Why Did Alex Murdaugh Kill His Wife and Son? The True Story Behind Murdaugh: Death in the Family

Alex Murdaugh seemingly had it all before his web of lies unraveled.

On June 7, 2021, the former attorney made a distraught 9-1-1 call claiming that he had found his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, shot to death at their South Carolina hunting estate. However, the killings were just the tip of the iceberg.

In the months that followed, details of Alex’s long history of crime and deceit came to light, including his hidden opioid addiction, years of financial fraud and even a failed assisted-suicide scheme.

In March 2023, Alex was found guilty of the murders of Maggie and Paul and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. He then received 40 more years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 financial crimes.

Despite his fall from grace, Alex still maintains that he did not kill his family and is currently appealing his conviction. His story is now being told in Hulu’s new scripted series Murdaugh: Death in the Family, which premiered on Oct. 15 and stars Jason Clarke as Alex.

But, why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Here’s everything to know about the inspiration behind Murdaugh: Death in the Family.

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

Alex hails from one of South Carolina’s most powerful legal families. From 1920 to 2006, a Murdaugh held the office of solicitor for the state’s 14th Judicial Circuit, giving the family nearly a century of control and influence over South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

Following in his family’s footsteps, Alex worked as a personal injury lawyer at the family-founded firm, Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED).

He married his college sweetheart, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh (née Branstetter), in 1993, and together, they had two sons: Richard “Buster” Alexander Murdaugh Jr. and Paul Terry Murdaugh.

How did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

On June 7, 2021, both Maggie and Paul were fatally shot near the dog kennels of the family’s sprawling hunting estate in Colleton County, S.C. Paul was shot in the chest and head with a shotgun at close range, while Maggie was shot multiple times, including one in the back, with an AR-style rifle. Both mother and son were pronounced dead at the scene.

Alex claimed to have discovered their bodies after returning to the property from a visit with his mother. He called 9-1-1 at 10:07 p.m., telling the operator, “I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child were just shot badly,” per The State.

Although he initially told authorities he had not visited the kennels that night, a Snapchat video Paul recorded placed Alex at the scene of the crime at 8:44 p.m., which was within the estimated time frame of their deaths, according to ABC11.

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

Although Alex maintains his innocence, prosecutors argued that he killed Maggie and Paul to cover up and distract from his numerous financial crimes.

For over 10 years, Alex had been stealing from his firm and clients to allegedly fuel his opioid addiction and fund his family’s lavish lifestyle, according to The Washington Post. In total, Alex stole about $12 million, per NPR.

While his financial crimes were tried separately, they did play into the double homicide case and helped shape the motive prosecutors presented.

During the highly publicized 2023 trial, PMPED’s CFO testified that she confronted Alex about the missing funds on the morning of the killings, per CNN.

At the time of the murders, the Murdaugh family was also facing a lawsuit from the family of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed in a February 2019 boating accident, during which Paul was driving. The trial for that case, in which Paul was under criminal indictment, was set for July 10, 2021, and prosecutors alleged that Alex was worried his financial schemes would have been exposed during it.

What other crimes did Alex Murdaugh commit?

In addition to the murders of Maggie and Paul, Alex committed 22 financial crimes, including bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. One of those crimes was stealing nearly $4.3 million in insurance settlement funds meant for the family of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaughs’ longtime housekeeper, who mysteriously died in 2018 after falling at their home.

Alex also attempted to stage his own death in September 2021, which his lawyer admitted to in court. Believing prosecutors had enough evidence against him for the murders, he reportedly arranged for a former client to shoot him in the head so his surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance payout.

The shooting was unsuccessful, though, and Alex suffered only a minor injury. He ultimately did not face any charges for the failed suicide scheme.

Alex is currently serving his two consecutive life sentences, plus the additional 40 years for his financial crimes, at a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.

In August 2024, the South Carolina Supreme Court agreed to hear his appeal for a new trial based on allegations of jury tampering, according to CNN. As of October 2025, the case is still under review. The clerk in his trial, Becky Hill, was charged with misconduct and perjury in May 2025, per The New York Times. She has denied the charges, per Count On News 2.

Does Buster Murdaugh support Alex Murdaugh?

Alex’s surviving son, Buster, has insisted that his father is innocent. He spoke out publicly six months after the trial as part of the Fox Nation docuseries The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.

“I don’t think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother,” Buster said. “When I go to bed at night, I have a fear that there is somebody else still out there.”

He also called his dad’s trial “not fair,” adding: “I was there for six weeks studying it and I think it was a tilted table from the beginning. And I think, unfortunately, a lot of the jurors felt that way prior to when they had to deliberate. It was predetermined in their minds prior to when they ever heard any shred of evidence that was given in that room.”

Buster did, however, claim that his dad embodies some characteristics of a psychopath. “I’m not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole, but certainly, I think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation and the lies and the carrying out of that and such, and I think that’s a fair assessment,” he explained.