SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #13

[Seattle1]

I asked myself if PM was shot first and AM did say what I and some others say they heard, what was AM referring to about Him getting involved?

^^rsbm

Perhaps the interpretation of AM's post-shooting words spoken to his son are off somewhat.

Personally, I'm more inclined to think AM was lamenting why PM had to crash the boat and add to dad's problems.

In other words, if not for the boat crash, dad wouldn't have had to take such drastic action. MOO

ETA: On 7/22/2021 -- FitNews youtube uploaded what they are referencing as the "full 911 call" but I've never heard any discernible commentary by AM in any release of the 911 call by FitNews or others. Gray Hughes Investigates is good at cleaning up static/echoes from 911 calls but I've never followed up to see if he did anything with this 911 call by AM.

 

[Seattle1]

Do you think AM has it in him to admit to his crimes and tell all? Does he even realize he is never getting out of prison?

^^BBM

We had this very conversation at brunch today!

Listening to the SC state trooper/former client of AM that was called as a witness by the prosecution in support of AM NOT being granted bond release, he tells how remarkably likable AM is and to this day, despite stealing all of his settlement, he thought AM was very kind to him and he's still fond of him.

IMO, this testimony is a great example of why AM is a very dangerous character -- his psychopathy was greatly nurtured during development!

I don't think AM will ever publicly confess but instead will keep busy preparing his next environment in advance. AM has no intention of being anything other than an alpha male in prison! MOO

 

[girlhasnoname]

Link to my statement in previous post.



“She is the victim, having lost her son, being part of the slaughter at the farm, and [having] her world turned upside down,” one woman who claimed to know Maggie told The Post. “Have [people] ever thought of the terror she faced that night being dragged through the dark to the dog kennels to see the carnage?”

Murdaugh mystery deepens as murder cold case with ties to family reopens

The mother of a young South Carolina man — whose mysterious 2015 death is being newly investigated in the wake of the June 7 double murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh — said she’s suspicious…

nypost.com

ETA

I asked myself if PM was shot first and AM did say what I and some others say they heard, what was AM referring to about Him getting involved?

I believe PM's involvement was primarily the boat crash and the upcoming criminal trial and liability, but if the rumors of drugs, money laundering, etc. maybe PM somehow got into that side of things. IDK

One has to consider that unless a father was absolutely intent of killing his son also, he would of abandoned the plan at all costs once PM was at the scene. It's not like 'ooopsie, I just shot and killed your Mom, now that you're here, I guess I'm going to have to kill you too.' (sarcasm )

I've thought from day 1 AM did it, on purpose, and with malice aforethought, as charged. MM and PM were the $$$$$ anchors around drowning AM's neck. He is without conscience and I believe SLED has irrefutable proof of what happened.

Maybe ole' DH can rush the DP execution by firing squad option through the legislature before this goes to trial. It'd be ironic justice in this case.


MOO

 

[girlhasnoname]

^^BBM

We had this very conversation at brunch today!

Listening to the SC state trooper/former client of AM that was called as a witness by the prosecution in support of AM NOT being granted bond release, he tells how remarkably likable AM is and to this day, despite stealing all of his settlement, he thought AM was very kind to him and he's still fond of him.

IMO, this testimony is a great example of why AM is a very dangerous character -- his psychopathy was greatly nurtured during development!

I don't think AM will ever publicly confess but instead will keep busy preparing his next environment in advance. AM has no intention of being anything other than an alpha male in prison! MOO

We were probably typing our responses about the same time. Yes, AM is on the outside a truly, good ole' boy, likable, friendly, seemingly genuine, do anything to help a fella out kind of guy. Even after all the stuff that's come out, I'd guess there are still a few AM supporters out there.

And you're exactly right, this is what makes him the most dangerous kind of criminal. I think there's a shot at AM going for a deal if the State seeks the DP. Surely he can't want all of the incriminating information out there for BM, MM's family and the rest of his family??!! But then again, we're talking about AM.

