John Marvin Murdaugh, Alex’s younger brother, told the Post and Courier in Charleston that SLED met with the Murdaugh family Tuesday to give them a heads-up that criminal charges would be presented to a grand jury this week.
“The entire family has been consistent that regardless of what goes on, we want the truth,” the brother said to the newspaper.
News of the upcoming charges were first reported by local outlets such as FitsNews.com and the State newspaper in Columbia, S.C.
SLED spokeswoman Renee Wunderlich told The Washington Post that the investigation into “the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh is still active and ongoing.”
“Agents are committed to the integrity of the investigation, thus no additional information from SLED will be provided at this time,” Wunderlich said in a statement.
Robert Kittle, a spokesman with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, told The Post on Tuesday that the office “cannot confirm anything that’s being reported about criminal charges against Alex Murdaugh.”
Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dick Harpootlian, another of Murdaugh’s attorneys, told the State that he had “no official word from anybody about anything.”
John Marvin Murdaugh did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case has remained unsolved during a 13-month stretch in which the story has gained national attention, as people across the United States have been captivated by the double homicide involving a prominent family at Moselle, their 1,772-acre rural estate in Colleton County, S.C.
Once seen as a standard for a successful lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, 54, has seen his life come unglued. In addition to being accused of killing his family, authorities also allege he was part of a multimillion-dollar insurance fraud scheme. Since November, 15 state grand jury indictments containing 79 charges have come down against Murdaugh, who prosecutors say defrauded $8.4 million from victims.
On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh called 911 to say he found his wife and son shot outside, near dog kennels at the estate.
“My wife and child have been shot badly. … Please hurry!” Murdaugh yelled, according to a 911 call. “They’re on the ground out at my kennels.”
Murdaugh told authorities at the time that he had left the estate earlier in the night.
“As soon as I answered the phone, I knew something was wrong,” John Marvin Murdaugh told “Good Morning America” in June 2021. “He said, ‘Come as fast as you can. Paul and Maggie have been hurt.’ ”
In the months that passed, authorities did not name suspects in the case.
The mystery surrounding the Murdaugh family continued last September, when his family law firm not only fired Alex Murdaugh but also accused him of stealing from clients, according to the State. Then after Murdaugh initially told authorities that he was the victim of a shooting in September, police charged Murdaugh with hiring a hit man to kill him so that his surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance payout, according to SLED.
Police arrested Curtis Edward Smith of Walterboro, S.C., on charges of assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. Shortly thereafter, authorities allegedly obtained a confession from Murdaugh admitting to the insurance fraud plot. Murdaugh later announced that he was entering rehab to confront an opioid addiction.
Murdaugh is still being held in the Richland County jail on a $7 million bond on the financial-related charges.
If he is convicted of murder in the killings of his wife and son, his could receive the death penalty, according to state criminal law.
Katie Shepherd contributed to this report.
