homicides and Swed wouldn't even come out and issue a statement. saying that there has been no further evidence, like, gathered here and four.

So personally, I would not count on sled to help in any way. So here, Buster is referring to our reporting on this podcast that published back in January about physical evidence linking ELEC to the double homicide, according to our sources. I was always curious if ELEC's family would at all change their behavior toward him after hearing about this evidence. And it seems like from the calls, they didn't change at all, which shows that they're willing to accept Elyke's narrative, whether this is because they actually believe it,

or they want to believe it, or they need to believe him for their own sanity. I don't know. Based on listening to hours of these phone calls, we think Ehrlich is definitely painting himself as a guy who made some mistakes, and that SLED and the AG's office are setting him up and making an example out of him because they feel pressured to do so by the media.

We'll talk about those comments a little bit later. But I also want to point out one more thing. Buster commenting about SLED, saying I would not count on SLED to help in any way. It's telling because their reputation up until this past year is that they could rely on law enforcement to help them in several ways. This is an entirely new reality for them. But more telling, is Alex's reaction to that statement. He doesn't ask any follow-up questions, like, what evidence?

Or, I don't understand how they haven't arrested anyone in your brother and mother's murders. Instead, he quickly changes the subject. I was just curious. All right, my man, you get some rest, and now, what time you get on the road tomorrow? About 8 a.m. I'll give you a call sometime when I can. Buster, what's going on with coach? out there. Must be going crazy.

It's, um, it's this new, it's this new variant. Um, it's Omnicovet or whatever. Omicron. It's, um, that's it. Omicron. That's it. Omicron. Omicron. Whatever. Yeah. And we'll be right back. Ever since Richland County released the latest batch of jailhouse phone calls, a lot of you have sent me messages asking the same thing. Does he ever mention the investigation into the murders of his wife and son.

Aside from the phone call that we just played, where Buster mentions my reporting on the physical evidence linking Elyke to the double homicide, which they both completely brushed off, there was no mention of the actual status of the investigation. Nor did Ehrlich ever mention a concern for Buster's safety or the safety of his family members. However, and we have to consider this,

we were not given about half of the phone calls that Ehrlich placed during this time period. From October through December, more than a third of the phone calls we requested were held back by Richland County. We're not sure yet what was held back from this latest batch, but should know soon. Some of these calls Ehrlich had with his attorney, but others were with family members. According to the county, the family calls were held back because they contained personal information, and the county had no way to redact those parts. So they held back the whole call, which is not the way the FOIA law is intended to work, so we will be looking into that more.

One thing we learned from this latest batch of calls is that Ehrlich clearly loves a three-way call and thinks nothing of ordering one up whenever he feels like it, which again is against the jail's rules. We've definitely detected in several phone calls references to conversations we haven't heard, and we get the sense that Ehrlich might be using his Jim Griffin calls and meetings as a shield for his more controversial conversations. There were some roundabout mentions of Maggie and Paul in the murders at Moselle. In this call on October 30th, Eleg suggests that Buster go hunting at Moselle, the property where his mother and brother were murdered just a few months before this phone call. Y'all hunting? Uh, we're going to this afternoon. Let me tell you what

you all to do, Buster. I think the damn, um, feeders were full over there at Moselle, if you felt like going right there, I bet with nothing going on, I bet there's deer all over them I don't mean, back. What's that going to do for me? What's that going to do for me? Kill a deer? I'm not going hunting out there. And here, Buster is like, no, dad, that's weird.

And his dad is saying, okay, but, and he keeps pressing him. I just made you know, um, Buster. Also, I wanted to tell you this. I just remember this. You know, they replanted those sunflowers. Do you have any interest in hunting that field? No. Do you care if, um,

Um, if I let Jim do it? No. You sure? Yes. Right, you'll be coming to call you if we hunt? Well, I should be out by then. Jim, who? Jim Griffin.

Oh, let them hunt deer out there, or what are you talking about? No, I'm talking about, I didn't know if you wanted to hunt doves out there. If you do, then I want you to do it. If not, then I'm going to let him do it. You know how to facilitate a dove hunt? What? I said he knows how to facilitate a dove hunt. Well, I mean, you know, I don't think it would be, I hadn't really, I don't know.

