Narrator: In this "American "Greed" special...
This is such a wild story... The unsolved double murder
of a prominent attorney's wife and son is making new headlines.
An unprecedented tale of small-town power...
Bauerlein: If you had a problem, they can make it go away,
but then, you owed them.
Narrator: and big-time greed.
Alex preyed on his victims who were his clients.
They were right in front of him.
Narrator: For a century, the Murdaughs,
a powerful family of lawyers and prosecutors,
hold a tight grip over a large swath of South Carolina.
You didn't want to be on the other end
of what they were working on.
Narrator: But behind the aura of respectability,
prosecutors say Alex Murdaugh is hiding
a trove of devious schemes worth nearly $20 million.
Have you ever heard of a case where the defendant
and the plaintiff's lawyer get together
and say, "We're going to take all the money"?
Newscaster: Prosecutors say his crimes extended to an eight-year money
laundering and painkiller ring.
Narrator: For years, Murdaugh seems untouchable.
But when tragedy strikes...
[ Vehicle crashes ]
Narrator: his alleged crimes come out of the dark...
He never looked like the type of person
that would do something of this nature.
Narrator: and into the light.
Newscaster: It's yet another twist in a stunning series of events
devastating the well-known family.
Narrator: And the once powerful attorney finds himself linked to death...
Narrator: after death...
[ Gunshot ]
Narrator: Now, Murdaugh's victims and those who face off with him
in court take "American Greed" inside the story
that's almost impossible to believe.
Bland: This is a John Grisham work of nonfiction.
You cannot make any of this up.
Because it's all true.
♪♪
Narrator: In the early morning hours, in the misty winter dark,
security cameras roll
as 19-year-old Paul Murdaugh emerges from a boat,
saddles up to a bar, and quickly downs two shots.
The son of Alex Murdaugh,
a prominent attorney from a powerful legal dynasty
based in Hampton, South Carolina,
Paul is used to getting and doing whatever he wants.
Bauerlein: Well, the Murdaugh family is just a legendary name
in that part of the world for a hundred years,
and essentially were the power brokers not just in Hampton,
but in the region for a very, very, very long time.
Narrator: After swaggering out of the bar,
Paul is seen arguing with some of the five friends
who've joined him for this night out on the water
in his father's boat.
To other members of the party,
the gravity of the moment seems unclear.
Bauerlein: You see Mallory and Anthony, her boyfriend,
you know, laughing, holding hands.
It's very poignant 'cause
it almost gives me chills to think about
because you know you're watching the last moments
of this young woman's life.
It's tough to watch, honestly.
Narrator: When authorities arrive, the missing girl's boyfriend,
Anthony Cook, lets them know how unlikely it is that Paul...
Or any Murdaugh...
Will ever face justice in this deadly incident.
Narrator: Alex Murdaugh may seem above the law to people who know him,
but the death on his boat begins to shine a light on his family
that could bring him down.
Bamberg: I can see him sitting there and the walls start closing in
because now he and his entire family
was under a level of scrutiny that they had never,
never experienced in the life of that family.
Narrator: In the months that follow his son's boat crash,
an unprecedented tale of power and greed will be revealed.
It's got family drama.
It's biblical. It's Shakespearean.
It's just everything.
♪♪
Narrator: Even the setting
of the Murdaugh's real-life Southern gothic tale
feels like something out of a novel.
McCulloch: Well, Hampton County is in what we call the Lowcountry.
It is a different world in a very real sense.
It's almost a trip back in time to Mayberry.
Harris: The biggest building is
Alex Murdaugh's old law firm.
Bauerlein: Everyone knows what the firm is.
For many years, there was never a sign out in front,
and guess what? There's still not.
Narrator: It's not necessary.
For almost nine decades, three generations of Murdaughs
served as prosecutors, also known as solicitors,
over Hampton and four surrounding counties.
The job makes them the main power brokers in the area.
Justin Bamberg is an attorney who will represent
many of Alex Murdaugh's alleged victims.
