The Murdaugh Murders (2023) Movie Script
This is Alex Murdaugh, 4147 Moselle Road.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
Could you give us your address again?
4147 Moselle Road. It's bad.
- Are they breathing?
- No, ma'am.
And you say it's your wife and your son?
My wife and my son.
What is her name?
Maggie and Paul. Maggie.
Are they breathing at
all? Are they moving at all?
I know you said she was
shot, but what about your son?
Nobody. Not one of them never moved.
I don't want you to touch them, okay,
in case they can get any evidence off them.
I already touched them
to see if they're breathing.
A jury took less than three
hours to convict lawyer
Alex Murdaugh of the murder of
his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
Murdaugh has been sentenced
to two consecutive life sentences,
and will be spending the
rest of his life behind bars.
Murdaugh's family was
prominent in Hampton County
for over 100 years and have
been described as de facto royalty.
Murdaugh, whose father, grandfather
and great-grandfather were all prosecutors,
claims that his family
was killed by people who
wanted revenge for a drunken boat accident
allegedly caused by his late son, Paul.
In addition to this sentence,
Murdaugh now faces charges of
embezzling millions of dollars
from his law firm and clients,
including his former
housekeeper's family. Who died
under mysterious circumstances
at the Murdaugh house.
Not only that, three months
after the murder of his wife
and son, Murdaugh
attempted to commit suicide
in order to get a life insurance
payment to his surviving son.
Murdaugh will continue to stay at the.
Kirkland Correctional Institute
for an unspecified time period
until he is processed and sent
to a maximum security prison.
It is a good day to get a
little sunshine, Officer Dealey.
Warmer than last week.
I can't argue.
How long are they going to
keep you here at Kirkland?
You mean before they
send me someplace else?
A couple of weeks, a month.
Lots of processing and figuring to do.
- But I suspect I'll be back.
- Why is that?
- You ever have a dog?
- Couple of them.
Dogs are like people.
I had this one dog that
kept trying to get away.
He'd cause a scrap, then run away,
but as soon as he got over the fence,
he'd come running right
back, barking to be let in.
You want to come back to Kirkland Jail?
Not the jail, particularly.
Yep.
- Murdaugh.
- Good mornin', sir.
You bastard.
- My name's Charlie Boggs.
- Boggs?
Yeah, I think I know some of your people.
- My mother.
- That's right.
Elsie Boggs. Lovely woman.
You were her lawyer. Do you remember?
- Well, I can't really remember...
- Don't worry.
Because when I get my hands
on you, you're gonna remember.
It's okay, son.
Boggs, calm yourself!
We'll talk.
Time to go inside, Prisoner Murdaugh.
What?
I thought I had a couple of
minutes out here on the patio.
You got a visitor.
Good afternoon.
Well, this is a surprise.
I was expecting to see one of my lawyers.
How do you do, Mr. Murdaugh?
I'm Alicia Seaborne.
Alicia Seaborne? I don't think we've met.
- I wrote to you two months ago.
- Oh, my goodness.
You're not one of those
women who started sending me
love letters asking me
to marry them, are you?
Because I find it sad.
Mr. Murdaugh, I'm from
Modern Metropolitan magazine.
You and your lawyers
invited me to interview you.
Ah! Excuse my confusion.
Thank you for coming all the
way from New York for this.
You're welcome.
And did you come from New
York or did you come from your
father's house in New Hampshire?
Why do you wanna know?
Well, I know your father
passed just two weeks ago, so
I admire your decision
to keep our appointment.
Well, congratulations
on having your lawyers
do a Google search on me.
But if you really wanna talk to me,
you can stop playing the games.
I'm afraid you're too
smart for my lawyer games.
Probably not.
Ms. Seaborne, I need your help.
I wanna find who killed my wife and son.
I'm here to talk about your crimes.
You mean my financial wrongdoing?
Yes, but also your attempt
to kill yourself so that
your son, Buster, could get a
financial settlement as well as
the millions you allegedly stole
from your clients and partners.
I admit I did a lot of bad things.
And that is why I think whoever
murdered Maggie and Paul
was after revenge for money I stole.
It's possible.
Or someone wanted revenge
for the boat accident Pa-Pa was in.
Where that
poor girl...
A jury thought otherwise.
I hope you'll listen to me.
You admitted on the stand
that you lied, cheated and stole
from your friends and business partners.
- Why would I believe you?
