I admit it – I have gotten caught up in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial and the story behind the Murdaugh family of Walterboro, South Carolina. I, like so many others, have been following closely the case against Alex Murdaugh in the murders of his wife Maggie and his 22 year old son Paul.
It is a sad story of a long time prominent family in an area of South Carolina known for ‘good ole boys’ and family connections. This area of South Carolina one could say is a bit stuck in time, not progressing with other areas in the state and in the country. In a way living in this rural Lowcountry area of South Carolina is ‘slow and easy’ and change isn’t easily accepted. People like it that way – and if you don’t, well then you can go live somewhere else. They will tell you just that. It’s about fishing and hunting, and going to church, and running into the same faces all the time in the grocery store. I know this because I live in a similar place. I’m a few hours up the road from Walterboro, and my town has a history much the same, with certain names that everyone knows. These are the people who have the power and the money.
The Murdaugh name was known around – in town, in the county, and even beyond. Alex’s father and grandfather held the solicitor position for years. All of them were lawyers. His brothers lived near by. Nobody moved away.
The story that is unraveling now, is long and rather complicated, and some parts are still a mystery. The murder trial is still ongoing and Alex will have more legal troubles due to the millions of dollars he stole from so many people, including his own clients, ones he helped win settlements and financial awards for in court cases. His son was involved (probably driving) a boat when it hit a bridge pylon and one of the young women on board flew out and died. Paul was due to go to court about it. Or “Pawpaw” As Alex called him. Families in the south have lots of affectionate nicknames.
But what is now known is that this man, Alex Murdaugh, was a perpetual liar, and he did it extremely well. He was smooth. He used his name to win people’s trust, and then he stole from them. Over and over and over again. He lived his life with lots of comfort and with plenty: having more than one home, huge properties, nice vacations, and more. He presented himself on the outside like a man of honor, working to help others, using his legal skills to get justice for people who needed it. He was considered an ‘upright’ solid man by most around there. But, he had a very dark side. He has testified in court to having dealt with a many years long addiction to painkillers. He blamed the addiction for his ‘need’ to steal because he needed more money for the drugs. But under his public persona he was also making bad real estate decisions, and losing money in other ways. At one point he had someone shoot him and make it look like a robbery on a desolate road – and he lied about that too. He has lied – over and over. He is a perpetual liar.
The financial troubles and the effects of addiction may have gotten him to the brink – and maybe the family was putting a lot of pressure on him. So, maybe he snapped and he did murder his wife and son. And, maybe he was smart enough to quickly cover it up, to lie to the police, and at the same time be the distraught husband & father, and then again maybe he didn’t. Maybe he is innocent and he did not pull the triggers of the guns.
I would not want to be on his jury. One thing that is obvious to them, and to all of us, is that Alex Murdaugh is a user – of drugs, of people, of situations. He took from people for years and had no regret as he did it. He found a way to justify his actions in his mind. As I have watched the trial I have felt that I am watching a narcissistic person who used his name to get away with immoral and illegal actions – for years. He had no sense of shame. He did not allow himself to care for those he hurt ( he was their lawyer and helped them win cases – but then cheated them out of their money.) He felt privileged and felt that he lived under his own rules.
Do you know others like him? I can’t help but think of our past president who constantly lied, who also was smooth with twisting the English language, who only cared about what benefitted himself and not others. The two even look alike.
I also am thinking about the disparity in our court system. The reason this case has caught my eye, and has lots of attention, is because Alex Murdaugh is supposed to be a protector of the legal system, yet he abused it, and he knows how to play the game. The trial is happening in his backyard. A picture of his grandfather hangs in the courthouse. The jury members are local. Everyone in the county knows the Murdaugh name. This was a vicious crime allegedly done by a white man – in rural South Carolina.
It is suspected that the murders were done with two of the family hunting guns. The guns were most likely loaded and sitting out nearby. They were not safely locked away – which might have stopped this from happening if it was a sudden crime of passion. The weapons have not been found.
There is a documentary on the Murdaughs on Netflix. There are more than several podcasts devoted to them. I even watch a woman who is married to a defense attorney, who lives in NC, with her own daily updates and opinion videos. It is like when the OJ trial was happening – it was the talk everywhere! And everyone had an idea about what must have happened.
So, for me, now, I think the jury will not be able to get beyond a ‘reasonable doubt’ and therefore Alex Murdaugh will be acquitted of murdering his wife and son. But, he has already testified under oath about all the fraud, and the millions of dollars he stole, so he will be found guilty of those crimes in a later trial. As it was with OJ Simpson, no other killer will be found. Why? Because there was only one responsible for the murders and he will be found not guilty.
Marla’s Musings 