Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, 54, is standing trial for the murders of his wife and son, a case that has exposed years of fraudulent behavior and spurred investigations into three other deaths. Here’s everything you need to know about the “Murdaugh murders.”

Who is the Murdaugh family, and why were they so powerful?

The Murdaugh family held a decades-long dynasty as the district attorneys for five counties in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Randolph Murdaugh Sr. founded his private law firm in Hampton County in 1910 and was elected as a solicitor, South Carolina’s equivalent of a prosecutor, for the state’s 14th Circuit Court in 1920. He served in the role for two decades until he was killed in a train collision, The New York Times reported. He was succeeded by his son Randolph Murdaugh Jr., known as Buster, who took over the role for 46 years. Once Buster Murdaugh retired, his son Randolph Murdaugh III was elected and served until 2006. For 86 consecutive years, between 1920 and 2006, the Murdaughs mainly ran unopposed for the solicitor position, the longest such family legacy in the U.S., per a Vox report.

“They were powerful,” Suzy Murdaugh, a relative, told The Guardian in 2021. “They own the country. If you went to court, you won. Didn’t matter what it was. Don’t think Alex, his father Buster, or his grandfather ever lost a case. He told the judge what to do.”

Randolph III’s sons, Randolph IV and Alex, continued the legacy by becoming lawyers for the family’s personal injury firm. They did not serve as solicitors but volunteered as prosecutors while running the family firm, formerly known as Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED). Alex was eventually fired from his position as a volunteer prosecutor, but he remained a well-known attorney throughout the region due to his family’s legacy. He lived on a 1,772-acre estate known as Moselle with his wife Margaret, or Maggie, and their sons Buster and Paul.  

What are the Murdaugh murders?

On June 7, 2021, a little after 10 pm, Alex made a 911 call reporting that his wife and youngest son had been shot at their estate. In the audio, Alex emotionally explained that he returned home to find the bodies of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, “out at my kennel.” Authorities discovered multiple shell casings on the scene, and the country coroner later revealed both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, per NBC News.

Paul was awaiting trial on charges related to a 2019 boat crash accident at the time of his death. He was out on bail after being charged with allegedly drunkenly crashing his father’s boat, leading to the death of one passenger, 19-year-old Mallory Beach, and seriously injuring two others. Paul pled not guilty to multiple felony BUI charges. Beach’s family also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Alex and pressured him to release information about his finances. The Times reports that a hearing related to the matter was scheduled for three days after Paul was killed.

Weeks after Paul’s death, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced that it would be reopening another unsolved case from 2015, the death of Stephen Smith, “based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.” Smith’s body was found on a rural road in Hampton, S.C., and his death was officially deemed a hit-and-run. No arrests had been made in the case, and authorities haven’t charged anyone in the Murdaugh family with any wrongdoing. Police have not released any details of what triggered the renewed investigation or how it relates to the Murdaughs, per the Times.

The Murdaugh family’s woes did not end there. In Sept. 2021, Alex claimed a stranger shot him while he was pulled over on the road. He subsequently released a statement announcing that he was resigning from his firm and entering rehab for opioid addiction, CNN reports. In a statement, the law firm said he left “after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies.” Alex eventually admitted that he asked his cousin to shoot him so his son Buster, 22, could collect a $10 million insurance payout and was charged with insurance fraud. He and his alleged accomplice were promptly arrested. 

SLED also announced it would be opening a criminal investigation into additional fraud allegations related to the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield, a housekeeper for the Murdaugh family, and the handling of her estate. Murdaugh later admitted that he owed her sons a $4.3 million settlement from a wrongful death suit he helped them file against him and his insurers “that was supposed to send about $2.8 million” to Satterfield’s sons, the Times reports. The sons said they never saw that money.

The investigation into Murdaugh’s finances led to a total of 71 charges linked to accusations he embezzled nearly $8.5 million from numerous victims in various fraud schemes. Alex was also indicted in July 2022 on two counts of murder and possession of a weapon for the deaths of his wife and son. 

When is Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial?

Jury selection for Murdaugh’s trial for the murder of his wife and son began Jan. 23, 2023, in South Carolina’s 14th Circuit court, where his family once held prosecutorial power. Prosecutors allege that Murdaugh killed his family to gain sympathy and divert attention away from the pending motion in the Beach wrongful death lawsuit that would have exposed “years of substantial debts and illicit financial crimes,” The Associated Press reported. The state also revealed that a Snapchat video sent by Paul on the night of the murders might provide critical evidence for its case. The presiding judge has ordered subpoenas for representatives from Snapchat and Google to testify about the evidence on electronic devices. Prosecutors expect the trial to last until Feb. 10.