very interesting - backstory about the boating crash & legal suits
& another mysterious death possibly connected to youngest Murdaugh brothers
South Carolina Murdaugh family confident 'justice will be served' after double murder of mother, son
Speaking to Fox & Friend’s Ainsley Earhardt on Monday morning, Tangie Peeples Ohmer described how the local community was reeling from the June 7 double murders of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and her 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh.
The mother and son were found fatally shot at their home, the "Moselle" hunting lodge, near Islandton, by Alex Murdaugh, Maggie’s husband and Paul’s father, the Island Packet reported. Alex Murdaugh reportedly said he was not there when the shooting took place.
According to the report, sources are investigating whether Paul Murdaugh was the intended target of the shooting. He suffered wounds to his upper body and head from what appeared to have been a shotgun, while an assault rifle is believed to have been used to kill his mother, the
Island Packet reported.
he Murdaughs are one of South Carolina’s most prominent legal families.
Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a February 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The woman’s body was found seven days after the crash. Since his death,
the Daily Mail reported that Paul Murdaugh was said to have turned into a "totally different person" when he drank alcohol.
The wreck led to stories questioning whether his family’s ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation.
he State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case and has released few details, including what kind of weapons were used and whether they have any potential suspects. Colleton County deputies turned the case over to state police and their police report said almost nothing other than two people were shot.
The prominent South Carolina family of a mother and son who were killed is confident that “justice will be served,” a friend told Fox News on Monday.
www.foxnews.com
Top SC prosecutor still investigating 2019 fatal boat crash despite Murdaugh’s death
The S.C. Attorney General’s Office said it is still investigating the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach, even though the man accused of driving the boat was killed last week.
Citing the still-open investigation, the agency’s spokesperson justified his office’s refusal to release the case file and has declined to explain further.
The refusal raises questions about whether the Attorney General’s office is still investigating the crash itself or what happened after the crash.
Paul Murdaugh, 20 at the time and from an influential family that ran the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office
for nearly a century, was indicted on three counts of boating under the influence in April 2019.
Another Murdaugh tragedy. Another reason to lose faith in the criminal justice system
Paul Murdaugh, whose great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather also were 14th Circuit solicitors, was facing one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of boating under the influence causing great bodily injury from a crash near Parris Island in February 2019.
It was hoped a trial would bring justice and accountability in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
What we don’t know about these cases would fill a thick book. But we do know this: The Murdaugh boy never faced justice in the drunken boat crash that rocked the Lowcountry.
He was killed days after a lengthy, court-ordered mediation session failed to resolve a civil suit stemming from the boat crash.
The shootings are mysterious because the so-called criminal justice system has made them that way.
As of Friday, authorities had released only sketchy, confusing tads of information that did more to confuse than clarify.
Why would law enforcement say the community at-large had nothing to fear after two people were gunned down on their private property? And at the same time, give a phone number for people to call with information, indicating they don’t know who did it and where that suspect or suspects may be.
The list of unknowns is needlessly long, especially when the law demands public information be released to the public, and when that information involves basic public safety.
But one thing we do know about the Murdaugh case is that it has eroded public trust in the criminal justice system.
Paul Murdaugh got special treatment from the first horrific moments in the fatal boat crash case.
The 911 dispatch system proved to be a joke.
The coordination of investigative organizations was abysmal.
The lawyers immediately injecting themselves in the case at the hospital were Paul Murdaugh’s father, Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh, a part-time prosecutor with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and his grandfather, Randy Murdaugh, who was the solicitor for two decades.
When the young man finally faced a day in court,
his arrest after pleading not guilty proved to be what columnist Liz Farrell, who was there, said was “like a summer intern” version of arrest.
Authorities claimed it was because the charges came in a “direct indictment,” but let’s list all the other suspects we’ve seen who never cross the doorstep of the jail, and whose “mug shot” is taken in street clothes in a courthouse hallway.
Whether powerful insiders can dodge accountability we’ll never know.