- I didn't say believe me.
- I said, listen to me.
- What does that mean?
If you listen to me...
Do you wanna do this story?
'Cause it'll win you the Pellinger.
- I've already got one Pellinger.
- Got it a long time ago.
So you want me to tell
your side of the story?
No. I want you to listen to me.
And maybe help me
find who killed my family.
Mr. Murdaugh, I believe the
police already found the killer.
I disagree.
Mr. Murdaugh, I flew down
here because you invited me.
Now I can drive back to
the airport this evening,
and none of this will matter to me.
And that is what I am inclined to do.
Well, you can go, but
then all they'll remember
you for at that magazine
is that last story of yours.
- What story is that?
- The one where you screwed up.
Got enough facts wrong
to get your bosses sued.
The judge threw that case out of court.
People don't remember that.
They just remember the
lawsuit and your name on it.
And by writing this story,
I'll get my reputation back.
I never said it would.
And why do you think
I would write this story?
Why is why you'll write it.
You wanna know why.
Mr. Murdaugh, I don't want to sound rude,
but I want to be straight with you.
I want to write a story about you.
- But I am not your friend and...
- I-I understand.
We will keep this businesslike.
And I want you to understand
why my family was killed.
And help you to understand
it was a revenge killing.
- Revenge?
- Yes.
I'm convinced that someone
wanted me to pay for something
I did. Either something I did
or something my family did.
Maybe even before I was born.
Because people got long
memories around here.
And I need to make you see that.
Look, I'm trying to make
sense of what I'm hearing.
I will write the story,
but I need you to start from the beginning.
Well, first, I wanna tell
you about my drug problem,
- because that's an important...
- No, no, no, we'll get to that.
- But I need you...
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
It's important. And you said
that you would listen to me.
I did.
Okay.
Drugs.
What started it?
Football.
Played a little in college.
No trophies, except for a bum knee.
Mr. Murdaugh, it's healed
some, but it just takes time.
And I don't really wanna
do another surgery.
Well, I appreciate everything you're doing,
and have no problem
holding off on another surgery.
- But it is one thing.
- What's that?
My prescription for
the painkillers ran out.
Hmm. Okay, well, I'll
refill your prescription,
but be careful. I don't want
you getting used to these things.
I will. I will be extra careful.
All right.
I moved on to oxycodone in 2008.
And I'm not quite sure how
I let myself get where I got,
but it escalates.
It escalates.
The pills were 30 milligrams,
but there were some days...
There were some days I
was taking 2,000 milligrams.
But those are better than the
days when I didn't have any.
Alex.
Alex?
Alex, are you up?
I'm just a little bit under
the weather, Maggie.
But I'll be up in a bit.
Alex, you lied.
You told me this wouldn't happen again.
Mags?
Mags?
When you're withdrawing,
you're physically sick.
It's like the flu, joints hurt and ache.
It goes to all of a sudden,
sweat runs down your body.
It's like you ran a marathon.
Then there are the intestinal issues.
You literally can't control yourself.
I'm sorry to be so graphic, ma'am.
That's all right.
What would you do then?
What do you mean, after I got sick?
- Yes.
- I'd buy more pills.
- But...
- Just-just let me explain.
Daddy?
I wasn't expecting to run into you here.
Well, hello, Alex. I was
just here with your mother.
Where's Mama at? Is she okay?
Well, they have to run some tests,
but she's just not doing any better.
Alzheimer's does what it does.
If you told me you were
coming, I could have...
Never mind. Never mind.
What are you doing here?
Oh, I have an appointment
with the surgeon about
the old football knee.
As little as you played in college,
who would think that that knee
would give you so much trouble?
How many operations you had on that?
Well, surgeries work, but
then I always do something
to reinjure it, which reminds
me, I'm late for my appointment.
But if you and Mama wanna
wait, I can give you a ride.
No, no, thank you. I can still get around.
You know, I'm not a cripple, yet.
Hey Pa-Pa, where you
been all night? On the boat?
- Mm.
- I know you had a good time.
You catch anything other than a buzz?
I'm heading into the office,
but you have a nice day.
And try to get some sleep for a change.
You looking for something?
Yeah, I tucked my keys somewhere.
I thought you might be looking for these.
Where did you get that,
Paul? That's not yours.
It's not yours either, unless
you're Lenelle T. Robson.
That's interesting.
What are you doing? Your mother
brought you up better than that.
