Murdaugh boat crash: Estate of deceased victim files legal action on Alex Murdaugh's estates
The family estate of a 19-year-old Hampton County woman who
died in a 2019 boat crash has filed a new legal action involving Alex Murdaugh,
the prominent South Carolina attorney who reported finding his wife and son
shot and killed at their Colleton County home in 2021.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2019, Mallory Beach,
of Hampton County, was ejected into a Beaufort County river following a boat
crash that injured several others, and her body was not recovered until a week
later.
Several weeks later, Paul Murdaugh, son of attorney Alex
Murdaugh and grandson of former 14th Circuit Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III,
was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence. He had
pleaded not guilty to all charges and was waiting trial when he, along with his
mother, Margaret, were shot and killed on June 7, 2021. Both fatal incidents
remain under investigation, and no arrests have been made in the double
homicide.
On March 29, 2019, Renee Beach, Mallory's mother, filed a
wrongful death civil suit in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas. In addition
to other parties allegedly involved in the sale of alcohol to minors, and other
Murdaugh family members, this wrongful death suit names Richard Alexander
Murdaugh, Paul's father, individually and as Trustee of the Murdaugh Residence
Trust 2. The Murdaugh Residence Trust 2 is a South Carolina Trust that owns two
properties collectively referred to as “The Island” in the suit.
On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, Mark B. Tinsley, the Allendale
County, S.C. attorney representing the Beach estate, filed a Lis Pendens action
in Hampton County court involving Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh
and his surviving son, Richard Alexander "Buster" Murdaugh, Jr.
A Lis Pendens is a legal filing providing notice of a
pending court action, such as a lawsuit, that affects title to, or possession
of, real property.
This Lis Pendens states that the wrongful death suit may
result in a lien on the large Colleton County home and hunting estate where
Alex Murdaugh found his wife, Margaret, 52, and Paul, 22, shot and killed on
June 7 in an unsolved case still under investigation by S.C. state police. The
Lis Pendens also mentions a property in Edisto, S.C., owned by the Murdaughs.
The legal document lists: "1770 Acres in Colleton and
Hampton County, South Carolina commonly known as the Moselle property. The land
spans both Colleton and Hampton counties, with approximately 870 +/- acres in
Hampton and just less than 900 acres in Colleton. Also, a lot with improvements
in Colleton County at Edisto, S.C." See the full document below.
This action comes after a week of notable developments for
Alex Murdaugh. Around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, two days after a shooting incident
in Hampton County left Murdaugh with minor injuries, a spokesperson for
Murdaugh released the following statement that indicated he was entering rehab:
“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.”
A day before the reported shooting incident, Murdaugh was confronted
by partners at the Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick, PA, the law
firm established by his great-grandfather in 1910, about misappropriated money.
On Monday, Sept. 6, the PMPED firm released the following statement that
included this information:
"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. A forensic accounting firm will
be retained to conduct a thorough investigation. Law enforcement and the SC Bar
have been notified by PMPED."
The fallout from these new developments has been swift for
Murdaugh. On Wednesday, the 14th Judicial Circuit, where Murdaugh had served as
a volunteer prosecutor, formally ended its relationship with him, and the S.C.
Supreme Court issued an order temporarily suspending his license to practice
law.
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