From left, Buster Murdaugh, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh.Photo: Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook
The suspension comes just days after the 53-year-old scion of the powerful Murdaugh family — whose wife and son weremurdered in Juneandwho himself sustained a gunshot woundto the head on Saturday — resigned from PMPED, the prestigious firm his grandfather founded more than 100 years ago.
What followed was a head-spinning turn of events over Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, a day after members of the firm confronted Alex about the alleged missing funds, which could exceed $1 million,FITSNewsandThe Island Packetreport, he called 911 to say he’d been shot on the side of the road while changing a tire. After being released from the hospital on Monday with a superficial wound, according to authorities, Alex announced that he was resigning from the firm and entering rehab for substance abuse.
According to that rule, “Upon receipt of sufficient evidence demonstrating that a lawyer poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public or to the administration of justice, the Supreme Court may place the lawyer on interim suspension pending a final determination in any proceeding under these rules.”
The order states that Alex consented to the temporary suspension.
Blow to a Legal Dynasty
The suspension dealt a blow to the reputation of the Murdaugh family, which is considered a legal dynasty throughout the state and especially in the Lowcountry region in the southern portion of the state, where the firm is located.
“Pretty much everyone in the Lowcountry has heard of the Murdaughs,” one resident previously told PEOPLE. “They are very powerful around here.”
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In 1910, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. started his own law firm in Hampton, which grew into a multimillion-dollar practice with offices in three counties where generations of Murdaughs have worked ever since, including Alex.
Entrance to the Murdaugh property.FitsNews.com
Starting in 1920, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. became the first of a succession of Murdaughs to serve as Solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit, prosecuting criminal cases in four counties.
Alex had worked as a volunteer solicitor — until now. On Wednesday, the Solicitor’s Office said Alex would no longer prosecute cases as a volunteer,The Island Packetreports.
All this came after members of his law firm confronted Alex about the firm’s missing money,The New York Timesreports.
The firm then notified law enforcement and the South Carolina Bar Association, according to the paper.
A Family in Crisis
On Saturday, a day after the members confronted Alex, he called 911 to say he had been shot while changing a tire.
According to the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, he sustained “a superficial gunshot wound to the head.”
On Monday, Alex announced that he had resigned from the firm and entered rehab.
Alex’s lawyer, Jim Griffin, told PEOPLE in a statement that “Alex resigned from the firm after being accused of diverting lawyer fees. These allegations prompted him to confront his dependency and he voluntarily checked into an in-patient substance abuse rehab facility after being discharged from the hospital Monday.”
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Stating that the firm had cut all ties with Murdaugh, firm members wrote, “Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner. There’s no place in our firm for such behavior.”
According to theIsland Packet, a forensic accounting firm is now conducting an investigation into the missing funds.
The ordeal for the Murdaughs began on June 7, when Alex allegedly told police that he’d come home to find his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul Murdaugh, 22,murderedon the grounds of the family’s 1,770-acre hunting lodge.
Murdaugh property.Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP
Though no arrests have been made as authorities continue to investigate, the murders made national news and shined a light on a string of mysterious deaths surrounding the family. At the time of his death, Paul was facing charges in connection with the boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach in 2019.
In a statement on Wednesday, Alex’s older brother, Randolph Murdaugh IV, shed light on how he and members of the firm were dealing with Alex’s growing list of troubles.
Jim Griffin did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
source: people.com