In a just world, Paul Murdaugh would already have faced trial and been judged by a jury.
South Carolina puts lost trust on steroids by letting criminal cases dangle unattended for years as memories fade, witnesses die, and evidence disappears.
Mallory Beach's family files wrongful death lawsuit against bar, Parker's, homeowners
A lawsuit claims Mallory Beach and her underage friends were served alcohol at several Lowcountry locations before the deadly boat crash that claimed her life.
Beaufort County, SC (WJCL) —
A lawsuit has been filed against two businesses and a family in connection with the death of Mallory Beach.
“There were a number of things that happened that were outlined in that lawsuit that shouldn’t have happened. Including the illegal sales of alcohol,” said Mark Tinsley, the family's lawyer.
Beach died in February after the boat she was on crashed in the waters near Parris Island. She was with a group of friends at the time. The suit says the group had gotten their hands on alcohol even though none of them were of legal drinking age.
The family of Mallory Beach has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Luther’s, a bar and restaurant on Bay Street in Beaufort, the Parker’s 55 convenience store in Ridgeland as well as Beaufort County homeowners Kristy and James Wood.
In the lawsuit, the Beach’s claim that Mallory and her friends started their night by getting alcohol at the Parkers 55 in Ridgeland on February 23.
Later, the wrongful death suit says the group of 18 to 20-year-olds went to the Woods' home to party and had alcohol there as well. The plaintiff claims that the Woods “knew or reasonably should have known” party goers were underage.
It is also alleged the group took a boat from the home and went to Luther’s where some were served alcohol as well. The crew then left Luther’s by boat and eventually crashed into a piling near Archers Creek Bridge.
“Adults are in a position to stop the sale of alcohol to minors. To stop the service of alcohol to minors, and providing them a safe haven, so what they’re hoping is that this doesn’t happen to your daughter, my daughter, or you or me,” said Tinsley.
Mallory was thrown from the boat in that crash. Her body was found about a week later. Five people on that boat were injured. When Port Royal Police got to the crash scene they described those boaters as “grossly intoxicated.”
We reached out to the defendants in this suit. Greg Parker sent the following statement.
"We take the responsibility of selling alcohol very seriously at Parker's and have strict policies and procedures in place to make sure we sell alcohol only to individuals who have proof that they are of legal drinking age. Every member of the Parker's team undergoes alcohol training, and we regularly send mystery shoppers to our stores to make sure team members are carding customers who purchase alcohol".
Luther's and James Wood have no comment to give at this time. None of those boaters were named in the suit.
(Below: 911 call made after Mallory Beach's disappearance)
Depositions released in Mallory Beach wrongful death lawsuit
hhttps://www.wistv.com/2021/06/08/depositions-released-mallory-beach-wrongful-death-lawsuit/ttps://www.wjcl.com/article/lawsuit-filed-in-connection-to-the-death-of-mallory-beach/26889543
Murdaugh Murders:
Unanswered Questions About Multiple Suspicious Deaths Connected To Family
So many unanswered questions surround not only Monday’s
shocking slayings, but several other suspicious deaths connected to the Murdaughs — one of the wealthiest, most prominent families in South Carolina. Three generations of Murdaughs served as the S.C. fourteenth judicial circuit solicitor from 1920 through 2006 — and the family exerted additional influence via the powerful law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick
(PMPED).
As the investigation moves forward and detectives attempt to unravel the complicated ties to the Murdaugh dynasty, several sources who spoke with FITSNews questioned whether this criminal inquiry would be tainted like the others before it.
Stephen Smith’s Death In 2015
Officials still don’t know who or what killed 19-year-old
Stephen Smith six years ago — but his death has been widely associated with the Murdaugh family.
The
double homicide of
Paul Murdaugh and his mother
Maggie Murdaugh in rural Colleton County earlier this week sent shockwaves throughout South Carolina. Now, in the aftermath of their deaths, a cloud of unsettled air hangs above the Lowcountry — where the Murdaugh family’s power has loomed large over law enforcement and local courtrooms for nearly a century.
