A prominent attorney in South Carolina, whose wife and son were killed at their hunting estate in June, was shot in the head a day after he resigned from the powerhouse law firm that his family helped establish.
Alex Murdaugh resigned from Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA (PMPED) on Friday, according to a statement from the personal injury law firm based in Hampton, South Carolina. The statement accused Murdaugh of misusing funds.
Murdaugh announced his resignation Monday and said he was entering rehab after facing "a long battle that has been exacerbated" by the murders of his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and the couple's youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22.
“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," according to the statement, provided by Amanda Loveday of NP Strategy, a public relations firm in Columbia, South Carolina.
"I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders," the statement continued. "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.”
Loveday did not immediately respond to questions about the location of the rehab facility or nature of the program.
Timeline:From a fatal boat crash in 2019 to the Murdaugh family killings in 2021
The law firm said law enforcement and the South Carolina Bar had been notified.
"(Alex Murdaugh) 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," the statement said, in part. "A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation."
"This is disappointing news for all of us," the statement continued. "Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner."
A day after Murdaugh resigned, he had called 911 to report being shot in the head, South Carolina state police confirmed. He was taken to a hospital with superficial injuries. Media outlets reported Murdaugh was changing a tire on the side of a rural road in Hampton County when the shooting happened.
Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh at their hunting estate in Colleton County on June 7. Both victims were shot multiple times and were discovered by Alex Murdaugh on the ground in front of the family's dog kennels, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said.
The killings have prompted international media coverage and sparked countless social media discussion groups, podcasts, and pending television documentaries.
Murdaugh is the son of the late Randolph Murdaugh III, a former 14th Circuit Solicitor like his father, Randolph Jr., and grandfather, Randolph Sr., before him. For more than 85 years, this trio served as chief prosecutors over the five-county Lowcountry region.
In 1910, Randolph Sr. founded a law firm in Hampton that would grow to become Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA. Several generations of Murdaughs have practiced law at the personal injury law firm, whose website lists millions in settlements recovered for its clients.
Since the killings, Alex Murdaugh and his surviving son, Buster, have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or arrests and convictions.
The Murdaugh family was already in the regional spotlight following the February 2019 boat crash in Beaufort County in which Mallory Beach, 19, died. Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence and was waiting trail when he was killed. He had pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Alex Murdaugh and others are still facing a wrongful death civil suit filed by Beach's mother, Renee, on behalf of Mallory's estate.
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