The Trial Of Alex Murdaugh ~ The Incredible Downfall & Legacy Of A Lying Lawyer

The Murdaugh trial is ongoing, with a series of convoluted twists and turns. It is no wonder Netflix has already latched onto the “Southern Scandal.” It is more aptly, the southern scandal of the century. The unfolding of this saga supersedes any crime story conceivable. There are more elements to it than a row of hot stoves, with all the burners on high.

Speaking of high, Alex Murdaugh’s opiate addiction is just one of the elements and backdrop of this grisly outcome. Even though I have only watched snippets of the trial, it appears this was one crooked lawyer, who was not only addicted to opiates, but more so to greed. At the heart of what is heartless, is almost always a common denominator steeped in the love of money, and longstanding patterns of deception.

This is a paraphrased recap or outline, of my own interpretations, after listening to some of the trial proceedings, which is at times boring, and at times spellbinding – like it came right out of a dramatic good against evil novel. It depicts characters who were genuine, honest, and gave detailed and strong testimony, against what was essentially a hotbed of lies, thievery, cover ups, familial entitlement, deaths, money, and manipulation.

The trial is actually a murder trial with a very crooked path leading up to it all. The youngest son Paul, and the soon to be ex-wife Maggie, were shot to death in June of 2021, on a large property owned by the Murdaugh family.

There were other suspicious deaths surrounding the family, and multiple unfolding scandals. Specifically there was a litany of financial crimes by Alex Murdaugh that were exposed, just prior to these horrific murders.

Other deaths associated with the family, included a long time housekeeper of the Murdaugh family, who supposedly died in a slip and fall accident at the Murdaugh home. After that death, which was never fully investigated, Alex offered her sons, one of whom is disabled, to sue his own insurance company on their behalf. They agreed, believing he was acting in good faith. However, after suing and collecting a large sum of several million dollars, he stole the money, and her kids got shafted.

In another death case involving the family in 2015, a gay friend of the oldest Murdaugh son, was found dead on the road, after it was rumoured the two young men had a relationship of some sort. From what I read, the location he was found, was close to the Murdaugh residence. The victim’s family believed it was a suspicious death. It was ruled to be a hit and run, and like the death of the housekeeper, was never fully resolved. Justice was not served in either case.

The youngest son Paul, in addition to the infamous boating accident, also had a prior serious vehicle accident. Apparently his grandfather, and father Alex, were called immediately afterwards, and cleaned up all the beer cans and guns from the scene, before the police arrived. The boys knew they could count on their father, mother, and grandfather, to get them out of trouble.

It appears the family name, the hundred year family legal legacy in the area, and the perceived pillars of reputation and wealth, all contributed to a sense of entitlement that most certainly went awry as time went on. One wonders if the original lawyer grandfather, who started it all, was equally corrupt. Although this is pure speculation on my part, it does sound like one of those “sins of the father” intergenerational type sagas.

In 2019, during a rowdy night of partying, the youngest son Paul, who had a history of erratic and violent behaviour while drinking, as well as previous driving accidents, crashed his father’s boat. This led to the death of a beautiful young woman, and serious injuries to a couple others. It took days to find her body. In addition, there was an immediate attempt to cover it up. The Murdaugh family claimed another person was driving the boat.

In addition, Paul’s girlfriend had reported several instances of his violence toward her, including the night of the accident. Apparently he slapped her when she told him he was acting crazy. In another case, she claimed he throttled her. Her friends and family warned her to stay away from him.

Paul was also described as having a lot of energy, and was upbeat, likeable, and worked hard when not drinking. Unfortunately his life was cut short, as he may have cleaned up his act at some point. But he never got the chance to make the changes that might help him overcome the deeply inverted, and chaotic sense of entitlement that contributed to his early demise.

It goes to show how much the grace of God is a central part of enabling any of us to find forgiveness, and clean up our act, before we come to the final appointment with death. In the case of this young man, we don’t really know if he had remorse, or was contemplating changing his life. Like many people, especially young people, he probably thought he had lots of time to figure it all out.

It is quite possible in hindsight, for those who knew him, to admit Paul may have also had a serious addiction problem, since addiction often has a genetic, and familial origin. There are reports he was drinking and out of control often, starting in his early teens. As young kids, they had frequent, and easy access to alcohol. As it is with many people, it was widely accepted, and encouraged in their social circles.