Did you just do you want a dove hunt out there? No. Not at all. Uh-uh. But what was even weirder was what Alec suggested to Buster around Christmas time. In this December 9th, 2021 phone call, Buster told his father that he was almost done with his Christmas shopping, and Elyke made a strange suggestion. Yeah, having a good day. I've been spending so much money, and it hurts me.

On what? People's Christmas presents. Huh, well. I mean, I got to buy a present for everybody. Well. It's a lot of people. I'll tell you, this bus. What? Damn. Teller.

We had people, something that was mom or paul's. and I think people really like that well I mean I wasn't going to do I only going to do that we'll see if I get out of here which like I say I'm not optimistic but

we'll see they seem to be optimistic but they were optimistic the first time too right anyway well I mean I've already I've already bought everybody something so well we'll talk about

finances when I get out of here but I'm going to make sure you you're okay. Well, I mean, I make money. I know. And if I don't go back in the spring, then I'll continue to make more effectively. I know. Talking about, anyway, we'll get all that square.

Talk to you when we're not on this phone being recorded. Okay. All right, everything else is good. So there have been a few times while listening to these phone calls where Alex's behavior has left us, speechless. This was one of them. And then this call, which was around the same time when they talked about Maggie's belongings and Blanca, who comes up a lot, came up again. Did you talk to Blanca? Um, no, I haven't talked to me. All right. What am I supposed to tell her again?

Just tell her that I want to, that I want to give her a call and explain to her what she has to do and if that's okay with her. What is, uh, yeah, with the account? Yeah, and will you do that today? I'd like to call her over the holidays. Yeah, I'll do that today, man. Me and Block and then rubbing on the same cylinder. What?

I said, me and Block up. I've got some serious problems the way Block has done some things. Like what? You know, man, I went out to Nozell the other day. She didn't tell anybody. I mean, she's packed up everything at Mozo. I don't know where anything is,

so I can't find anything that I want. You know, and she doesn't, you know, she calls Grandma and looks for permission to go out there and take Mom's clothes with her and stuff like that. And I was like, you know what, Grandma, you need to tell her. She needs to call me. Yeah, she's just trying to help. Don't remember that.

But just tell her. I mean, tell Blanca to call you. She's just trying to help. Here again is the mysterious Blanca. We do not at all blame Buster for having a problem here. Because at some point in the weeks after this call, Blanca put several items of Maggie's clothing on sale on Poshmark. And these were not Maggie's back of the closet clothes in Blanca's closet either. These were items of clothing that the people in her life remember well and closely associate with her.

Such as a $260 quilted jacket Maggie wore often that Blanca sold for $60 and a pair of $500 golden goose sneakers that she sold for $200. Ellick says Blanca just wanted to help and maybe that is the case, but it's an incredibly strange thing to go online and sell items of clothing that belonged to one of the victims in one of the nation's most talked about and still unsolved murder cases. Like with everything else in Ellic Murdoch's realm, there are so many questions here. Was Blanca authorized by the Murdoch family to do this? Does this have anything to do with a mysterious account Blanca was setting up that is referenced in Call with Buster?

Elic tell her to sell the clothes as a way of circumventing the receivership? I have to say, in a case that features several horrifying and inhumane details, this sale of Maggie's clothing ranks pretty high. Blanca is selling the clothes of a murdered mom, potentially as a way to help the only publicly named person of interest in her death. Why not sell Ehrlich's clothing? We highly doubt he's going to need them again. Now, another bizarre thing we learned in these latest calls is how obsessed Elyke seems with getting Buster to connect him with Maggie's parents, Terry and Kennedy Brandstetter, whom Elyke refers to repeatedly as Granmar and Puppetee. Not only does he pester Buster about whether Buster thinks they would be okay with talking to Ehrlich,

he continues to nag him about getting an inmate calling card set up for them, without ever being told to our knowledge that, yes, in fact, they would like to speak with him. There are a few times in the calls when Ehrlich gets emotional about Maggie and Paul, which he should be. And they do seem like genuine moments of grief, to the point he is unable to talk. But there's also a very performative nature to the grief, and this isn't a characterization. More than a dozen times during these calls, Ehrlich asked Liz Murdoch and Lynn Murdoch, or asked Buster to ask Liz Murdoch to place flowers at the still unmarked grave sites of Maggie and Paul, which is really nice. Super appropriate, very thoughtful, and emotional,

especially around some of the holiday calls, except every time Ehrlich asked for, that to be done. He also wanted something else from it. We'll share a few of those phone calls with you. Here's one from December 19th. Hey, did you remember to ask, Liz, did he get flowers? You never, you never told me anything like that. Yeah, I did the other night to get flowers. Right. It doesn't matter. Will you ask her right now? To do what? Get flowers? For what? For what? For what? For mother to Paul. Okay, I mean, brilliant. This is the person, I'm hearing of this. I know.