Bamberg: You didn't want to be on
the other end of what they were working on or what they wanted.
You know, I mean they've run
the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office
for a hundred years, tapped in, tied in.
That's law enforcement.
That's EMS.
That's all the people who could make your life difficult.
Narrator: It's a type of power that comes in handy
at the personal injury law firm the Murdaughs
run in tandem with the solicitor's office.
Valerie Bauerlein is a "Wall Street Journal"
reporter now writing a book about the Murdaugh family.
Bauerlein: The solicitor gets to decide who gets prosecuted for a case.
If you had a problem or a run-in with the law
and you went to the Murdaugh firm,
they can make it go away sometimes,
but then, you owed them.
Narrator: According to attorney Justin Bamberg,
the ability to decide how
and when the law is enforced as solicitors
gives the Murdaughs a leg up at their private law firm
when they try a case before a local jury.
Bamberg: What do you think people are going to do?
You go to pick your jury
and there's the mother of this boy
who the solicitor's office could have dropped the hammer on
and didn't because Solicitor Murdaugh looked out.
Well, people are going to pay it forward.
The cases came to the Murdaugh law firm
because if you had a personal injury lawsuit,
you were going to win
and you were probably going to win more money
than you would anywhere else.
A case in Richland County that would settle for $500,000
could just as easily settle here for $5 to $10 million dollars.
Narrator: Alex Murdaugh is born into this dynasty of wealth
and influence in 1968.
When he becomes a lawyer in 1994,
Murdaugh uses his gift of gab, and his powerful name,
to build his own book of clients.
Joe McCulloch will later file suit against Alex Murdaugh.
He was a lawyer who based on his reputation
and the family's strength of reputation
probably enabled him to settle many, many cases
without ever the fear of having to try the case.
Narrator: According to an archived version of his firm's website,
Murdaugh's practice focuses on personal injury law,
where he purports to help clients
injured or killed in accidents or by defective products.
All of these clients are in terrible need of an experienced
advocate to fight for them.
It's absolutely the lowest point for most of these folks' lives.
And he's just that regular run-of-the-mill
country white guy from around here.
"Hey, bo, I'm going to take care of you.
You hear?
You don't have anything to worry about.
I promise you. I got you."
Narrator: Among the clients who turn to Alex Murdaugh for help
is the family of Hakeem Pinckney.
A young deaf man, Pinckney's life is upended
in a horrific car accident in 2009
that also involves his mother, Pamela.
Pinckney: Hakeem had got thrown out on his head,
so he ended up having spinal cord injury from that.
They operated on him.
He became a quadriplegic.
He ended up in a facility in Augusta, Georgia
on a ventilator.
Narrator: Pamela Pinckney says a friend refers her to a lawyer
who kindly meets her at the hospital
where she too is recovering.
It's Alex Murdaugh.
Pinckney: He looked all of us dead in our eyes and our face
and told us that we don't have anything to worry about.
He said he's our attorney and that he have our best interests.
He would never do anything to hurt us
and he's like family to us.
I just took his word as his bond.
That's what I did.
Narrator: Like many in the Hampton area,
Pinckney thinks the Murdaugh name
is one that can be trusted.
And who could blame her?
After all, the family has been "the law" here
for nearly a century.
But, as the saying goes, absolute power
corrupts absolutely.
Alex's clients were never his best interest.
His best interest was always his pocket.
Narrator: Up next,
the depths of Alex Murdaugh's alleged fraud revealed.
If you have a criminal mind,
that's a bank sitting right in front of you.
Narrator: And later...
the tragic crash that threatens
to topple the Murdaugh dynasty forever.
♪♪
Narrator: In the Lowcountry of South Carolina,
attorney Alex Murdaugh has all the trappings of wealth
and success that his well-known last name implies.
It's all on display on his wife, Maggie's, Facebook page.
There, pictures show her husband
standing outside a private plane,
attending black-tie affairs in New York,
sitting courtside at University of South Carolina
basketball games,
and vacationing with his whole happy family.