So many unanswered questions surround not only Monday’s
shocking slayings, but several other suspicious deaths connected to the Murdaughs — one of the wealthiest, most prominent families in South Carolina. Three generations of Murdaughs served as the S.C. fourteenth judicial circuit solicitor from 1920 through 2006 — and the family exerted additional influence via the powerful law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick
(PMPED).
As the investigation moves forward and detectives attempt to unravel the complicated ties to the Murdaugh dynasty, several sources who spoke with FITSNews questioned whether this criminal inquiry would be tainted like the others before it.
the media outlet has been covering Paul Murdaugh since he was first accused in a
fatal boat crash that killed 19-year-old
Mallory Beach in February 2019.
Over the years, we’ve spoken to over 100 people about the Murdaugh family – about the power they held over others, about their close ties to law enforcement, about their deep pockets, about their vast tracts of land, and about the disconnect between their private and public personas.
All of this is inextricably tied to the investigation — which is undeniably a murder investigation unlike any other.
Despite what his
obituary says, Paul Murdaugh — who was described to FITSNews by several sources as an entitled sociopath with a short fuse — had a history that goes much deeper than the 2019 boat crash that thrust him into the media limelight.
*****
Stephen Smith’s Death In 2015
Officials still don’t know who or what killed 19-year-old
Stephen Smith six years ago — but his death has been widely associated with the Murdaugh family.
Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash, the 2015 investigation into Smith’s death was chaotic from the beginning — clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference.
Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015 in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, South Carolina.
Crime scene photos obtained by FITSNews are horrific — Stephen’s entire face was covered in blood that cascaded from a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead. His head was misshapen by blunt force.
Someone just left him in the middle of the road to die …
Stephen’s massive head wound — along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body — stumped investigators on scene. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. Cuts and bruises dotted his right hand. His shoes were still on and clothes appeared untouched. His phone and keys were still in his pocket.
Investigators found his car three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. His wallet was inside the car. SCHP detectives noted that the gas cap was unscrewed and hanging outside of the gas cap door.
Officials couldn’t nail down a cause or manner of death. At first, they thought it was a hit and run. Then, the coroner ruled the death a shooting homicide — forcing investigators to search the rural road carved between a tree line and a corn field.
In their search, investigators from the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Hampton County sheriff’s office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) found virtually no evidence — no bullets, no gunshot residue, no tire marks, no pieces left from a vehicle. Nothing.
Hours later, a MUSC pathologist ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit-and-run accident – a decision that was met with confusion and skepticism by both investigators and those who knew Stephen. Investigators theorized that the mirror o
Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash, the 2015 investigation into Smith’s death was chaotic from the beginning — clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference.
Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015 in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, South Carolina.
Crime scene photos obtained by FITSNews are horrific — Stephen’s entire face was covered in blood that cascaded from a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead. His head was misshapen by blunt force.
Someone just left him in the middle of the road to die …
a semi-truck hit Stephen’s head.
“Stephen was not stupid,” Stephen’s friend told FITSNews. “There is no way that would happen to him. He would not let a car, let alone a truck, get close enough to hit him. That did not happen to my friend. He doesn’t deserve that. He doesn’t deserve people to think that.”
Stephen was beloved. He was an openly gay young man in the small town of Hampton, South Carolina, which wasn’t easy, but he made the best of it, his friends told FITSNews. He was bright and determined to make a better life for himself. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death.
This decision to rule his death a hit-and-run appeared to skew the investigation by SCHP’s Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) – who typically investigate accidents, not murders.
The Murdaugh name was mentioned over 40 times throughout the course of the investigation – which went cold less than a year after Smith was killed. According to SCHP documents, detectives were pursuing Paul Murdaugh and his brother Buster Murdaugh as possible persons of interest in the case
MORE AT LINK BELOW
"They’re going to go on living their lives like nothing (happened)."
www.fitsnews.com