I'm sorry. Yeah, I'll tell her. Will you tell her right now? Yeah. What do you want me to tell her? Do you get flowers sit over there? Yeah. All right.

I just told her. Thank you so much. She said she'd do it? Yeah. Good. Is Brooklyn would you do? And Liz said she put them out? Yes.

All right. And would you ask her, She'll let Grandma and Marion know she put them out? Yes. You do that right now before you forget? Yeah, I'm going to do it as soon as we go off the time. Almost every request for flowers ends with a request to make sure Maggie's mom and dad and sister Marion

know that he made this happen. Here's a call from November 24th with Liz Murdoch. Will you do me in favor? Will you make sure that Grandma and Marion know you're putting out flowers so they won't worry about it? from December 22nd and all that stuff was taken care of with the flowers and the grid sites so just a heads up on that are you there hello I'm here so all that's been done I think Lynn did it all right so do they tell grandma yes I believe that I believe

I believe she did and December 23rd sorry to bug you back real quick Hey, bus. It's very important for me for you to let Grandma and Papua T, Marion and Bart, all the properties know that it worries me to death how much I know this has made it hard on them, like I've told on you, too, you know. Make sure they know that I worry about them. Okay. Will you do that?

Yes? It makes sure Mary knows we put flowers out. She already mess. There are a couple of things sources have told us about Alec's relationship, with Maggie's family. They weren't especially tight, though Maggie was fully immersed in the world of Murdoch. Ellick was only a sometimes participant in his in-law's lives. We've been told that Ehrlich seemed jealous of Maggie's brother-in-law, who is very successful and wealthy. After the murders, it struck several people who knew Maggie and Ehrlich as peculiar that Ehrlich would spend so much

time with his in-laws. Maybe he did it for Buster. Maybe it was to get away from home. Some have suggested that it was a way for Elyke to monitor what Maggie's family knew about the situation and to monitor what they might tell law enforcement. Though we have no doubt that his grief is real, Elex's seeming obsession with the Brandsteaders knowing about his act of kindness seems like another one of his manipulations, like he was priming Maggie's parents to be on his side. Oh, and another thing we noticed, around the time of Ehrlich's first bond reduction hearing, when his lawyers were trying to argue that he deserved a lower bond, Alex started asking about reaching out to Paul's friends, a lot.

10-4. I was getting ready to ask you something. Buster. Yeah. I know I put a lot on you, and I don't want to keep adding stuff to you, but... What?

I want to get somebody to reach out to a couple of Paul's friends. Okay. Who would you like to reach out to? Do you want to do that or you'll me get somebody else to? I mean, I can do it. You just tell me who. I thought the Will 11th the other day.

What's he up to? Nothing, man. He just called and said he was checking in. We talked for a minute. That was good. I'll let you know. What? Who are the people you want me to talk to?

I'll get you a list. I'll let you know. Why don't you just write me another letter and put the people in that, unless writing letters are too difficult to get sent out. Well, I'll let you know, I'll either do that or I'll let you know in here where you have a time and have a pen to write it down.

But I don't want to bother you with it if you aren't going to have time to do it. And I'm not fussing at you, but it was important to me to let Lynn and Randy know and they told me you didn't call them or text them. And I know you don't have time. You just got to let me know when you don't have time to do something I ask you to do. Okay.

I mean, it's not a matter of time. I just, you know, just forget sometimes. Well, and I understand that, too. I definitely do. So, I mean, don't let it worry, you know, you know how much you've done. When we watched Ehrlich's December bond hearing, Mandy and I both felt pretty strongly that Ehrlich was using his statement to send messages to people on the outside, that he still had their backs.