There are also shots of the Murdaugh clan
riding around in a variety of boats
and other toys at the family's home
and hunting property, Moselle.
Bauerlein: Moselle is 1,700 acres.
That's 20 minutes from town practically.
A lot of hunting, really good hunting property out there.
Narrator: Murdaugh is an avid hunter,
and it's here, in the sprawling woods,
that he entertains friends and associates.
But behind his lordly existence, prosecutors say Murdaugh
is using his family's powerful legal legacy
to lure in trusting clients
so he can rob them blind.
After the Pinckney family's horrific car crash in 2009,
they turn to Murdaugh,
believing he will work to get them what they deserve.
Then, in October 2011, Hakeem Pinckney,
just 21, dies in a nursing home.
That was...
It was like someone just ripping my heart out of my body.
Narrator: While Pinckney is left to bury her son,
prosecutors say Murdaugh senses opportunity,
helping the family sue a tire company
whose faulty product allegedly caused the crash.
A tread separated from around the tire
and that was the nature of us having the accident.
Narrator: Prosecutors say in an indictment
that the Pinckneys receive a multimillion dollar settlement
from the tire manufacturer.
It progressed very fast.
It settled out of court.
We didn't even go to court.
Narrator: The Pinckneys get some of their money,
and Murdaugh collects hefty fees for representing them.
But prosecutors say he wants more.
Two months after Hakeem Pinckney's death,
prosecutors say he begins working with Russell Lafitte,
an executive at a local bank, to skim from the family.
These two old friends then allegedly use a large chunk
of the Pinckneys' settlement
as their own personal slush fund.
The bank has not been implicated in any criminal wrongdoing,
and neither its legal representative nor Lafitte,
who has pled not guilty to state and federal charges,
responded to "American Greed's" request for comment.
But Bamberg says he knows exactly what Murdaugh
and the banker were up to.
This is money that was intended to compensate people
who had lived through one of the most traumatic experiences,
if not the most traumatic experience,
most people can imagine.
And their money got taken.
And the people involved
didn't care one way about a brokenhearted mother
or the memory of a deaf quadriplegic young man.
Indictments say Murdaugh is just getting started
in a years-long scheme to steal from his suffering clients.
Alex Murdaugh was strategic.
He picked people who wouldn't question him.
He picked people who were trusting.
And he picked minorities.
One was a long-time friend of the family.
He had a state trooper that came to him for help,
that he allegedly took money from.
Narrator: Murdaugh allegedly hides his theft by telling clients
that their settlement amount is less than it actually is,
that he can't disburse their money
until their litigation is completed,
and that their money is being used to pay for medical bills,
private investigators, and accident reconstructions.
No one seems to question him.
Alex preyed on his victims who were his clients.
They were right in front of him.
And there's millions of dollars that come his way every year,
and if you have a criminal mind,
that's a bank sitting right in front of you.
Narrator: According to the South Carolina Supreme Court,
Murdaugh has admitted to stealing millions from clients
and his own law firm.
With no one keeping tabs on the lawyer
whose last name stands for the law in the Lowcountry,
prosecutors say Murdaugh's crimes go on for years.
Harris: It's hard to believe that this guy, the arrogance...
To think that he wasn't going to get caught,
that he just continued to do it over and over again.
But then you're like, "How could he not think
he was gonna get away with it?"
Narrator: Up next...
a sudden death at Murdaugh's house...
Narrator: and the lawyer gets away with his biggest score yet.
You know, often times, somebody steals with a pen,
it's just as dangerous as somebody who steals with a gun.
♪♪
Narrator: For years, Alex Murdaugh has been living high on the hog
thanks to his alleged theft from suffering clients
who turn to him at the lowest points in their lives.
Like plenty of people of wealth and privilege,
Murdaugh is too busy for some jobs.
Out at Moselle, the family's 1,700-acre hunting estate,
he employs a woman named Gloria Satterfield
to work for his family as a nanny and housekeeper.
