South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who found the bodies of his wife and son three months ago, turned himself in to law enforcement Thursday after police obtained an arrest warrant to charge him with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, his lawyer said.
And in a separate development, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has opened a criminal investigation into the death of Murdaugh’s former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, who died in 2018 after a slip-and-fall “accident” at one of the Murdaugh homes. An autopsy was never conducted in the case, according to several reports citing a statement by Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper.
Murdaugh left an out-of-state drug rehabilitation clinic Thursday and voluntarily surrendered in Hampton, according to his lawyer Jim Griffin.
A defense attorney said Murdaugh was deeply depressed with a drug addiction worsened by his discovery of the bodies of his wife and son, who were shot multiple times at the family’s home on June 7. Those killings remain unsolved.
The three felony charges against Murdaugh, 53, include insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. He arrived at the Hampton County jail about five hours before his bond hearing. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of all charges, but there is no minimum sentence.
Griffin said they learned Wednesday that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division obtained a warrant for Murdaugh’s arrest.
“The arraignment and bond hearing will be held at 4 p.m. at the Hampton County Magistrate Court,” Griffin said.
Murdaugh’s lawyer did not disclose which drug treatment facility Murdaugh was staying in.
On Tuesday, SLED accused a Walterboro man with assisting in a suicide plot to shoot Murdaugh on Sept. 4 in Hampton County, in order for Murdaugh’s surviving son to collect a $10 million life insurance policy.
The man, Curtis Edward Smith, is a former client of Murdaugh’s from a 2010 personal injury lawsuit.
SLED accused Murdaugh of conspiring with Smith, calling him a “co-defendant.”
Although Murdaugh’s former Hampton County law firm has alleged he stole substantial amounts of money from the firm, no criminal charges have been placed against Murdaugh in that case.
SLED said it is investigating the accusations of Murdaugh taking funds from the firm.
News of Smith’s arrest shocked South Carolinians as details of the alleged scheme emerged. This was the first arrest in over three months after SLED began investigating the murders of Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son on June 7.
Murdaugh’s surrender culminates a tumultuous 36 hours for a man whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all elected prosecutors in the area. A giant law firm in town was founded by his family more than a century ago.
“He didn’t want law enforcement spending more time on this fake crime instead of focusing on solving the murders of Maggie and Paul,” attorney Dick Harpootlian told the “Today” show on Wednesday.
SLED has not indicated Smith’s arrest is related to the murders, and Murdaugh has maintained his innocence.
ArLuther Lee contributed to this report for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Information provided by The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.
About the Author
