[imagesource: Facebook / Margaret Murdaugh]

The Murdaughs have been one of the most powerful families in South Carolina for generations.

Alex Murdaugh, the head of the family at the centre of a case that has gripped America’s attention, comes from a long line of celebrated lawyers.

His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all served as the top prosecutor for one of the state’s regions, but the 53-year-old’s world has come crashing down around him over the past few months.

In June, his wife and one of his sons, Margaret and Paul (with Alex above), were found murdered.

The BBC with the many twists and turns in this story:

At the time of his death, Paul [below] was also facing criminal charges stemming from a 2019 incident in which authorities say he drunkenly caused a boating accident that left a woman dead.

Mr Murdaugh was shot in early September. No arrests have been made in the incident, which came a day after Mr Murdaugh resigned from his law firm.

The law firm later claimed he misappropriated funds, which his lawyer says he primarily used to fund an opioid addiction. Mr Murdaugh entered rehab several days after the shooting.

If you’re a little confused, let me spell it out.

Alex Murdaugh is accused of ordering a hit on himself so that his other son could collect $10 million in life insurance.

He was shot in the head on the side of a road on September 4:

Originally, Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys had claimed that he was changing a tyre when an unidentified assailant shot him. He was released from hospital two days later.

Now, police allege – and Mr Murdaugh’s lawyers admit – that he arranged for a man to shoot him…

Murdaugh believed that if he took his own life, his remaining son wouldn’t be able to claim the sizeable insurance payout.

Curtis Edward Smith, the hitman he allegedly hired, has admitted his involvement.

Let’s zero in on the double murder of Margaret and Paul, who were found shot to death at their home in Islandton, about 105 kilometres west of Charleston.

Nobody has been charged for the killing, and police have yet to suggest that Murdaugh was involved.

Attorney Mr Harpootlian, speaking on behalf of Murdaugh, said his client had nothing to do with the double murder and doesn’t know who did it.

He added that he is investigating “an individual, or individuals, we believe have some culpability or have done it”.

During a recent TV appearance following the double murder, two of Paul’s uncles said their nephew had been getting threatening messages since being charged in the boat accident death.

The double murder also prompted authorities to reopen the investigation into the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose body was found along a road 15 kilometres from the Murdaugh property.

His death was originally classified as a hit and run, but that is now under scrutiny.

That’s a lot to digest, and already enough for a riveting true-crime series.

But wait, because there’s further intrigue, with The New York Times reporting that authorities in South Carolina have now opened an investigation into the 2018 death of a housekeeper at Murdaugh’s home:

The death of the housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, 57, was attributed in court documents to a “trip and fall” accident, but Angela Topper, the coroner in Hampton County, S.C., said the death was never reported to her office and no autopsy was conducted…

The new investigation into Ms. Satterfield’s death came after lawyers representing her two sons said the children had not received any of the $505,000 settlement that their previous lawyer had reached with Mr. Murdaugh.

The coroner, Topper, said that the death was listed as “natural” on Satterfield’s death certificate, but that’s “inconsistent” with an accidental fall.

Aside from the real human tragedy and suffering, something at the centre of true-crime stories that often gets overlooked, you can see why this case has captivated America’s attention.

So many loose threads to pull on, and so much still to be investigated.

[sources:bbc&nytimes]