ELEC mentioned Corey Fleming and Chris Wilson in an effort to vouch for their innocence in his alleged schemes. Corey, as you know, has since been indicted for his alleged role in stealing money from Ehrlich's clients. And Chris Wilson has been working hard in the media to separate himself from Ehrlich. Interesting to note, by the way, that Ehrlich did not mention Russell Lefeet's name to the judge during his statement. Remember when we reported in episode 37 that prior to his October arrest on the Satterfield charges, Ehrlich had texted Corey from rehab to really guilt-trippy texts, neither of which offered an apology. Three days after his first round of indictments in November, which included more serious Satterfield charges, Ehrlich wrote to Corey from jail, apologizing and lamenting all the harm he had caused Corey and his family.

He also told Corey to let him know whether he could help him in any way at all. Why did he do this? Maybe he's just that kind of nice guy. Or maybe he knew he was going to have to fight harder than ever to get on a bond and needed all the support he could get from the outside. We think there's a reason for everything Eleg does or doesn't do. As it relates to this last phone call, we remember thinking it was really strange that during that same courtroom statement, Ehrlich made it a point to mention Paul's friends and tell the judge how he was afraid his detention was, quote, alienating them. We know that the Murdox were generally close to their son's friends.

many of their friends called Ehrlich Big Red. But the word alienating is a peculiar one to use in this scenario. Why would his detention be alienating to the friends of his deceased son? Are they depending on him for something he can no longer provide because of his detention? Or do they know certain things about the Murdoch family? And now that Ehrlich is behind bars, he can't quite manage keeping the door shut on that dark library of knowledge. We obviously don't know the answers. But these are questions worth asking.

Why is it so important for Elek to maintain a relationship with his son's friends? Maybe this has to do with his grief. Maybe it's his loneliness in jail. Maybe he wants more pen pals or people to ask favors of. Or maybe it's about good old-fashioned control. Another thing about that statement Alex gave in a December bond hearing, it seems like he really wanted the public to hear it. Master, what media was out there about this last bond hearing?

Dad, I hate to tell you, but I've blocked all the outlets that produce articles about this stuff because I just got tired of seeing it, so I don't see it a whole lot anymore. So I don't blame you. I was curious if, you know, they asked me to say something, Judge Lee. I was curious if they printed any of that or they just didn't. you don't know yeah I mean they had very very little excerpts about it but I mean

it was like two three sentences it just mentioned that you spoke about me and I think that you mentioned kind of about you and what else I think the exact quote that circulated was the part where you're

talking about you know that you apologize and want to be able to you know get released and to you know start to mend things and you know kind of that little portion of it. It was very, very brief. Ken, four.

Talking about, like, the love and support that you get, and then people went off on tangent, talking about, you know, none of his family's ever at the bond hearings, like, he's clearly got no love and support. Don't know what the hell he's talking about. Simple stuff like that. I mean, people would talk to you.

But, you know, I'm way past worrying about what people that don't matter say. You know there's so many people now, a shit that they don't have a freaking clue. Oh, it's easier for you, you don't run into these people in public. Which people? Any people that has a negative outlook on this thing. Do you know who they are? We have noticed a recurring theme after listening to hours and hours of Alex conversations,

and that's on top of years of reporting on this family. The word narcissists comes up a lot when people describe what. what is going on with Elek Murdoch. The Mayo Clinic describes narcissistic personality disorder as a mental condition of persons who, quote, have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with narcissistic personality disorder have, quote, an exaggerated sense of self-importance. They believe they are, quote, superior and can only associate with equally special people.

They expect, quote, special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations. And they take advantage of others to, quote, get what they want. Multiple studies have found that a common defense among narcissists is victim mentality or blame shifting. It is apparent in these phone calls that ELEC has a victim mentality and uses it as a primary manipulation tactic to maintain control over his family members. Like in this November 23rd phone call, days after he was indicted on 27 charges for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from several clients,

including the Satterfield family and an injured law enforcement officer, Ehrlich is very clear with Buster about how he should be feeling about this. Jim and them told me they, the grand jury, indicted a bunch more things on last Friday, but you know that's just overkill, right? Yeah, I mean, they're just trying to pile it on me now, you know that, right? Yeah, I'm aware. But I can take it. So don't let it worry you.

He wants his son to feel bad for him, and he wants his son to believe that the system is making an example of him. He does this with John Marvin, too. Any news or anything, you know, they told me about the new indictments, but I think all that was to be expected. Yeah, they told me about that. I mean, truthfully, they know, I mean, I understand what they're doing, and I get it. But, I mean, you know, they just, he's, you know, he's making. They're just sacking it on.

