Arrest made in connection to shooting of Alex Murdaugh
Embattled lawyer Alex Murdaugh allegedly orchestrated his
own shooting earlier month as part of an elaborate scheme to leave his son with
$10 million in insurance cash, authorities said Tuesday.
Murdaugh admitted the deranged plan to investigators on
Monday, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and
Curtis Edward Smith, 61, the alleged gunman who conspired with him in the
botched suicide attempt, has been arrested.
The stunning development, which was spelled out in an
affidavit released by SLED, finally sheds light on the Sept. 4 roadside
shooting in Varnville.
Murdaugh allegedly provided Smith with a firearm and
directed the man to shoot him in the head, according to the affidavit.
On the day of the shooting, Smith allegedly followed
Murdaugh to Old Salkehatchie Road and pumped a bullet into the lawyer’s head as
he stood in the roadway, the affidavit says.
Smith then fled and ditched the gun.
Murdaugh survived the shooting and initially spun a
different tale to authorities about what he purported happened, saying he was
shot while stopped on the side of the road to repair a slashed tire.
Smith is charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery
of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance
fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, according to SLED.
Authorities said more charges in the case are expected.
It’s the latest development in a series of bizarre and
horrific events for Murdaugh, whose downfall has been highly publicized since
his wife and 22-year-old son were shot dead in June near a kennel outside the
family’s hunting lodge near Islandton.
Two days after he was reportedly shot, Murdaugh resigned
from his lucrative family law firm and subsequently entered rehab for substance
abuse.
Murdaugh is also the subject of a state investigation into
allegations he stole money from Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth &
Detrick.
The Murdaughs are one of South Carolina’s most prominent
legal families, with three generations having served consecutively as solicitor
for the 14th Circuit.
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