The fact he became erratic, and out of control when drinking, does speak to a much deeper problem. Sadly, he never got the time to reflect on the destructive patterns of addiction, and realize he had fallen into the trap too. As he emerged from adolescence to adulthood, he also never got the chance to be held accountable, to help him learn how to avoid the problems it brought to his life.

How could anyone have possibly known that instead of legal accountability, he would be murdered by his own father because of that accident? His father was the person who had established the pattern of entitlement, and lack of accountability. When it came back to haunt him, he did the unthinkable. He blamed his immature young son, with a malice and resentment that could not be contained, or reconciled beyond his love of money, and his own self-centred life.

I found it to be cringe worthy when he referred to the son he murdered as Paw Paw, a childhood nickname. As many things with the case, it brought out an uncanny comparison to the dog kennels, and the final exchange Paul had with his friend, over one of the dogs in the kennel. Paw Paw did end up leaving the evidence behind that ultimately convicted his father, based on the tail of a dog in the kennel. The evidence ended up becoming Paw Paw’s tale of a dog. It was recorded on Paul’s phone, and put Alex at the scene, beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Another thing this trial highlighted, is the central role cell phone technology plays in establishing timelines, and evidence. The events that took place were logged, right down to the steps each person took, every number that was called, and the number of seconds those calls lasted. Every action, and reaction, is documented and recorded.

Cell phone technology might even have more relevance than DNA, because it speaks to the specific movements, communications, texts, calls, and locations, as the crime unfolded. How anyone thinks they can get away with murder is beyond me. Some of these arrogant killers think they are covering their tracks brilliantly, when in fact they are leaving a record of what they did, and a trail of evidence. He was apparently a good lawyer, but he was most certainly no genius.

Apparently Paul was using his older brother’s ID to buy alcohol, before he was of legal age. Even though there is a fair bit of judgement toward him, the poor kid probably had no real understanding of addiction, yet he knew of his father’s addiction to pills, and was both confused and concerned. This story is tragic on so many levels. It appears there is layer upon layer of dysfunction, covered by a facade of wealth and success.

The family background boasts around a hundred years of lawyers, all of who had very successful practices. The grandfather Randolph, was involved in multiple cover ups, to protect his wayward son, and grandsons. He was using his influence, even when his health was failing, and he was in and out of hospital. He must have been blown away himself, when the murders happened.

Perhaps in the grandfather’s own final hours on this earth, the murders created enough of a shock for him to throw in the towel. His own life, and legacy, also came to an end, following the murders of Maggie and Paul.

If he was cognitively intact, it is doubtful it was a peaceful death, although it may have been a welcome one. I wonder if the old man, had a flood of awareness before he died, regarding his own role in the family tragedy. Apparently his picture was taken off the wall in the court house, and/or law firm, that had become so much a part of his identity and accomplishments. It all went up in a puff of smoke and mirrors. Perhaps he saw himself, and his son for what they truly were, and came to represent. Surely, it was the opposite of what he had always believed to be true. 

In the midst of all this murder, accidents and mayhem, was not only a propensity for opiates on the part of Alex Murdaugh, but more so, profound and addictive greed. The love of money seemed to be the root of the evil, swirling around every deal, like a witches cauldron of lies, theft, and more lies.

Ultimately the countless thefts of attorney fees and client disbursements came to light, and was investigated, leading to the ousting of Alex Murdaugh from an industry founded and steeped in his own family legacy. He stole millions of dollars, from his own co-workers, friends, and disabled clients who trusted him. He lied to all of them with ease, all the while pretending to be on their side.

He put the accounting firm, and his own paralegal in a very tough spot, as they began to see the red flags, and financial discrepancies. The walls were closing in on him.

Although the outcome of the trial is not determined, and he has not been convicted yet, he most certainly does appear to have set up the murders, and whether he had help or not, he was there, and lied about it too. He had asked both his wife and son to meet him at one of their properties, which is where they were killed. He claimed he was not there at the time, but all the evidence showed he was there.

If he did kill them, as the trial has gone on, the motive does become fairly obvious. His wife was about to divorce him, which would have forced him to give her a share of the assets. That in itself is a frequent motive for spousal murders. But it appeared to be only one of the many layers, and motives involved in this case. He was also seeking sympathy, diversion, and victimhood for himself.

