HORROR befell a family when a mother and son were found dead.
On March 3, 2023, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for their murder.
Who was Paul Murdaugh?
Born on April 14, 1999, Paul Murdaugh was the younger of Alex Murdaugh and Maggie Branstetter’s two sons.
At the time of his death, Paul was a junior at the University of South Carolina.
He is remembered as “loving and genuine” with “an abundance of friends.”
He is survived by his older brother Buster, his father Alex, and a number of extended family members.
On June 7, 2021, Paul and his mother Maggie were murdered, and their bodies were discovered in close proximity to a dog kennel near their home.
How did Paul and his mother die?
22-year-old Paul Murdaugh and 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh were shot several times and their bodies were discovered near a dog kennel on their South Carolina property.
Investigators believe the son and mother were murdered with two different firearms.
Paul suffered wounds to his upper body and head from what appeared to have been a shotgun.
Meanwhile, an assault rifle is thought to have been used to kill Maggie.
On July 14, 2022, Murdaugh family patriarch Alex was formally indicted for the murders of his wife and youngest son.
“South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel announced indictments for two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime,” according to CNN.
The disgraced lawyer and his attorneys have repeatedly denied any role in the deaths.
On January 23, 2023, Alex Murdaugh’s trial for Paul and Maggie’s homicide went underway.
On March 2, 2023, Alex was found guilty.
The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Alex’s crimes are investigated in the Netflix docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
What happened to Mallory Beach?
Back in February 2019, Paul was charged with boating under the influence, which resulted in the death of Mallory Beach.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory and the boat crash.
The 19-year-old’s body was found eight days after the tragic incident.
Paul’s family’s ties to the legal system, however, sparked questions about whether the investigation into the teen’s death was done properly.
Paul’s grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather had been longtime elected solicitors in the area.
According to ABC7 Chicago: “Paul Murdaugh was released on his own recognizance and for nearly two years, his case dragged on as he awaited trial.”
After Paul and his mother were found dead, the Beach family expressed their condolences.
“The Beach family extends its deepest and warmest sympathies to the Murdaugh family during this terrible time,” a lawyer for the Beaches said in a statement.
“Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss.”