“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” is a Netflx documentary that chronicles all the events of the infamous Murdaugh murders. While these murders may have uncovered the dark secrets of the powerful Murdsugh family, it led to the ruination of the life of Buster Murdaugh – the only surviving Murdaugh not in prison.
But is Buster involved in these murders? Where is he now? Is there more than what meets the eye? Read this post to find out!
Murdaugh Murders: The Scandal That Shocked South Carolina
Before we delve deeper into the life of Buster Murdaugh now, let’s first learn about the infamous Murdaugh murders.
Richar Alex Murdaugh Jr (better known as Buster Murdaugh) is the eldest son of lawyer Alex Murdaugh and his wife Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh (52). He is currently 26 years old (2023). His younger brother was Paul Murdaugh (22).
On 21st June 2021, Alex called 911 and said that he had found his younger son and wife’s dead bodies near his dog kennels. He also said that they “appeared to be shot.” During this time, Buster Murdaugh girlfriend Brooklyn White was with him at her house in Rock Hill, 200 miles away from the Murdaugh house.
While the murder of his wife and younger son was definitely tragic, it was not termed as the infamous “Murdaugh Murders” until the end of 2022. This is when a report surfaced that Alex himself was counted as the prime suspect of murdering his wife and son.
It was later revealed that he was present in his house the night the murders occurred. However, phone call trackers reveal that he left his house at 9 pm to go visit his old mother. However, he later came back at night to his house, only to find the corpses of his wife and younger son.
It was found through thorough investigations that he killed his wife and son before 9 pm. He went to his mothers place after killing them, creating an alibi to cover his sinful deeds.
He was later sentenced to a lifetime in prison without parole.
Cause Of Murder
Alex Murdaugh (54) had a long history of substance abuse and financial embezzlement.
It was previously found that the Murdaughs suffered “significant financial losses” in the last few years. This also stemmed from the arrest of his younger son Paul.
Paul was involved in a boat crash in 2019, where he drunkenly drove a boat, which crashed and caused the death of his friend – Mallory Bach (19). However, he was later bailed out, which reports indicate was the result of Murdaugh’s influence. This case is still ongoing as of now.
In addition, Gloria Satterfield, the housekeeper of the Murdaughs, also died mysteriously after falling to her death from one of the staircases in the house. While her two children wwe supposed to be compensated for $4.3 million after a deal was struck with their lawyer – Cory Fleming, they never got the money. This was reported to be due to Flemong being a friend of Alex.
In addition, Alex has tried to commit suicide with help from his cousin Edward Smith. It was revealed that he tried to shot himself in the head to commit suicide, so that his death indurance can be claimed by his family.
This happened immediately after he was forced to resign from his own law firm, from where he tried to embezzle money from clients. In addition, both Alex and Smith were found to be laundering drug money from distributing Oxycodone through his law firm.
All of these incidents prompted him to kill his wife and younger son under the influence. He believed that he could gain sympathy votes due to the death of his family members and get all charges against him dropped.
So Who Is Buster Murdaugh?
The Murdaugh family is a pretty influential family in South Carolina. The Murdaughs are considered as South Carolina elites due to their status as a family of lawyers. Buster’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all famous attorneys in South Carolina.
Young Buster Murdaugh decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer. This is why he started pursuing a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He did so after graduating from Watford College in 2018.
Buster Murdaugh law school terminated him after he plagiarized his research papers. However, he was readmitted to college after his family paid a hefty $60,000 to famous Colombian lawyer Butch Bowers.
While he was readmitted to college, he didn’t go back after the Murdaugh Murders took place.
The Stephen Smith Controversy
“Is Buster Murdaugh gay?”
This popped up as Buster Murdaugh had his name associated with the death of his high school classmate Steven Smith.
In 2015, the body of Steven Smith, a high schooler and openly-gay classmate of Buster, was found on the side of the road. His body was found 15 miles away from Murdaugh’s family house.
While it was deemed as a hit and run case, the case was reopened later on in 2018. According to reports, no tire skid marks and vehicle debris was found, ruling it out as a hit and run case.
The name of Buster Murdaugh came up here as a prime suspect since it was rumored that he was in a gay relationship with Steven back in high school. However, no evidence was found, and his name was dropped as a suspect.
This is what Buster said regarding these allegations:
| “I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith’s tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother. I love them so much and miss them terribly.” “These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.” |
Conclusion: Where Is Buster Murdaugh Now?
Right now, with his father in prison, Buster Murdaugh now lives with girlfriend in a condo on Hilton Hill Road. If you want to know whether Buster Murdaugh married or not – then the answer is no.
According to his friends, he was a very friendly and outgoing person. However, he has now become a semi-recluse, and doesn’t take much to anyone. He is currently an attorney at the Olivetti, McCray and Withrow Law Firm. Buster Murdaugh net worth is currently around $5 million.
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