He's making as many charges as he can, just say he ain't taking it easy on me. That's right. But it is what it is. It's important to note that Alec's family members do not push back when he attempts to elicit sympathy. They just comply and follow his script. After his December bond hearing, there were multiple calls in which Ehrlich joked with family members

about paying his $7 million bond, another kick he was on. He suddenly became an expert on how unfairly he was being treated in the grand scheme of the nation's worst white-collar criminals. John? John Marvin got my bond postage yet? Yeah. I think he's writing the check tomorrow.

That's the fucking Joe Kidman. Well, yeah, I just don't know how they... I don't know. I don't know what goes under that. Huh. Bernie Madoff had a $10 million bond. He took $10 billion. That dude from Sun Gold, it sold $300.

$80 million? $2,400 investors, $100,000? $100,000. Yeah. That lawyer that stole money from clients where he told them if he didn't, they didn't turn over their retirement system, their retirement monies to him, they were going to lose it and took it. $100,000 bond, $6.5 million dollars.

Anyway, it is what it is. Are you okay? In fact, he compared himself to Bernie Madoff several times. What's that? You got my bomb poster yet? Yeah, I'm writing my check as we see. Huh? He didn't have some shit.

That's crazy, bud. Fucking Bernie Madoff got a $10 million a month. Yeah, man, I'm just crazy. The homego, you did what's your tell you? No. The homego guy, just stole $340 million. $240 million, $2,800 clients? No, I hadn't heard.

$100,000. The lawyer in Lexington stole six and a half million from people from their retirement accounts, not money he made in cases, but I'm not saying there's any big difference, but there's a little bit of difference, $100,000. Right. Well, I hadn't, that's craved, yeah.

Anyway, what I'm calling about. Did you call, did, I ask Buster to text, Jim, and he said you did. So this is another moment during the phone calls that really struck me as especially significant because it gives such insight into how Elic thinks about what he allegedly did to his clients. He's literally putting himself in a different category, a better category, from these other bad guys. because the thing he is accused of is not taking money that his clients already had, but rather money that he had acquired for them. We definitely theorized for a while that this was how he was able to justify his actions to himself

and maybe others. Because of his family name, the work his forefathers and their law partners did to secure the loyalty of Hampton County judges and juries, and because of the family's connections and power and the litany of favors they collected over the years, Ellick was able to win his clients these settlements that were far larger than they would have gotten somewhere else, like lottery winnings. To his mind, it seems, some of that money going back to the house, meaning to him, maybe wasn't stealing so much as it was secretly taking back some of what he felt was owed to him for loaning his family name to a case. Think of it this way. The Murdoch family, over generations, created an industry.

And at the heart of that industry, there was a very effective judicial machine that they built and continued to pass onto their sons. Bernie Madoff is just a guy who outright stole from people, totally different from Big Red. We'll be right back. At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak startup funding and comprehensive game plans. We've mastered made-to-measure growth and expansion advice. And we can talk your ear off about transferring your business when the time. comes because at Desjardin business we speak the same language you do business so join the more than

400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us and contact Desjardin today we'd love to talk business uh Bernie made off a textbook narcissist who alec loves comparing himself to but one more thing you need to know about narcissists they often get angry when things don't go their way. And all of us agreed, after listening to hours and hours of these phone calls, anger isn't really a feeling we sense from Ellick throughout a majority of these conversations. But in this December 22nd conversation with Liz Murdoch, I hear some anger and resentment in his voice when he's talking about media coverage of the case. me or us says, but it, you know, I quit listening to it when they started printing all that

false shit about the boat wreck or, you know, hand-picking what they print, only printing negative stuff without putting it in context with other stuff that, you know, taking a snippet that when you look at it in its totality, there's nothing to it. But if you take a little blur, you know, it sounds bad in the media. And it did that all the time. But anyway, the only thing that worries me about it is, you know, I know it's hard for y'all, you know, and I know it's hard for Grandma and Papa Tee and then Bart.

And it worries me a little bit for Buster. I'm not sure he quite knows how to deal with it yet. Well, I don't really ask. but I feel like she doesn't read it that much. No, he told me he's blocked most of the stuff, but, you know, he's still, there's nothing. Oh, I worry to death by Grandma and Papa T because I, you know. Well, um, yeah, I do think, Marianne's told me that they, they read it, but, um, I think they only read the Pope Perkins Courier, so, um, that's good that they don't.

