Viswa Vanapalli
HBO Max’s ‘Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty’ as well as Netflix’s ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’ delves into the lasting legacy of the Murdaugh family in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. They served as the legal mainstays in the region for close to a century before several shocking allegations and deaths changed it all. In other words, Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, the now-former fourth-generation Murdaugh lawyer, led a splendid life with his family prior to the family’s fall from grace. Curious about Alex’s financial journey? In that case, let’s explore his past endeavors and estimated net worth.
How Did Richard Alex Murdaugh Earn His Money?
Richard Alex Murdaugh was born in 1967 into a family of a long line of solicitors for South Carolina’s 14th Circuit Court. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all previously served in that position, with the latter having established their civil litigation law firm. Unsurprisingly, Alex studied law at the University of South Carolina and eventually married Margaret “Maggie” Branstetter in 1993, with whom he had two sons, Richard “Buster” Alexander Jr. and Paul Terry Murdaugh. After South Carolina barred lawyers from serving in public and private capacities, Alex worked for the family’s law firm and served as a solicitor.
The Murdaugh family thus wielded a lot of power and influence, given their standing in society, which also stood true for Alex. He worked for Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), the family law firm specializing in personal injury, liability, and wrongful death cases. It has actually been reported that he made at least $250,000 per year while working at the organization. As a result, Alex, Maggie, and their kids lived on a massive hunting estate simply called “Moselle” in Colleton County, South Carolina, in addition to spending time at a beach house on Edisto Island.
But over the past few years, the Murdaugh family has had to deal with several tragedies, ultimately resulting in Alex finding himself in immense legal trouble for multiple serious charges, including financial fraud as well as two counts of murder. The latter stems from his wife and younger son’s shooting deaths one night on the family’s property in June 2021. Alex had called the authorities, but they remained tight-lipped about their inquiries, that is, until they charged Alex with two counts of murder more than a year later. It has been reported that his clothes had blood spatter from the scene.
Moreover, in September 2021, Alex again called 911 with the claim he had been shot in the head by a passerby while changing his vehicle’s tire on the side of a road in rural South Carolina. But later, he openly admitted that he had enlisted the help of his alleged drug dealer, Curtis Edward Smith, to shoot him so his surviving son, Buster, would get the insurance payout. Though it’s imperative to note that just a day before, he had resigned from his family’s law firm upon being accused of embezzling the firm’s/clients’ funds. He also claimed to be addicted to oxycodone and joined a rehab.
The authorities were then pushed to look into what happened after the death of the Murdaugh family housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. She died in February 2018 after a fall in the house, shortly after which Alex introduced her sons to a lawyer, Cory Fleming, his close friend. Negotiations resulted in a $4.3 million settlement, with the Satterfield family set to receive around $2.8 million after lawyer fees. However, the sons never got the money because Alex chose to pocket it by diverting it through a shell company.
Alex later admitted that he owed substantial funds to the Satterfield family, but more accusations mounted against him. It was even reported that Alex embezzled money from other clients; the cases would result in settlements, but the clients would never know about it. Overall, he was accused of stealing around $8.5 million. And then, in August 2022, Alex was also accused of stealing $295,000 from the law firm and his brother. Therefore, it comes as no surprise he is currently behind bars and facing over 90 criminal charges.
Richard Alex Murdaugh’s Net Worth
Alex’s home in Colleton County was valued at around $3.9 million and was shortly put up for sale after the incident, but recent court records reveal he did receive funds from it for years of record. Furthermore, he has spent money on legal fees and settlements. While Alex Murdaugh was worth a lot more at one point, his current net worth is reported to be around $1 million.
Read More: Where is Alex Murdaugh Now?
