The second season of Murdaugh Murders unveils further facts and theories about the scandal involving one of South Carolina’s most prominent families, and viewers want to know where Alex Murdaugh is now.
Alex Murdaugh is a former lawyer and was once one of the most powerful figures in Hampton County, South Carolina. But after his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, were shot dead, things began to unravel for the high-profile lawyer, and he has since been convicted of double murder and faces trial for an additional 100 state crime charges.
The Netflix series examines the case in detail and has true crime fans hooked. And much like viewers want to know what happened to Joanne Hayes following a docuseries about the Kerry babies case, where fraudulent doctor Paolo Macchiarini is now and where Arne Cheyenne Johnson is after the chilling The Devil On Trial, now the same questions are being asked of Alex Murdaugh. Here's what we know about where he is now...
Where is Alex Murdaugh now?
In March 2023, Murdaugh was moved into protective custody in a maximum-security prison in an undisclosed location, after being found guilty of murder in the deaths of his wife Margaret and son Paul.
After three hours of deliberation, the jury found Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was punished with the maximum two consecutive life sentences for the killings and taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution while it was determined which maximum security prison he would be sent to.
In September 2023, Murdaugh filed an appeal against his conviction, alleging jury tampering during his trial. His attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian say Rebecca Hill, a county clerk, pressured jurors to reach "a quick verdict" and told the panel "not to be fooled" by Murdaugh's testimony.
"Ms Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial," the defence team said.
In July, Rebecca Hill published Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.
What did Alex Murdaugh do?
Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul, who had been found dead in June 2021 at the kennels of their family's hunting lodge.
Murdaugh claimed he had discovered their bodies, calling 911 in tears. He told the operator he had returned home from visiting his elderly mother and father to find his wife and son shot dead.
In the audio heard in the documentary, Murdaugh tells the operator "It's bad" and "My wife and child have been shot badly".
No arrests were initially made, no suspects were identified and no charges were brought over the killings for 13 months. But Alex Murdaugh was eventually charged in July 2022, and found guilty a month after season one of Murdaugh Murders premiered on Netflix.
Murdaugh has also had a total of 99 charges of financial crimes including fraud, tax evasion and money laundering brought against him. In September 2023, Murdaugh and his legal team offered a guilty plea to 22 federal crime charges.
"I want to take responsibility," he said. "I want my son to see me take responsibility. It is my hope that by taking responsibility, that the people that I've hurt can begin to heal."
He will stand trial for an additional 100 state crime charges in November.
Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his family?
The prosecution put forward the theory that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son because his life was spiralling out of control - there were rumours his marriage was falling apart, he was suffering with an opioid addiction and his theft of millions of dollars was about to be revealed.
The double murder set off a chain of events that added further intrigue to the case, including a botched murder-for-hire plot and the opening of a criminal investigation into the death of a longtime Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, per NBC News.
As well as facing allegations of murdering his wife and son, Alex Murdaugh was accused of conspiring to pay a former client, Curtis Edward Smith, to shoot him dead so that his other son, Buster, would be able to claim life insurance money.
In May 2023, he admitted to lying death of his family’s longtime housekeeper in 2018. At the time, Murdaugh claimed that she had tripped over the family’s dogs and hit her head, but he later came clean and admitted that he "invented" the story that Satterfield tripped over the dogs – claiming he did so in order to ensure the life insurance company paid up.
The court filings do not reveal what truly happened to Satterfield that day or why she was at the home if she wasn’t there to work.
Alex Murdaugh has not admitted guilt in the deaths of Maggie and Paul, so we may never know the reason why they were killed.
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