The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

In the documentary The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, Morgan Doughty, the girlfriend of Paul Murdaugh, states, “They [the Murdaugh family] would come up with a storyline...when I tell you it's like, you could snap your fingers and it was gone” (np). The Murdaugh family, as some would say, were above the law. Throughout six years in the secluded town of Islandton, South Carolina, five murders occurred and they all lead back to one family: the Murdaughs. These murders were initially seen as mere “accidents,” but when police decided to take a deep dive into the most recent case, the murder of Paul and Maggie Murduagh, shocking new evidence came to light. Alex Murdaugh, the father and husband of this family, was accused of the murder of

Alex Murdaugh struggled financially, he believed murdering Paul and Maggie would solve his problems. For example, Alex Murdaugh abused his client’s funds from the family’s firm to satisfy his personal financial needs. Alex Murdaugh spent through his savings to pay for the illegal substances he used on a daily basis. Bates adds, “In addition to this alleged attempt to commit insurance fraud, PMPED has claimed that Alex Murdaugh's resignation from their firm was because it was discovered that he misused funds from the law firm” (np). Alex Murdaugh unexpectedly stepped away from the Parker Law Firm because of his financial struggles. He resorted to using the law firm's money for illegal activities. He then suspiciously stepped away before the problem was made known to

To emphasize, Alex struggled with his addiction for many years and he hid it from everyone. Gloria, the family maid, found the drugs under the bed and informed Paul. Paul confronted his father about it only to receive backlash. This could have been another trigger that set off the killing of Maggie and Paul. Harpootlian says, ‘When PMPED went public with embezzlement accusations, the story from Alex’s team gelled: Alex suffered from 20 years of opioid addiction and blew “most” of his millions on “checks written to drug dealers’’ (Westfall,49). He was hooked on his opioids, affecting his savings and family. Consequently, the discovery of his opioids may have led to another murder. Morgan states, “Murdaughs don't get told 'no' much” (np). A couple weeks after Paul confronted Alex, Gloria unexpectedly tripped over the hunting dogs and sadly passed away. Gloria had worked for the Murdaughs for 25 years so it is suspicious she happened to trip over the dogs that usually stay in their kennels. Along with his financial issues, his use of opioids made everything worse including his relationships he destroyed throughout his