It was empty when I found it in the boat.
So you don't have to worry about it.
Paul, you got to understand.
You said you weren't
taking this crap anymore.
You promised Mom and me!
And you said you were clean!
I am trying, but it's hard, all right?
It's harder than anything
you can understand.
Come on, let's talk.
All right. You know what?
We'll go fishing tonight
and I'll try to explain.
And I can assure you, Mrs. Boggs,
that what happened to you
was not a normal workplace accident.
And that supermarket you worked...
- She worked at a pharmacy.
- What?
She worked at the Crown
Pharmacy, not a supermarket.
That's right, the pharmacy.
They're gonna pay for
all that pain and suffering
they caused you when that
delivery vehicle struck you.
Because I can tell you,
in all my years in this firm,
which was founded by my great-granddaddy,
I've never seen anything so...
- It wasn't a delivery truck.
- I beg your pardon?
It wasn't a delivery truck. She
was hit by a customer's car.
It makes no difference.
It was their parking lot, so we're gonna...
Unfortunately, that is a client
who needs my assistance right away.
How are we supposed to talk about the case?
We need to know what steps to
take, you know, moving forward.
We will. It's just, this is an emergency.
So you stay right here.
And I'm gonna have one of
my associates take over for me.
Morning, Brett.
Hey there, Cousin Alex.
This is a real nice ride you got here.
Tell me, these, uh, these tinted windows,
they cost extra or do they
come with the package?
Eddie, what are you doing in my car?
I saw these nice, dark
tinted windows and I thought,
this would be a great place for
us to talk. Nobody can see us.
There's cameras everywhere.
You're probably on half a dozen
security cameras just
walking across the street.
Is that so? If I'd known
that, I'd've got my hair done.
Now, you said you got
what we were talking about?
Oh, yeah.
All that money...
What about it?
That's money that you stole
from clients and partners.
It wasn't my money. That's true.
And from the family of
your former housekeeper,
Gloria Satterfield.
Well...
You stole millions by taking
checks and depositing them
into the account of a front company,
and then taking money from that account.
- I'm not saying I didn't.
- But how did you do it
on 1,000 milligrams of oxycodone a day?
You sound like the prosecutor now.
I don't mean to, but it's hundreds of times
the legal dosage, yet you
were functioning enough
to steal millions and
keep it hidden for years.
- But why would I lie about that?
- Sympathy?
I didn't need anyone's sympathy.
Not even from the jury
as an excuse for all these
incriminating details coming
out from the prosecution,
- the witness...
- My wife and son were murdered.
I didn't need to make up...
I apologize for raising my voice.
That's all right.
I am probably gonna stay in this evening.
You have any plans?
I'm going fishing.
Fishing?
Isn't that a reporter's job?
I'm sure the numbers
you're offering are fair.
I just wanna think about it before
committing that much capital.
Mr. Wilkins?
Oh, good-bye, Mr. Gustaf.
Looking to talk soon.
Mr. Wilkins. I'm Alicia Seaborne.
I emailed you earlier.
- The writer from the magazine?
- Yes. You are a hard man to find
with all these businesses you own.
You know, I tried texting
you, and when that didn't work,
I went to your other stores and businesses.
Well, you know, you're right
about all those businesses.
And that's why I like
this place, it's quiet
and almost nobody bothers me here.
I want to ask you about Alex Murdaugh.
Who said I knew anything about him?
A lot of people. I can
come back if you're busy.
No, it isn't busy. It's just, uh...
It's just talking about Alex Murdaugh?
Let's go.
Now come on this way.
Let me show you something.
- Grab that side.
- Oh.
Did you know Alex Murdaugh well?
Well, let's put it this way.
I knew him a long time.
You're in the real
estate business, I heard.
Did you have any business deals with him?
One or two.
- You fish?
- No. I'm no good.
Well, the secret to
fishing is that no one's
good at it, except the fish.
Some of those worms look a little beat up.
Well, you know bass will
ambush wounded prey.
This torn-up worm is perfect,
especially in shallow water.
So if you can't find a worm,
you just get a spinner bait
with a red or pink head. And the red, well,
it makes the fish think
that the bait is injured.
And they'll bite at it.
Okay, let me show you. Let's thread this.
This hook. Mm-hmm. Be
careful now. The hook's sharp.
Ooh. Ouch.
Now, once the worm's on
the hook, you're 90% done.
