Sarah Stager | Staff Writer
March 9, 2023
The Alex Murdaugh trial, which has taking the streaming services by storm, is one of the most prolific examples of the wealthy elite overstepping the bounds of legal proceedings and law enforcement.
For years, the Murdaugh family has been suspected of covering up illegal activity their family members may have been involved in. For instance, the tragic boating accident caused by the youngest son Paul Murdaugh’s intoxicated negligence in 2019 was handled so callously by the family, it’s alarming.
According to CBS, Murdaugh family members were even allowed to enter the site of the boat crash, which became a crime scene due to the search for missing Mallory Beach, while her parents were not.
It was evident from their actions that they could care less about the accident their son caused that led to the loss of young Beach’s life.
The family was so desperate to cover their own tracks that they were even willing to frame one of their son’s own friends for the crash.
Almost any individual who was involved in such a terrible event would put finding Beach and ensuring that all of the young teens received immediate medical attention. Instead the Murdaughs appeared to be trying to evade legal prosecution of their son.
It was not just Beach’s life that has been lost due to her connection to the Murdaugh family; there are other victims that are linked to the Murdaughs.
According to Newsweek, Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield are both two individuals that police have received tips about possible Murdaugh involvement in their deaths. Is it a mere coincidence that the investigations into these victims have been halted almost immediately after ties to the Murdaugh family have been made public? It appears unlikely.
There are so many unanswered questions due to these cases going cold so quickly. This is not only unfair to the victims and their families, but also a deliberate and calculated evasion of justice and the law by the Murdaughs to save their own skins.
It is so ironic that this family of prominent lawyers, individuals who should be protecting and upholding the law, have been caught bending it to fit their own selfish and illegal actions for decades.
Despite being close to the family as their house sitter and babysitter for several years, Satterfield, who was injured and ultimately died on the Murdaugh property, was given surprisingly cold treatment by Alex Murdaugh despite working for the family for so long. Murdaugh claimed that Satterfield’s death was an accident, yet can anyone explain how convenient it was that Satterfield’s accident came soon after she discovered Murdaugh’s drug stash, forcing Murdaugh to come clean about his addiction to his family?
And how quickly he was caught within several lies about the details of the accident? And that he claimed that to make amends with the family he would provide Satterfield’s children with financial compensation since they were left without a mother, but the children allege that they never saw a single cent of the money? Where did the money go? Not many can say.
Smith, yet another victim tied to the Murdaugh family, is an example of a quick cover-up. His alleged close relationship with eldest son, Buster Murdaugh, was mentioned numerous times through police tips, despite the family vehemently denying any and all possible involvement in his mysterious death.
Yet, if they truly were not involved, then why was the investigation into Smith’s case shushed so quickly after the Murdaugh family name was tied to him? Since there have been so many people connected to the Murdaugh family that have wound up either harmed or dead, it truly would not be surprising if they did have some involvement.
The family’s influence has extended far beyond just trying to protect Paul from harsh judgment for his mistakes.
Alex Murdaugh, the patriarch of the family that has just recently been sentenced to life without parole for the murders of his wife son has evaded prosecution for various crimes for years.
According to CNN, he has been accused of stealing millions of dollars of funds from his law corporation and using them to supply his drug addiction. However, not much is known about the whereabouts of the rest of the money, and several suspicious checks of large sums of money have been collected that were written by Alex Murdaugh before and after several troubling events involving the his family.
Murdaugh has also shown considerable cruelty since he has been accused of murdering his own wife and child. Whether or not he actually committed the crime, since he himself maintained his innocence in court, could be debated. What cannot be debated is that Murdaugh lied about not being on the property when the murders took place, and that the blood present on his person point to him being involved in the murders.
There are many secrets coming to light about this Southern family, and one can only hope that all of the corruption, deception, and questions that have been hidden by the Murdaughs for years are finally accounted for, investigated, and answered.
I recommend that if you’d like more information about the Murdaugh trial and all of the subsequent details I have discussed, you can watch the new documentaries about the Murdaugh family that just came out on Netflix called, “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” or “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty” on HBO Max.