Her sons... Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott...
Say taking care of others is what she does best.
Loving, kind, you know, comforting, protective mother.
Narrator: The love she shows her own children is said to extend
to Murdaugh, his wife, Maggie, and their two boys,
Paul, on the left, and Buster, on the right.
Hadwin: You know, she took pride in what she done,
and she wasn't just a housekeeper.
She was more than that. She was family.
She did for Alex's sons, Buster and Paul, like they were hers.
Narrator: But after years on the job,
on February 2, 2018,
at the brick steps leading into the house
at the Murdaughs' rural estate, tragedy strikes.
[ Line ringing ]
Narrator: Three weeks after her accident at the Murdaugh home,
Satterfield's life comes to an end.
That day, when I went to leave her,
I told her I loved her and "I'll see you tomorrow",
and that's when she said, "I love you too" and that was it.
That's the last words we had.
Narrator: For the family, it's an unimaginable tragedy.
But prosecutors and others allege that Murdaugh knows
how to find the silver lining.
Eric Bland will later represent Satterfield's sons.
And Alex is such a devious person,
such an evil-minded person
that he thinks in ways that normal people don't think.
And so, from the start, I believe that he saw this
as a financial avenue for him to be able to recover money.
Narrator: Murdaugh's devious scheme to steal from the Satterfields
begins when he does something most lawyers would never do.
He openly accepts blame for his employee's death
by saying his dogs caused her fall.
Hadwin: He just said that the dogs tripped her up,
and that's all we knew,
and if anyone questioned us, just to tell them
that they could talk to him.
Narrator: The Satterfield family says that after admitting fault,
Murdaugh tells them he wants to make things right financially.
The lawyer has a big insurance policy,
and he tells the family he wants to help them
file a claim against him
so they can collect whatever settlement might come.
He's like, "Hey, you know, I know she's going to have
some medical bills and stuff, you know,
so let me try to help you out with that."
Narrator: But prosecutors say Murdaugh is more interested
in helping himself to the insurance proceeds.
To do so, he knows he can't represent the boys
and go after his own insurer.
He needs to set them up with a lawyer, one who he can trust.
He was like, "You know, I can't represent you through myself
'cause it would be like a conflict of interest,
so, you know, I'm going to send you to my buddy in Beaufort,
you know, Cory Fleming."
Narrator: Cory Fleming's LinkedIn profile
says he once worked for Murdaugh's father,
and there's plenty Murdaugh doesn't reveal
about the depth of their friendship.
He didn't tell them that he grew up with Cory,
that they went to college together,
that Cory was the godfather of Paul, his son.
Narrator: According to a lawsuit,
once Fleming begins to "represent" the Satterfields,
he asks Murdaugh's insurer to pay up,
and Murdaugh leans on the company to make sure they do.
Bland: Alex said to his insurance company,
"If you don't settle within the policy limits,
this case is going to go to trial.
I'm going to be before my jurors and I'm going to stand up
and tell them it's my fault,
my responsibility for Gloria's death."
Narrator: As the insurer gets closer to writing a big check,
Murdaugh knows he can only pocket the money
if the boys never learn that there's been a payout.
Tony is then serving as personal representative -
or PR... For his mother's estate.
The job means he'll approve any settlement
that Murdaugh's insurer offers.
As the insurance payment gets closer,
Murdaugh asks a local banker named Chad Westendorf
to take over the position.
Man: Today is February 22, 2022.
The time is approximately...
Narrator: As Westendorf will later make clear in a video deposition,
his only qualification seems to be his friendship with Murdaugh.
Man: What made you more qualified to be PR than Tony?
I don't know.
Man: Okay. What was your job?
As PR, tell me what you were supposed to do.
I don't know.
Narrator: Westendorf has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing
and did not respond to "American Greed's" request for comment.
But once he's been put in place,
the Satterfield boys are left completely in the dark.
Man: How many times did you meet with Tony Satterfield
and Brian Harriott?
I didn't.