MOO

 

[MassGuy]

Link to my statement in previous post.



“She is the victim, having lost her son, being part of the slaughter at the farm, and [having] her world turned upside down,” one woman who claimed to know Maggie told The Post. “Have [people] ever thought of the terror she faced that night being dragged through the dark to the dog kennels to see the carnage?”

Murdaugh mystery deepens as murder cold case with ties to family reopens

The mother of a young South Carolina man — whose mysterious 2015 death is being newly investigated in the wake of the June 7 double murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh — said she’s suspicious…

nypost.com

ETA

I asked myself if PM was shot first and AM did say what I and some others say they heard, what was AM referring to about Him getting involved?

Yeah, I view that as an uninformed opinion as to what happened. SLED played this close to the vest, so there's little chance she could have known that scenario occurred.

Besides that, it makes absolutely no sense. Alex wasn't killing to get some sadistic thrill, rather, he was killing for a purpose (to preserve his way of life).

I believe both were killed where they stood.

 

[Seattle1]

I believe PM's involvement was primarily the boat crash and the upcoming criminal trial and liability, but if the rumors of drugs, money laundering, etc. maybe PM somehow got into that side of things. IDK

^^rsbm

I don't doubt that AM previously pulled favors to make offenses by PM go away but to my knowledge, PM had no other official actions against him other than the criminal and civil actions related to the boat crash.

I'm not aware of any rumblings that the grand jury was investigating PM for the rumors OP cites -- even after depositions for the pending civil and criminal trials.

(May 2019, PM pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges, and no trial date had yet been set).

Unlike MM, I think AM was being honest with himself that there'd be no rabbit pulled out of a hat to save PM from the boat crash charges that caused the death of a young, beautiful, and popular local girl young. He knew that PM went too far this time and jurors would not be kind and/or forgiving here.

As to liability, we know that a civil judgment is only as good as the paper it's written on.

In other words, the court granting a $10M Wrongful Death Award to the plaintiffs is not the equivalent of collecting a $10M award -- think OJ Simpson. Especially given the Millions $$$$$ in growing claims against AM.

At the time of PM's murder (i.e., before the AM house of cards crumbled), IMO, AM recognized the reality of not being able to publically fight a wrongful death claim/award without severely impacting his standing in the community. Taking PM out of the picture would not make the claim or liability go away but could probably mitigate the damages.

Sadly, I think in his own mind, AM actually believed he was doing PM a favor by ending his life. MOO

From a Shocking Murder to a Botched Assisted Suicide: Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Case

Since the wife and son of a prominent South Carolina legal family were murdered in June 2021, the case has taken shocking twists and turns.

people.com

ETA:
Mallory Beach's mother has since amended the wrongful death claim a couple of times -- both eliminating and adding defendants, and even though some of the latest claims will likely be dismissed, the damage and stain would already have been done. MOO

 

[worm]

@Seattle1, I feel like the plan on the boat crash was to kick the can down the road and wait on the right judge, since these circuit judges hold court around the state, and PM to get a plea deal. Maybe some local jail time, “weekend time”, Of which I’m a graduate, or lengthy house arrest.

 

[Seattle1]

@Seattle1, I feel like the plan on the boat crash was to kick the can down the road and wait on the right judge, since these circuit judges hold court around the state, and PM to get a plea deal. Maybe some local jail time, “weekend time”, Of which I’m a graduate, or lengthy house arrest.

Thanks for your response @worm. If not for the death of MB, I'd agree 100%.

Facing three felony counts, if convicted, PM was facing up to 25 years in prison.

However, IMO, even with a plea agreement, and a lesser sentence at the discretion of the Judge, I don't think PM would have been able to avoid a felony conviction.

I think it would be impossible for the jurors not to recognize the victim was one of them:

On the boat that night with Paul Murdaugh, was his girlfriend Morgan Doughty, along with Connor Cook, Miley Altman, Anthony Cook and Mallory Beach.

