The scandals and deaths surrounding the powerful, old-money Murdaugh family in South Carolina’s Lowcountry have attracted a surge in notoriety as of late. If you’ve tuned into any piece of the family’s story—from Alex Murdaugh’s ongoing murder trial to Netflix’s new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal—you likely want to know more about where the murders took place and the state of the home now. Ahead, take a look at everything we know about the family’s infamous property.
What to Know About the South Carolina Property Where the Murdaugh Murders Took Place
The property is shown in Netflix’s docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.© Courtesy of Netflix
Who is the Murdaugh family and what’s their legal background?
What to Know About the South Carolina Property Where the Murdaugh Murders Took Place
Alex Murdaugh (sometimes referred to as “Alec”) is a former lawyer whose family built a legal dynasty in South Carolina. To give you a sense of just how far back their power goes, Alex’s great-great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. founded a law firm and was elected solicitor for the 14th Judicial Circuit (which includes a staggering five counties) in 1920. Subsequent generations have served as solicitors and joined the family firm ever since.
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Fast forwarding many years later to June 7, 2021, Alex called 911 to report the shooting of his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul. These killings became known as the Murdaugh murders and aside from being horrific, they likely gained even more media attention due to Paul Murdaugh’s ongoing trial, in which he was charged with a wrongful death suit for a fatal boat crash that occurred while he was boating under the influence. Paul was also charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence.
What to Know About the South Carolina Property Where the Murdaugh Murders Took Place
(L to R) Alex Murdaugh; Morgan Doughty; Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.© Courtesy of Netflix
The family of Mallory Beach, the young woman killed in the boat crash filed the wrongful death suit against the estate of Maggie Murdaugh, who allegedly knew Paul was drunk when he went boating, and Buster Murdaugh, Paul’s older brother whose ID he reportedly used to buy the alcohol, in connection to the crash. The surviving passengers are also included in the settlement.
What to Know About the South Carolina Property Where the Murdaugh Murders Took Place
The Murdaugh family is also allegedly connected to other controversial and tragic cases, including the 2015 death of Stephen Smith and the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield. The latter also occurred at the family’s Moselle estate. Then in September 2021, Alex was caught in an assisted suicide insurance fraud scheme.
What happened in the Murdaugh murders and where did they take place?
In regards to the double murder, no arrests were made until more than a year later in July 2022 when Alex was indicted for the murders of his wife and son. Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son were found deceased at the family’s hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina. They were both shot multiple times with different weapons at the dog kennels on the property sometime after they all had dinner together at the main house.
Related video: Murdaugh Trial Clerk of Court Gives Firsthand Insight to Family, Trial (Court TV)
Right. Guilty on all counts. Now Alec Murdoch is spending
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Murdaugh Trial Clerk of Court Gives Firsthand Insight to Family, TrialUnmute
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In addition to cellphone data, one of the strongest pieces of evidence against Alex (more on the trial ahead!) was a Snapchat video captured by Paul that put his father at the kennels—the scene of the crime— minutes before the murders. He had previously claimed to be napping at the main home on the property during that time frame, revealing his duplicity. When on the stand, Alex admitted to lying about this, referencing an 1808 quote from Sir Walter Scott, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”
Before his death, Paul was living in a log cabin on the Moselle property, and Maggie was said to have been spending more time at the family’s beach house about an hour’s drive away in Edisto due to marital issues.
What happened in the double murder trial?
On March 2, 2023, at the end of the six-week trial, Alex Murdaugh received a guilty verdict for the double murder. The jury only deliberated for three hours before delivering the verdict. The defense lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin did not address the media nor the court in the sentencing hearing on March 3, 2023. Instead, they said: “The defendant would like to address the court.” Alex Murdaugh then rose and remarked: “I am innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie, and I would never hurt my son Paw-Paw.”
Murdaugh Murders a southern scandal center Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders a southern scandal cr Netflix © 2023© Courtesy of Netflix
Judge Clifton Newman then spoke to the court. He reflected on the unique horrors, stating: “We have a lawyer whose family has controlled the court of justice for years…Whose grandfather’s portrait hangs at the back of the courthouse, that I had to have ordered removed to ensure that a fair trial was had by both the state and the defense.” He expressed how difficult it has been to see the defendant evolve from a grieving father to the person indicted and convicted of killing them. He then continued, saying, “Certainly, you have no obligation to say anything other than saying ‘not guilty.’ And obviously, appeals are probably expected. I wouldn’t expect a confession of any kind.”
Judge Clifton Newman also mentioned that this case qualifies under the state’s death penalty, specifically: “You and your family have been prosecuting people for years and have pursued the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct.” Murdaugh then repeated his statement of innocence, with Newman responding, “It might not have been you. It might have been the monster you’ve become. Maybe you become another person when you take 40, 50, or 60 opioid pills. The person standing before me didn’t commit the crime, though it’s the same individual. We’ll leave that at that.” Finally, he sentenced Alex Murdaugh to two consecutive sentences for the murders of his wife and son for the term of the rest of his natural life (Translation: life in prison without parole).
Alex also faces a plethora of other charges—99 to be exact—related to money laundering, embezzlement, tax evasion, and beyond that were not part of the murder trial (though some related information was allowed to be entered into evidence). There are more than 100 total indictments and charges against him.
What’s happening to the Murdaugh home, 4147 Moselle Road, now?
moselle property birds eye view© Google Maps
Known as Moselle Farm, the property is located at 4147 Moselle Road in Islandton, South Carolina. The 1,770-acre property was listed for sale in February 2022. The sprawling estate features a farm, two miles of river frontage for freshwater fishing and kayaking, dog kennels, plenty of turkey and deer for on-site hunting, and a custom-built home newly constructed in 2011. It’s surrounded by woods.
According to The Crosby Land Company—the land brokerage and consulting firm that lists the farm on its website—the $3.9 million property is currently under contract, meaning an offer has been accepted on it, despite the stigmatizing events that occurred there. Proceeds from the sale will reportedly go toward a settlement between the Murdaugh estate and the Beach family.
Jurors in the double murder trial also visited Moselle during the trial. This has happened in other high-profile cases, like the case where Michael Peterson allegedly murdered his wife Kathleen Peterson at their North Carolina home.
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