Just so that they don't leave, you know, the more tabloity kind of ones. Throughout this entire case, the Murdoch camp has tried time and time again to frame Ehrlich as a victim. After the suicide for higher incident in September, Ehrlich and his attorneys wanted us to believe that he was the targeted victim of a roadside shooting. When that narrative quickly began to crumble, they switched gears and frame. named him as a drug addict. We haven't seen any evidence that ELEC was actually addicted to opioids, but we find it very interesting that this was a drug that the Murdoch team seems to have chosen for him.

It is the one drug whose addicts America has collectively decided to look upon sympathetically. His lawyers wanted us to believe that he stole millions of dollars from his clients simply because he had a drug addiction that was out of control. His lawyers wanted us to believe that he was impecunious and his financial state was ruinous, but in reality, these jailhouse phone calls reveal the exact opposite. All along, Ellick has wanted our sympathy. Sympathy for losing his wife and son, sympathy for his drug addiction, and sympathy for his poor financial state.

When he didn't get that sympathy he wanted from the public and a lot of the media, he made sure he got it from his family. In the 14 hours of tapes we listened to, we never heard the voice of a man who was truly sorry for letting down those who loved him. We didn't hear the voice of a man who recognized the damage that he's caused so many. We heard the voice of a narcissist, clinging to the little control he still has left over his own family members. journalist is sometimes exciting but following a trail until you reach the full story of something meaning the truth the 360 degrees of truth that is is not for the faint of heart because along

these trails you meet people who are hurting you encounter complex issues that are frustrating to untangle and you deal with the unsavory characters who will suck the joy out of you if you let them while you're on these trails you have onlookers lining both sides most of whom are cheering you on Some are shouting out insults at you, and others are throwing obstacles in the way. When it came to these jail tapes, we did not have the support of our fellow South Carolina journalists, some of whom seemed to be cool with regarding the calls as private and therefore inaccessible. And I'm not bringing this up to school those journalists, but rather to explain why their position on this was dangerous. Alec Murdoch is Elyke Murdoch, because he could be, right?

The ecosystem in the state was made for him. We all know that now. We only knew what it looked like from the outside. These tapes have given us amazing insight into the man Elyke is, not the man he wants us to believe he is. The guy who is hyper aware, he's being recorded, but also in an environment that makes him vulnerable by its very definition. By listening to his phone calls and sharing them with our listeners on this podcast,

we are arming you with insight of how the powerful operate and how they will try to cling to whatever modicum of control they can as their house of cards starts to fall. With your support, we were able to catch the system off guard. The system did not expect us to ask for a listen. And here we are. We hope these calls, particularly the latest ones that we've shared, not only give you better insight

into how things work for certain families in South Carolina. but also empower you in your own lives if you are dealing with narcissists or sociopaths, whether in friendships, at home, work, or even in your community. Remember, it's about control. Ehrlich has his narrative, and based on how our fellow journalists reacted to the jailhouse phone calls, and based on their histories of constantly accepting these pre-packaged narratives from the Murdoch team over and over again, We feel it's more important now than ever, not just to shine a light on all angles of this,

but to hold up a mirror. This is the man at the center of the story. He is telling us who he is, and we are choosing to believe him on that. This episode taught us that accountability requires persistence. When we requested those jailhouse phone calls in early 2022, many questioned whether or not they should be public. But transparency isn't just about comfort, it's about truth. These recordings revealed the real Ehrlich Murdoch, manipulative, calculating, and utterly lacking and genuine remorse.

The narcissistic patterns we identified, victim mentality, blame shifting, obsessive control weren't just podcast commentary, they became crucial context for understanding how ELEC operated for decades. His dismissive mention of Gloria Satterfield and Stephen Smith showed his true character. His inability to express authentic concern for finding his wife and son's killers was telling. Most importantly, this episode demonstrated that powerful people rely on collective willingness to look away. They depend on institutions protecting them and journalists accepting pre-packaged narratives.

The lesson endures. Sunlight remains the best disinfectant, especially when the powerful try to keep the curtains closed. The Murdoch Murder's podcast is created by me, Mandy Matney, and my fiancé, David Moses. Our executive editor is Liz Farrell. Produced by Luna Shark Productions.