How many times did you ever speak to Tony or Brian?
I didn't.
How many documents did you send to Tony
and Brian in connection with the work
that you did as personal representative of the estate
of Gloria Satterfield?
None.
Narrator: Now, Murdaugh can really get to work.
According to Eric Bland,
the day after Westendorf is appointed as the new PR,
the banker asks a judge to approve a settlement
from Murdaugh's insurer to Tony and Brian
for a half-million dollars.
But prosecutors say Murdaugh
and Fleming keep the money for themselves.
You know, you have serial gunslingers.
You have serial killers.
He's just a serial pen-slinger, and, you know,
oftentimes, somebody steals with a pen,
it's just as dangerous as somebody who steals with a gun.
Narrator: Up next,
the devious scheme prosecutors
say Alex Murdaugh concocts to hide his thefts
and the client who's allegedly left to suffer.
And Alex watched Brian Harriott get pushed out on the street
while he's sitting on his money.
♪♪
Narrator: To get his hands on a half-million dollar settlement
belonging to the Satterfield boys,
attorney Alex Murdaugh can't just write himself checks.
That would be too obvious.
He needs a way to move their funds
to himself that looks legit.
In personal injury cases with payouts,
lawyers sometimes help their clients set up
what's called a structured settlement,
A fund that will pay out chunks of money over time
instead of delivering it all at once.
And the leading provider of that service
in this part of the world is Forge Consulting.
And they have a big office in Columbia, the capital.
Bamberg: Forge Consulting, the real Forge,
is a 150,000% valid company.
Alex figured out a way
to take advantage of the good name of Forge Consulting
by creating his own personal accounts in the name of Forge,
which then allowed him to steal people's money.
Narrator: To do this, prosecutors say in multiple criminal indictments,
Murdaugh simply opens accounts at Bank of America
claiming he's doing business as "Forge."
The prosecutors say that he created this entity,
this bogus Forge, to hide money
and to make it look like he was sending
the settlement dollars to the place it was supposed to go.
Bland: There's a brilliance in its simplicity.
It's like he spent more time thinking about being a criminal
than just being a lawyer for his clients.
Narrator: In 2018, the Satterfields' lawyer, Murdaugh's friend,
Cory Fleming,
receives a $505,000 check from Murdaugh's insurer
for a settlement that's kept secret from Gloria's sons.
Fleming did not respond
to "American Greed's" request for comment
and has pled not guilty to charges
related to the theft from the Satterfields.
But prosecutors allege
that he passes most of the settlement money
he gets from Murdaugh's insurer right back to Murdaugh.
Bland: He wrote a check for $403,500 to Forge,
not the real Forge Consulting, but to Forge.
And that money was sent to a PO box
in an envelope without a cover letter.
Alex got that money,
and then he would endorse the check
or put for deposit only
and deposit that Forge check in a personal bank account.
And it never got to my clients.
That's the crime.
Narrator: And the boys?
What do they get?
Zero dollars.
Have you ever heard of a case where the defendant
and the plaintiff's lawyer get together
and say, "We're going to take all the money,
and none of it is going to go to the clients"?
Narrator: Prosecutors say Murdaugh concocts
the Forge scheme in 2015.
He allegedly uses it to disguise his thefts
from an injured state trooper, a family friend,
and others who have been hurt or killed in tragic circumstances.
In all, prosecutors allege in separate indictments,
Murdaugh steals more than $7 million
from more than a dozen clients between 2011 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Eric Bland says Murdaugh shows no remorse
about the way his alleged thefts effect his suffering victims.
Just so you know, just the darkness of Alex.
Brian Harriott, his mother and him
lived in a mobile home that was financed by a bank.
After Gloria died, there was no money to pay the mobile home.
And the bank foreclosed on it.
And Brian was pushed out on the street.
When my mom died, the trailer wasn't finished, you know?
My mom wasn't finished buying it and other than my uncles
and aunts I had nowhere to go, nothing to drive.
I mean, no job.
