S.C. lawyer whose wife, son were killed in June stole money from firm: report

COLUMBIA, S.C. (TCD) -- A prominent attorney whose wife and son were killed in June and who was shot over the weekend will reportedly enter rehab after taking money from his law firm.

According to WIS-TV, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received a call from Alex Murdaugh on Saturday at 1:34 p.m. saying he had been shot. Murdaugh’s attorney told WIS he was "shot in the head while changing a tire." Murdaugh was transported to Memorial Health University medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, for treatment of a superficial gunshot wound.

No arrests have been made.

In June, Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul were found shot to death on their property. According to SLED, both Paul and Maggie "sustained multiple gunshot wounds." According to The Associated Press, Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial for a fatal boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach in 2019.

No arrests have been made in Paul and Maggie’s deaths.

On Monday, Murdaugh announced he had resigned from his law firm and was checking himself into rehab. The shooting occurred the day after his resignation on Friday.

Bluffton Today received the statement on behalf of Murdaugh, which reads, "The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships."

Murdaugh’s law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA (PMPED) wrote in a statement obtained by Bluffton Today, "On Friday, September 3, 2021, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the Law Firm. He is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies."

PMPED said in their statement that a forensics accounting firm would be conducting a "thorough investigation."

They wrote, "This is disappointing news for all of us. 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 WCSC-TV, Murdaugh’s great-grandfather Randolph Murdaugh Sr. became the first man elected to the role of 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Randolph Murdaugh Jr. then took over the role after his father died. Randolph Murdaugh III, Alex Murdaugh’s father, reportedly was elected and held the role until 2006. The Murdaugh family reportedly had the office for about 87 years, WCSC reports.

In August, WIS reported the 14th Circuit prosecutor recused himself from the case involving Maggie and Paul’s deaths.

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