“These are kids who grew up together. They played together as kids, they hunted and fished together, at least the males in the group. And they went out on boats all the time for fun,” said Connor Cook’s attorney Joe McCullough.

Generally, a felony conviction would also have prevented PM from ever possessing a firearm or ammunition, holding a law license (or other professional licenses), file for or hold a public office, and much more.

I know that PM was attending Univ of South Carolina at the time of his death but I don't recall if there were any published accounts of his future ambitions -- professional or otherwise.

(But if following the family tradition, take away hunting and a law degree, I think AM thought him better off dead). MOO


Mallory Beach pictured at an unknown date.

Family of dead teenager seeks justice after a 2019 boating accident involving a prominent South Carolina family

What began as a normal Saturday night for six teenagers, ended with the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

abcnews.go.com

 

[worm]

They are pretty thankfully, pretty harsh on “under the influence” laws here in SC for sure but I would offer that case in Orangeburg, can’t recall the well connected kids name now of course, but he skated on some sex assault charges. Getting PM a deal would have been quite a test tho for sure.

 

[Warwick7]

^^rsbm

Perhaps the interpretation of AM's post-shooting words spoken to his son are off somewhat.

Personally, I'm more inclined to think AM was lamenting why PM had to crash the boat and add to dad's problems.

In other words, if not for the boat crash, dad wouldn't have had to take such drastic action. MOO

ETA: On 7/22/2021 -- FitNews youtube uploaded what they are referencing as the "full 911 call" but I've never heard any discernible commentary by AM in any release of the 911 call by FitNews or others. Gray Hughes Investigates is good at cleaning up static/echoes from 911 calls but I've never followed up to see if he did anything with this 911 call by AM.

BBM
Ohhhhhhhh now that's a thought.
I hadn't characterized it that way. Good one.
Actually that's a bam!
:0)

 

[Elley Mae]

June 4, 2021: Court ordered mediation in the wrongful death lawsuit fails, which appears to make the case bound for trial.

Murdaugh Murder Mystery Timeline: Dates, events surrounding investigation into South Carolina family

The latest information on the investigation into the deaths of Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh, as well as Mallory Beach, Gloria Satterfield and Stephen Smith.

www.wjcl.com

June 7, 2021: Alex Murdaugh discovers the bodies of his son Paul and wife Maggie at their 1,770-acre hunting lodge on Moselle Road in Islandton, Colleton County. A 911 call is placed at 10:07 p.m.

…

He failed to nip it in the bud, it was going to trial.

Jmo

 

[Kemug]

Just a thought, if Maggie was shot in the back and drug back the see the carnage (PM) dead then I would think maybe he was shot first.

I'm probably dim, but was Maggie really dragged back to the kennels? I don't recall seeing that before, but I did arrive late at the party. I really don't understand why AM would have done that? Surely he didn't hate Maggie that much? I've been getting the impression that his (alleged, of course) murders of his wife and son were done cold-bloodedly for reasons of finance?

 

[Elley Mae]

I'm probably dim, but was Maggie really dragged back to the kennels? I don't recall seeing that before, but I did arrive late at the party. I really don't understand why AM would have done that? Surely he didn't hate Maggie that much? I've been getting the impression that his (alleged, of course) murders of his wife and son were done cold-bloodedly for reasons of finance?

I don’t know that it’s true but ppl talk, more so in small towns. It’s possible that it was obvious that she had been moved, drag marks on the ground. If she was fleeing and did turn and run towards the road before she was shot he may have drug her back to keep her from being seen close to the road, not so much to see the carnage.

Jmo

 

[Kudzuu]

I'm probably dim, but was Maggie really dragged back to the kennels? I don't recall seeing that before, but I did arrive late at the party. I really don't understand why AM would have done that? Surely he didn't hate Maggie that much? I've been getting the impression that his (alleged, of course) murders of his wife and son were done cold-bloodedly for reasons of finance?

