Alex Murdaugh: The South Carolina murder trial that has gripped the nation

There is one story which is dominating US news coverage today and that is a murder trial in South Carolina which as one network put it “has more twists and turns than a South Carolina country road”.

It reads like the plot of a barely believable matinee film. If you haven’t heard of this case yet, don’t worry - you will soon.

Netflix, podcasts and maybe even a film are likely to propel this into the spotlight around the world. It centres around 54-year-old Alex Murdaugh - a prominent lawyer from a storied family.

The Murdaughs had served as the equivalent of district attorney in that part of the state for three generations.

Alex Murdaugh’s personal life has been repeatedly touched by unusual deaths in recent years.

In 2018, a longtime housekeeper allegedly "tripped and fell" at the family estate, dying as a result. Her family sued Alex Murdaugh for half a million dollars.

In 2019, a boat crash involving Alex Murdaugh’s son Paul, resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Paul Murdaugh was indicted for being drunk while helming the boat (Boating under the influence) and causing the death of Mallory Beach. He pleaded not guilty.

But before the trial could go ahead Paul and his mother Maggie were both shot dead near the family home.

Alex Murdaugh told police he was not at the scene that night, but a video from Paul’s phone later emerged proving Alex was indeed there shortly before the shootings.

He was then sensationally charged with the murder of his son and wife.

'I didn't shoot my wife or my son any time'

But there’s more. Much more.

It’s alleged Alex Murdaugh stole millions of dollars from the legal firm where he was a partner.

He’s charged with an incredible 99 financial crimes.

And then there is the bizarre episode where he was shot in the head, allegedly by a passing motorist in September 2021 as he checked a flat tyre.

He was treated for a ‘superficial gunshot wound’. A few days later he resigned from his law firm and entered rehab.

Court documents later alleged that the incident was part of a suicide plan, in which Murdaugh hired a former client to kill him, so his surviving son Buster would collect a $10million insurance payout.

Later more court documents allege Murdaugh had been involved in another insurance fraud concerning the death of his former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.

Her death certificate classified her passing as ‘natural’, inconsistent with a trip and fall accident which was the subject of a lawsuit.

Her family claim they never received any of the money owed after a civil settlement with Alex Murdaugh in 2018.

And then there is the unexplained death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose body was found in the road in Hampton County in 2015.

His case is now being reopened by authorities based on information gathered during the investigation into the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.

The trial has some weeks to run and Alex Murdaugh denies all the charges.

But whatever the jury find, it promises to be a dramatic denouement to a story which has gripped viewers across the United States.

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