Did Alex Murdaugh catch many fish?
Now see, you've got to understand,
the Murdaughs have always
been rich for over 100 years.
A Murdaugh without money?
Well, if you look like you have money,
you don't need that much bait at all.
- Good afternoon, Mr. Murdaugh.
- Hello there, Emma.
- You holding down the fort?
- I am, though Mr. Parkinson
in accounting says he needs to
see you about a settlement check
you were supposed to send
him. And he's still asking if we
got the money from the
Elsie Boggs' settlement.
Could you just tell old Ron
I'll take care of it right away?
Okay. Oh, and Mr. Denny
Wilkins is here to see you.
- Can you tell him I'm busy?
- Yeah.
Is that Alex Murdaugh, I hear?
Denny! What a pleasant surprise!
The same, Alex, the same.
And of course, you know,
I'm hoping that you're going to
give another pleasant surprise
for me too.
Well, let's go to my office
and take of that, all right?
All right.
Emma, I'm just going to be
just a teensy bit busy, all right?
Of course, I have the money I
owe you for the parcel of land
next to the bait store.
When have I ever not paid what I owe?
Well, I don't know about ever,
but I was supposed to get paid
two months ago on that. Now
I know you got your plate full.
And I'm sorry to hear about
your boy's boat accident.
Yeah, well, as if I didn't have
enough lawyers and lawsuits
in my life, but it's gonna be okay.
I sure hope so.
I might be a little slow on the paperwork,
but you came on the right day.
You have immaculate timing.
And I take it that's the right amount?
To the penny. Thanks.
Hey, I'm sorry if I seem a little...
No, no, no. That's quite all right, Denny.
It's just we're moving
a lot of money around.
Did you manage to get
a developer interested
in building out there?
Oh, I got a lot of ol' boys
interested in my properties,
but some of them are from out of town.
And they want to build them
so all these New Yorkers and.
Californians can come in
here and start avoiding paying
high taxes, you know. And I'm...
I'm not rushing into bed with any of them.
So you don't have a development deal yet?
Oh, you mean is that where
this money come from?
Well, that's not polite.
You don't ask a man where
his money comes from.
Thank you.
To be a little impolite, where
did that money come from?
Well, the Murdaughs are a
very prominent and wealthy
family in these here parts. Now
why would they need money?
Very funny.
Now you watched the trial on TV.
You know where that money was
coming from. He was stealing it.
Millions for at least 10 years.
And you know that check that
he wrote me? It was
probably stolen from a client
and moved into his account.
But why did he need
to steal all that money?
Well, you may have to go
fishing someplace else for that.
But talk to someone who was on that boat.
Murdaugh's boy crashed or
someone who knew his wife.
Mom, what are you doing up at this hour?
Hey, I didn't wake you, did I?
No, I'm working.
Well, I hadn't heard from
you since you left yesterday,
- so I was a little worried.
- Mama, I called you
and left a voicemail on the house phone
and then I texted you on your cell phone.
I didn't even think to check the voicemail
and I just turned off the cell phone.
But I thought you played
Scrabble on the phone.
No. I use Dad's old computer for that now.
That way I don't get
interrupted by sales calls.
With your father gone,
sometimes I don't mind
talking to the salespeople,
even if I don't need a
new warranty on my car.
Okay, Mom. I'm sorry that I
worried you. Everything is fine.
I'm just working on the Alex Murdaugh story
- down in South Carolina.
- Oh. Yeah.
I saw that story.
That poor woman got
murdered by her husband.
She always dressed so nice
in the photos I saw on the news.
Yeah, she did dress
nice. Look, Mom, it is late.
And we should both probably
go to bed if we want to look nice.
You're right. I'm getting
my hair done tomorrow
and I don't want to show
up looking bad for that
'cause you know how them ladies will talk.
Yes, you don't want to look
bad to get your hair done.
Uh, goodnight, Mom. I love you.
Okay. Goodnight, sweetie.
Hey, don't work too hard.
Where did you get your hair done?
We're not open for
another half an hour, ma'am.
Oh, hi. I'm Alicia Seaborne.
You must be Mollie O'Donnell.
I got your name from...
Yeah, Denny said you'd be calling.
Do you even want a hair appointment?
I just got my hair done, but um...
Come in.
This is a nice place.
One of the best I ever worked at,
which is why I don't want
to get into any trouble.
- For talking to me?
- All hair stylists do is talk.