I took dragged back as a euphemism for going reluctantly not literally physically moved. JMO. I struggle to understand why MM didn't just say no or find out which hospital her FIL was in from the hospital or other family members. She knew AM was up to something but probably never in her wildest dreams thought he'd kill her and PM.

And yes financial woes started the whole mess. Personally I think there were a lot of drug deals going on. MOO.

And maybe I'm naive but the night of the boat crash they were drinking light beer and hard lemonade before the shots. Do people get that drunk on light beer?. PM was staggering before the shots. This trial, if it ever happens will be a wild ride. MOO.

 

[Kudzuu]

I don’t know that it’s true but ppl talk, more so in small towns. It’s possible that it was obvious that she had been moved, drag marks on the ground. If she was fleeing and did turn and run towards the road before she was shot he may have drug her back to keep her from being seen close to the road, not so much to see the carnage.

Jmo

I hadn't thought of that!

 

[Elley Mae]

Hospital workers took a sample of Murdaugh’s blood at 4 a.m., an hour and 40 minutes after the crash and roughly three hours after surveillance footage showed Murdaugh taking shots at a Beaufort waterfront bar. The results, provided to The Island Packet by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, show Murdaugh’s blood had an ethanol level of 286.1 mg/dL in serum.

That means Murdaugh’s BAC would have been about 0.24 — three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle in South Carolina (0.08), according to Richard Stripp, a New York-based forensic toxicologist contacted by a reporter Tuesday. It would have been even higher — between 0.25 and 0.27 — at 2:20 a.m., the time of the crash, Stripp said.

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article253054368.html

 

[Kudzuu]

Hospital workers took a sample of Murdaugh’s blood at 4 a.m., an hour and 40 minutes after the crash and roughly three hours after surveillance footage showed Murdaugh taking shots at a Beaufort waterfront bar. The results, provided to The Island Packet by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, show Murdaugh’s blood had an ethanol level of 286.1 mg/dL in serum.

That means Murdaugh’s BAC would have been about 0.24 — three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle in South Carolina (0.08), according to Richard Stripp, a New York-based forensic toxicologist contacted by a reporter Tuesday. It would have been even higher — between 0.25 and 0.27 — at 2:20 a.m., the time of the crash, Stripp said.

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article253054368.html

I'm wondering if PM was drinking something stronger that night. A big deal has been made about his drinking pattern but could that be to divert attention from other ways to be under the influence? I'm not victim bashing I'm wondering about drug dealing and could PM been involved in it. MHO.

 

[Elley Mae]

SCDNR never sought a warrant to compel the hospital to draw Paul’s blood that night, but the hospital did anyway because he was perceived as behaving so erratically. The doctor said that no drugs were found in Paul’s system.

https://www.fitsnews.com/2021/08/18/anything-they-get-in-they-get-out-of-bombshell-deposition-filed-in-murdaugh-case/

 

[Elley Mae]

For one thing he was not a big guy, two, had he eaten before he started drinking.
Some folks can consume more then others and not be “drunk”.

I am not a big a big person and I could out drink a few guy friends back in the day. Some ppl can handle liquor and others are sloppy drunks.

Jmo

 

[GeorgiaRai]

I suspect PM was the target, with MM collateral damage. Like maybe (speculation only) AM planned to use MM as his alibi while PM was killed. But something went wrong, MM realized AM was responsible/had set it up, and she had to be silenced. Maybe PM's time of death was earlier, and the estimate of 9:00-9:30 was for MM? (i.e. PM was at the kennels, MM arrived, argued with AM, left, returned to find PM killed, was shot as she tried to run.)

I think AM had more reason to eliminate PM at that point - thinking it would put an end to the audits and review of assets in connection with the MB lawsuit. Terrible, evil, heartless logic, to be sure, but with a clear end goal - no defendant, no more lawsuit. Killing just MM wouldn't have stopped any of that. IMO.