As far as the murder of his son Paul, the attorney for the family of the woman who died in the boating accident, was putting tremendous pressure on Alex. He was demanding disclosure of all his bank accounts, assets, and was seeking a large settlement on behalf of the family whose daughter was killed.

The attorney who was seeking a settlement over the boating accident, was determined, clear, and stoic. The contrast between some of these lawyers, is like night and day. The testimonies during this trial, has really given the public insight into what might otherwise never be known about the practices in law firms, and the crooked, versus the straight shooters. What a difference there is for all to see, when they are put on the stand.

It turns out the boat driven by his son Paul, was owned by Alex, and was under insured. Alex was on the hook for a very large sum of money. In a twisted way, these murders were skewed to look like they could have been in retaliation over the boating accident, in which case Alex played the role of a grieving victim, and all lawsuits would have been dropped. That was of course, until he became the number one suspect. 

To make matters worse, Alex then hired his drug dealer to shoot him in the head, which turned out to be a superficial wound. He claimed it was an attempt to end his life so his oldest son could collect a ten million dollar life insurance policy. This guy never seemed to stop scheming up ways to make a buck. But more likely, it was another sympathy ploy, or diversion tactic, to make it look like he too was at risk of retaliation, and being a murder victim. It is difficult to know for sure, until the trial and verdict is in, and the investigative true crime writers collect all the trial transcripts, and connect all the dots. 

Even though he has yet to be convicted of the murders, one thing that surfaces time, and time again throughout the trial, is the lies. One after another, with literally hundreds of examples.

Is it any wonder the Bible refers to the devil as being the father of lies? This case proves beyond a shadow of a doubt, how damaging lies can be. Not only for the victims, co-workers, family, friends, organizations, and accounting practices. But for the liar himself, it corrodes and corrupts the essence of who he is. No one can trust him. His shame when under scrutiny, sears his entire persona, like a branding iron. He will not live it down now. His lies made him what he is. They shaped the monument of self exaltation within him, into an internal dialogue of babble-on. 

Love needs trust in order to exist and thrive. Marriages without trust are doomed to fail. The same goes for other relationships. Without trust, how can there be love? Lies are everything that is against God, and it is no wonder lies top the things God hates the most. Lies are like poison. Every lie is a snake bite, and the venom circulates, and seeps into every crevice, nook and cranny around it. 

We cannot live a life of lies. Whatever the cost, getting free of the snare caused by lies, is more important than life on this earth. Lies are a profoundly destructive force in this world. This example proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Every single witness shows whether or not they are truthful.

The truth shines through like a light, from those who have integrity. They come across as the salt of the earth. In sharp contrast, the lies show an existential, vacuous human being, without a soul. It is so obvious, it is jarring. 

Alex Murdaugh did give testimony, and although you could tell much of it was rehearsed, and he clearly is, and always was, a pathological liar. He also came across as a weak, trembling, overwhelmed, and vulnerable addict. He claimed he was taking up to sixty oxycodone a day, which I personally don’t believe. If he took that much, he would be dead, or at the very least, he would be in liver failure.

Occasionally, he showed a flash of anger at some of the questions he was asked. But for the most part, his demeanour was contrite. But who knows if it is all an act? He is a master when it comes to deception, and fooling people. 

In spite of his raging addiction to opiates, he was still functioning, and apparently was settling 50-60% of the cases for the law firm. He was socially active, driving, going to parties, visiting his ailing parents, and juggling multiple balls at once. He does not come across as really brilliant, but he certainly seemed to know his stuff, and have good recollection, on most of what he was grilled about.

He did have some memory lapses here and there, which may have been out of convenience. He also went into animated descriptions on what seemed to be irrelevant details. One bizarre thing that comes to mind, is when he described how the dog had chased and caught a chicken. He added that the dog didn’t usually kill the chicken, and then went on to describe how you take a chicken out of a dog’s mouth, “you put your hand right back of the throat, where the back teeth are, and push down hard, and he’ll let right go of it.”

He then added where he set the chicken after he rescued it, on top of the dog house or crate. After all that, he said “I think it did die though”. What a strange thing to focus on, considering the magnitude of the circumstances, and death of his wife and son in the same location. He describes details about a chicken dying at the scene too? It was almost like he was creating an analogy of sorts. He was the rescuer, he tried, but he failed, and the “poor chicken” died regardless. 