Well, I wanted to talk
about Maggie Murdaugh,
and I thought you might
feel nervous about that
because of the Murdaughs and their power.
No, that's not it.
Anything the Murdaughs had
is gone. Maggie was a friend.
I'm happy to chat with you.
No, I just want to be careful
because my boss doesn't like me
chatting with someone on
company time who isn't a customer.
Oh. Well, um, why don't
you sell me some product
and then we can talk?
Why don't you have a seat in my chair?
So...
What do you wanna know?
What you know about Maggie Murdaugh.
I knew everything.
I knew she was kind. She loved her sons.
She practically lived for them.
And what about her husband?
- Not so much.
- She wanted a divorce.
Why?
My first ex-husband said
there were only two answers
to every single question, sex or money.
Well, in Maggie's case, I
am guessing it was money.
Maggie told me.
Hello, darling. This is a nice surprise.
Is Pa-Pa with you?
Nope, he's with friends.
Oh, so it's just a romantic
evening with the two of us?
Do you know what this is?
It looks like a check from here.
Yeah. You know what it says?
I can guess.
Do you know how
embarrassing this is for me?
Every year I make a
donation to the children's wing
at the hospital, what they
call a sustaining pledge.
I know what it's called.
And this year, one week
after I wrote the check,
I get a call from Mrs.
Laurence at the bank telling me...
- Maggie, I know what they said.
- Telling me I bounced a check.
Alex, I know it is not
a mistake on their part.
It's just a temporary shortfall.
You shouldn't have used that account.
I talked to a divorce attorney.
What?
You know what she told me?
Um...
Can I get a sip of that tea?
I think I need it.
Why would you go to a divorce attorney?
She told me that I needed
to check our other accounts.
- And from what I can tell...
- Maggie, you know you're not
good with money.
I can read enough to know
what a negative number is.
And we...
Our bank accounts are hundreds of thousands
of dollars in the red.
No. It's just those accounts.
Those accounts? There
are other accounts, Alex?
What? Are you hiding money?
Listen, Mags, you know that the trial
for Paul's boat accident's coming up.
Don't try to change the subject.
That is the subject.
If we lose that trial,
we're gonna be broke.
Don't try to blame Paul
for your money troubles.
If we are broke, it's because of you.
Well, you certainly enjoy spending it.
And there's always money coming in.
I'm just shifting it around, so...
So you're hiding the money,
but we can't write a check?
I got a land deal about
to close. And it's so big...
I'm sick of hearing it.
Sick of it.
You finish that and get out of here.
Wait, so you're leaving me over money?
I'm leaving you over lies.
It sounds like a third
reason for divorce...
Lying.
Maybe, but the only things worth
lying about are sex and money.
And my weight.
Okay. How much do I owe you for this?
Ah, don't worry about it.
I gave you a bunch of free samples.
Thank you, but you
really helped me out today.
No, no. Seriously, it was
nice to talk to someone.
Maggie was a good woman.
And I meant to ask,
do you know anyone who was
on the boat the night it crashed?
I told you, I do hair.
I know everyone.
Excuse me. Are you
Bailey... Oh, my goodness.
I'm sorry. I did not mean to...
Are you the reporter?
Where'd you park your car?
Uh, someone was mad at
me and took it out on my tires,
so while I'm waiting for another rental.
I took a taxi.
Did you know Paul Murdaugh in high school?
Everybody knew Paul.
But you knew that already.
You just wanna talk about the boat crash.
The one where Mallory died.
If you don't wanna
talk... If you're worried...
About someone slashing my tires?
I wouldn't worry about the guys who did it.
They're just a bunch of big
mouths who want anyone, um,
badmouthing our town.
Oh, wow.
So not a conspiracy, just idiots.
But um, about the boat accident
and what happened after it.
Was that a conspiracy?
You could call it that.
I just call it the Murdaughs.
Well, can you tell me more about that?
Where did it begin?
I mean, what's to tell?
Rich boy gets drunk, a girl dies.
What could I tell you that
you don't already know?
A lot.
You could tell everyone
what happened that night.
All right.
It starts with Buster
Murdaugh's driver's license.
Then it was party time.
Around 7:00, Paul picked a bunch of us up,
including Mallory, and Conor, and Anthony.
He'd already been drinking,
but then we headed to
a house party on the river
and stayed there drinking
for a couple more hours.
Um...