Alex was aware of that,
and Alex watched Brian Harriott get pushed out on the street
while he's sitting on his money.
Narrator: That seems of little concern to Murdaugh,
who keeps living the good life.
For now.
Narrator: Coming up,
tragedy strikes...
and Murdaugh has every reason to fear.
He's savvy. He knows that.
And he knows he's got a lot to hide.
Narrator: Want more greed?
Follow us on Instagram, connect on Facebook,
and listen to the "American Greed" podcast
wherever you get your podcasts.
We'll be right back.
♪♪
Narrator: For a century, the Murdaugh clan has ruled a section
of South Carolina's Lowcountry.
In recent years, Alex Murdaugh has allegedly been using
the respectability that comes with his last name
to steal from clients who turn to him
during the darkest chapters of their lives.
But an event occurs in 2019
that will eventually lead to Murdaugh's total unraveling.
On a chilly evening, Murdaugh's son, Paul,
and five of his friends take to the water in his father's boat.
Joe McCulloch represents Connor Cook,
one of the young men on the boat with Paul that night.
The plan, I think, was to enjoy an afternoon
and evening on the Murdaugh boat,
which was not an unusual occurrence.
Narrator: At the helm is Paul Murdaugh, who is just 19.
Patrick Carr represents Anthony Cook,
who was also on the boat with his girlfriend, Mallory Beach.
Paul, because of his family's generational wealth and success,
you know, he had access to a lot of toys and things that,
ah, perhaps other youth in Hampton County did not have.
Narrator: According to multiple lawsuits,
that night, Paul has access not only to the family boat,
but to his older brother, Buster's, ID
and to his mother's credit card,
which he uses to purchase alcohol.
After attending an oyster roast on an island,
the night continues with more drinking for Paul
and his best friend, Connor Cook.
Bauerlein: So they docked the boat,
and then Connor and Paul went to a bar.
And the bartender has said, you know, they had two shots
each, Jägerbombs and lemon drops
and were in and out of the bar in a matter of minutes.
Narrator: After they leave, security camera footage shows them
as they meet up with Paul's girlfriend, Morgan Doughty,
Connor's girlfriend, Miley Altman,
and another couple, Anthony Cook and Mallory Beach.
According to depositions, back on the boat,
things take a dark turn.
Harris: I don't think that a group of 19-year-olds
going out on a boat and drinking is that unusual, unfortunately.
It became ugly, though,
when Paul crossed over to this other kind of crazy drunk,
mean drunk that he was known to be at times.
Narrator: Depositions and statements to police say
that on that chilly February night,
the young Murdaugh strips down to his boxer shorts,
does 360s in the boat,
and gets into a fight with his girlfriend
over his erratic driving.
Bauerlein: His girlfriend at the time, Morgan,
has said in court that he,
you know, he got in her face, he spit on her.
He slapped her.
He was very... All the kids said
he was very drunk and very obnoxious.
And the hospital records show that his blood alcohol level
was three times the legal limit here.
Narrator: In no fit state, the ill-fated boat ride continues.
Bauerlein: Well, you know, the waterways down there are...
It's a complicated place to boat,
so you really need to know what you're doing
to avoid going aground or striking something.
Narrator: Just after 2:00 AM, disaster strikes.
[ Boat crashes, screaming ]
Narrator: With Mallory Beach missing, police, search-and-rescue teams,
EMS, and firefighters rush to the scene.
Man: Okay.
Narrator: When police arrive, Mallory's boyfriend, Anthony,
makes it clear who he believes is to blame.
Carr: He's very distraught,
and he sees Paul being attended to
by other law enforcement officers.
Officer: Sit down. Sit down.
Officer: Sit down.
Sit down. Sit down.
Narrator: As angry as he sounds, cook goes on to tell officers
he thinks a Murdaugh will face few consequences.
He knew that Paul,
because of his family name and family connections,
perhaps would get a different treatment under the law
in terms of criminal prosecution than you or I would.