For all those who were associated with this family, there must be an incredible amount of shock, horror, and speculation. Nothing was as it seems. So far, there has been no justice for the victims, to include the deaths, as well as the plethora of financial crimes.

Who knows how it will all turn out? If there is anything to take away, it is how a sense of entitlement, and a love of money, can lead to unprecedented tragedy, and the downfall of a hundred year long family legacy. This case is tangled up in a hundred years of familial legal wrangling, only to ensnare and destroy the very origins of that legacy.

It looks like they were the beginning, and the ending of the exposed and crooked lawyer developments in South Carolina. The grandfather died just days after the murders. The grandmother is in end stages of dementia.

That left Alex, Maggie, and their two beautiful red headed boys. If Alex goes to jail, only the oldest son is left to try and sort out what happened. Apparently he had already been kicked out of University, so it is doubtful he will become a lawyer, to carry on such a vile legacy.

For those who watch and follow this trial, there are so many sobering reflections to make, especially when it comes to family values. All deceptions, and mistreatment of others, will eventually have consequences. All families have members who struggle with addiction. All families have members who might deceive, and side with money, over and above truth, and fair play. When that happens, love and reputation is compromised for the entire family, and community around them, including those they work with. 

What this story reveals is that in the long run, deception, and greed, becomes like a cancer, and will destroy the people in its path. Nothing done in secret remains a secret. It simmers, until it finally boils over onto the elements of a hot stove.

Just as the truth of his misdeeds were exposed during the trial of Alex Murdaugh, it goes to show, there comes a day of reckoning for all deception, and judgment, whether it is in this world, or waits until after death. Misdeeds, greed, and unlawful conduct, do not stay hidden forever. No one can simply eliminate another person, and pretend it never happened. To do so only makes it worse, far worse. 

Perhaps the most profound aspect of it all, is how arrogance and pride comes before the fall. How far the fall, is in direct proportion to the heights achieved. It also demonstrates that greed too, can be an addiction. Our perceptions of wealth, and success are often skewed by the underlying greed, which we often do not recognize as the true motive for overt, and opulent images of success.

Extreme wealth is viewed as the opposite of addiction, yet it has much in common with many addictive behaviours, and attitudes. One of the most common signs of greed, is the inclination to disregard the rights of others, for the sake of money. People lose their value, unless they can fit into the template of expectations, and are willing to be manipulated with no end in sight.  

Even though not all families have a legal legacy like this family did, all families do have a legacy of skeletons, injustices, and deceptions to be resolved. The extent of it depends on the number of years it has gone on, the degree and depth of the deceptions, and the amount of wealth, and legacy behind it all. It can all crumble very rapidly, if it is not on a solid foundation. We would be wise to reconcile things while we still can.

Some things about this particular family tragedy, really stick in your mind. For me, it is seeing the two red headed boys, who clearly have the carrot top DNA of their dad, which only serves to emphasize the fact they were his own flesh and blood. Family is family. It is an undeniable fact, yet what one family member can to do another, is beyond comprehension. What good is the money going to do him now? What good is the money going to do the grandfather when he is dead? Clearly there must be a time of realization when money finally loses all value. For those who sell their souls for money, what a tragic realization it must be. 

The erosion of values does not happen overnight. It is insidious long before it become hideous. It happens one lie at a time. Each manipulation, deception, or mistreatment that violates the rights of another human being, actually robs the person who is doing it, of his or her own character. Eventually the person is a vile, shallow shell of a person, who sold their own soul for money, and lost everything in the process. 

And perhaps even more so, was the mundane things Maggie and Paul were doing, and sharing with family and friends, in the hours and minutes leading up to the murders. One cannot help but wonder what went through their minds in that final moment of realization.

I think one of the most poignant things of all, was when the young son Paul texted his mom, and asked what was for dinner. She replied “Southern fried steak, and macaroni and cheese”. It was their last meal.

March 3rd Update – He did get convicted after all, and was sentenced to life in prison. Justice was served. Alex Murdaugh seemed to have burned everything, and everyone he ever came across. He loved money more than he loved his own family. No doubt his wheels are turning for an appeal. But when a person burns so many, there is nothing but charred remains. No one can resurrect an appeal from the ashes of murder, greed and lies. He is the one who lit the fire, and it consumed him.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2023). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.