Content warning: This article contains references to murder some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.
Hopefully, you've been able to pick your jaw up off the floor after binge-watching Netflix's newest true crime docuseries, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, a tragic-yet-shocking tale of five deaths spanning a six-year period that can all be somewhat linked back to Alex Murdaugh's family, one of the most well known families in South Carolina.
Since January 2023, Alex has been on trial at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina for the double homicide of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul. They were shot to death on their 1700-acre property on Moselle Road in Islandton, South Carolina on June 7, 2021.
Why would a supposedly loving father kill two of the people closest to him? According to The Post and Courier, prosecutors at the murder trial claim Alex's motive for murdering Maggie and Paul was "a desperate attempt to portray himself as a victim and cover up his wrongdoing" because his financial crimes "were about to be exposed." (FYI, there are "dozens of charges for alleged financial crimes" against Alex.)
Alex's oldest son, 26-year-old Buster, was not killed alongside his mother and younger brother, and the Netflix docuseries doesn't explain where he was when his loved ones were murdered. Interestingly, Buster recently testified on his father's behalf during Alex's homicide trial and shared exactly where he was when he learned the horrible news.
Buster testified that Alex called him on the day of the murders and asked if Buster was "sitting down," as reported by People. "He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot."
According to the former University of South Carolina student, he and his girlfriend were at her house in Rock Hill, South Carolina — roughly 200 miles away — when Alex told Buster what had happened. Buster said he and his girlfriend then immediately drove to the house on Moselle Road.
On the witness stand, Buster testified that Alex was "heartbroken" and "destroyed" over the murders. "I walked in the door and saw him, gave him a hug," he reportedly said.
At the time of this writing, Alex's trial is still ongoing and a verdict has not been made yet.
Stacey Grant is a senior editor at Seventeen who runs the brand's Snapchat Discover channel. She also covers entertainment topics specializing in nostalgia, such as classic '90s and '00s Disney Channel and Nickelodeon content.
