In the swampy surrounds of South Carolina’s low country, the scandal involving the wealthy, powerful Murdaughs is billowing – but if people know things, they’re not saying
It’s a story as thick and unctuous as South Carolina’s low country mud. Those in the know aren’t talking, and those who don’t know are. But with six active investigations, including a murder inquiry, the case of Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, a 53-year-old tort lawyer and scion of one of the state’s most powerful families, has gripped America.
Last week, Murdaugh appeared in court in Columbia, the state capital, on a bond hearing over charges he misappropriated $3.5m in insurance settlements relating to the death of the family’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. The defense and prosecution approved the bond request. Judge Clifton Newman denied it.
