Kriti Mehrotra
Both NBC’s ‘Dateline: Murdaugh Saga’ as well as Netflix’s ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’ examine the rise and fall of the Murdaugh family, a legal dynasty that ran the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina for 87 consecutive years. However, with Alex Murdaugh now facing charges related to alleged financial offenses and murder, they are now on the other side of the justice system. His only surviving child, Richard “Buster” Murdaugh Jr., has consequently been dragged into the national spotlight as well.
Who is Buster Murdaugh?
Buster is the eldest — and now only — son of the once-renowned attorney Alex Murdaugh. After all, his mother Maggie and younger brother Paul were tragically shot to death in their Moselle estate in early June 2021. Even before that, though, it seems like he and his father were pretty close, especially as he had followed in his footsteps and gone on to study law to join the family business. Buster actually attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, but reports claim he was kicked out for plagiarism in the Spring of 2019. It’s also imperative to note that according to the Netflix original, the father-son duo was so close it often made Paul believe he was a disappointment to his parents. Plus, in a twisted turn of events, Alex is now facing murder charges in connection to his wife and younger son’s demise.
Moreover, in 2015, rumors had tied Buster to 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose remains were recovered from the middle of a road in Hampton County in mid-summer. While some implied that they were close friends, others alleged they may have been in a secret relationship, with the latter wanting them to be public since he was openly gay. Yet, not only were detectives unable to confirm these reports or tie Buster to Stephen’s homicide, but they also could never reach him for questioning. At that point, the Murdaugh name was quite powerful. As if this wasn’t enough, in September 2021, Alex admittedly orchestrated an unsuccessful suicide-for-hire plot on himself so that his son could receive a $10 million payout from his life insurance policy.
Buster Murdaugh Now Resides in Hilton Head Island Alongside His Girlfriend
Since the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, reports of Alex’s opioid addiction, and the patriarch’s alleged move to hire his so-called drug dealer to kill himself, Buster has preferred not to make any public comments. Nevertheless, we do know that he has continuously supported his father over the years, which is why the latter even signed a formal power of attorney document to hand over all his affairs to him in 2021. Though in October 2021, lawsuits requesting a temporary injunction against them both was filed by those supposedly wronged by Alex to stop them from “hiding, concealing, misappropriating, selling, encumbering, transferring, impairing the value of or otherwise disposing” of assets or funds that belong to them.
As Buster has the ability to manage every belonging that his father “may own or get in the future from any source,” it became imperative to name him all legal documents in order to stall (possible) further financial manipulations until the original matters are settled. The fact that he was seen gambling in a Las Vegas casino around this same time also plays a role in this, particularly as many worried he might be gambling away assets or evidence. Despite all this, Buster seems to have stuck by Alex’s side, as made evident by the fact he is not just attending but also testifying in his ongoing (2023) trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul.
Coming to Buster’s personal standing, it appears as if the South Carolina native currently resides in a cozy condominium on Hilton Head Island alongside his lawyer girlfriend, Brooklynn White, and their golden retriever, Miller. The 26-year-old has apparently never returned to live in the hunting lodge where his family was slain or the beach house where his mother had been residing prior to her death. A childhood friend of his has also stated he’s “collateral damage” to his father’s alleged actions. “His circle of friends got really small really fast… He’s really down…,” the friend said. “He doesn’t make eye contact and he doesn’t really engage like he used to. He looks tired. He’s aged like 10 years in the past year. He has bags under his eyes and he just looks miserable. It’s just a shame.”
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