Narrator: When Paul and three other boat crash survivors
are taken to a hospital,
police records say Alex Murdaugh shows up with his father,
former solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III.
According to a witness statement,
Randolph Murdaugh tells his grandson, Paul,
to "shut the [bleep] up."
And witnesses at the hospital later tell investigators
that Alex Murdaugh appears to be on a clear mission to
"orchestrate everyone getting on the same page."
He knows the implications of
if Mallory Beach is not found and the worst comes to pass
and he knows the kids were on his boat.
And then you layer on, "Oh, my gosh,
if this is going to bring
a huge amount of scrutiny to our family,
he's savvy.
He knows that and he knows he's got a lot to hide.
♪♪
Narrator: Coming up,
the walls close in on Alex Murdaugh.
Bamberg: It had to cross his mind that,
"Man, this case is not going to resolve.
And people are going to dig into my finances."
♪♪
Narrator: For nearly a decade, Alex Murdaugh
has allegedly been ripping off clients unchecked.
But in 2019, a tragedy involving his son, Paul,
threatens to upend the scheme prosecutors
say he's been running for years.
A week after the Murdaugh boat slams into a bridge,
Mallory Beach's body is found in a marsh
a few miles from the crash site.
Newscaster: The coroner's office has scheduled an autopsy to confirm
and identify the cause of death.
Narrator: It's not long before the young woman's family files
a lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh,
claiming he should have known Paul
was purchasing alcohol illegally.
With plenty to hide, the revered attorney
has a lifetime of legal experience
letting him know this could spell trouble.
It had to cross his mind that,
"Man, this case is not going to resolve.
These people are out for everything that they should get,
and people are going to dig into my finances."
Narrator: According to prosecutors, inside Murdaugh's financial records
are a series of transactions
revealing a decade of alleged theft from clients.
But this is not the only pressure he faces.
In April 2019, the South Carolina attorney general
indicts Paul Murdaugh
on one count of boating under the influence,
or BUI, causing death, and two counts of BUI
causing great bodily injury.
People are beginning to ask questions about Murdaugh
and how his family uses their power to protect their own.
Davis: 20-year-old Paul Murdaugh will be in court
May 6th to face three charges,
all connected with the boating crash
that killed Mallory beach back on February 24th.
But the controversy for many
isn't just about the crash itself,
but why Murdaugh hasn't been booked into jail.
Narrator: Walking free, despite the felony charges he faces,
Paul pleads not guilty, and the Murdaughs
hire two of the best defense lawyers in South Carolina
to represent their son.
They don't come cheap.
On top of this expense, Alex Murdaugh's insurer,
Philadelphia Indemnity, also files suit in federal court,
saying they don't have to cover him
for his alleged liability in the boat crash.
It's around this time that prosecutors allege Murdaugh
kicks his thefts into high gear,
stealing money, they say, from both his clients
and the firm that bears his family name.
But due to the Mallory Beach lawsuit,
he can't stave off the inevitable.
There was a key hearing in the boat crash case
on June the 10th,
and it was a really a come-to-Jesus type hearing,
that Alex was in enormous pressure
to release his financials,
something that he'd been avoiding
and avoiding for many months.
Narrator: But the June 10th hearing will not occur.
[ Line ringing ]
[ Murdaugh crying ]
Narrator: On the next episode of this "American Greed" special...
With Alex Murdaugh's alleged fraud
in danger of being revealed, his hunting estate
becomes the site of a gruesome double murder.
It makes everybody wonder what's next,
what's going on here?
Narrator: His life in tatters, Murdaugh admits to a greedy new scheme
involving his own bizarre roadside shooting.
As scrutiny builds,
investigators link the Murdaughs to new cases...
I believe he was killed somewhere else and his body
was planted there.
Narrator: and take a closer look at past frauds...
They said that Gloria died of natural causes,
and I'm just telling you a fall down the stairs
is not a natural cause.
Narrator: and attempt to bring Alex Murdaugh to justice.
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Captions by VITAC...
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