Sometime around midnight, I
think we took off from the party
and Paul was at the
wheel. After the party, we...
We pulled off to a bar, and
he had a couple more drinks.
And then we went back on the river.
He was doing donuts on the
river and just chugging beers.
And we were all telling him to stop.
Had he done that kind of thing before?
He was always drinking and
doing whatever he wanted.
He was a Murdaugh.
And then what happened?
We were all yelling at him to stop.
Then one of the guys was trying
to get someone else to steer.
And then...
We crashed into the bridge.
It took them eight days
to find Mallory's body.
I just remember waking up at the hospital.
Mr. Murdaugh was there.
How's Pa-Pa doing?
He's a little bruised, and a
little ornery with the doctors.
Well, he needs to behave. This is serious.
The police said that his
blood alcohol level was 2.8.
Damn.
- What's gonna happen?
- That all depends.
Honey, Paul's room is this way.
You go keep an eye on Paul. I'm
gonna check on something here.
Hey, Jerry. Everything all right?
It's calmed down a bit, Mr. Murdaugh.
I certainly hope so.
Thank you for keeping an eye on things.
I'm going to be out in a minute.
- Okay?
- Yes, sir.
Mr. Murdaugh.
I'm sorry to intrude on you.
Did you wanna talk to my mom?
She just went to the ladies room.
No, no. I just wanted
to see how you're doing,
if you're all right?
What happened is awful,
and I'm just grateful to
the Lord that you're alive.
And I'm here to help in any way that I can.
Thank you, Mr. Murdaugh. I appreciate it.
I'm extra glad to help.
Now, I hope the police haven't
been bothering you too much.
Oh, I haven't talked to them yet.
Okay, well, they're gonna
ask you a lot of questions,
so you just make sure
you tell them the truth.
For instance, do you remember
who was driving the boat?
- Yeah...
- Because I heard it was Conor.
It was Paul driving the boat.
I'm just saying, you want to be
sure when you talk to the police
'cause after all, you have been drinking.
It was Paul. It was his boat.
I'm sure you remember it that way, Bailey.
Memory's tricky. And you want to be careful
what you tell the police 'cause it can have
serious repercussions for a lot of people.
But again, please, if
you need anything at all,
you let me know. All right?
You need a lawyer, you
want someone to talk to?
I know some good people that can help you.
Could you tell me what
room the other boy is in,
the one who was driving the boat?
You mean your son?
No, that other boy, Conor Lake.
Oh, yes sir. He's in room 209.
Thank you.
What did Mr. Murdaugh say to Conor?
I heard he said the same
thing to him he did to me,
that he was there to help.
And he kept prodding Conor
to admit that he was the one
driving the boat, not Paul.
I bet he told Conor he was
gonna help him get a lawyer
and take care of him.
Take care of him?
Yeah, that's what the Murdaughs do.
Or did.
They make a mess,
like getting Mallory killed.
And then they just help
someone else take the blame.
- I wanted to ask...
- I hope you don't mind,
but I really don't wanna talk anymore.
Thank you for taking
the time to talk to me.
If you think of anything
else you want to say,
just give me a call.
Thank you.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
I hear you had a little
trouble with your tires.
- Who told you that?
- Gossip travels fast.
I just wanted you to know
I didn't have anything...
I know. That's not your style.
They're probably just
friends of Charlie Boggs or
someone else who says I stole their money.
You talking to me, you must be my friend.
I am not your friend!
You didn't have to say that so fast.
Guess all I'm saying is,
I got a lot of people out
there who still don't like me.
I see.
Now, I hear you talked to a couple people,
including Denny Wilkins and
that nice, young Bailey Swann.
What'd you talk about?
Wilkins and I talked about money.
And Bailey talked about
Paul's boat accident.
What did she tell you?
She told me that the Murdaughs
clean up a lot of messes.
That's why I wanted to ask
you about your suicide attempt.
Well, three months after
your wife and son were killed,
you got yourself shot in the
head for life insurance money,
so that you could give
a $10 million settlement
to Buster.
So?
This is about fixing up messes.
Really?
Well, that's one way to look at it.
But since you know so much about it,
why don't you tell me what you heard?
Well, a lot of people think
it was fake, that the law was
closing in on you for the
deaths of your wife and son.
And that this could be a distraction,
that those random vigilantes
you said murdered your family
were coming after you.
Well, if my plan was to have
Eddie shoot at me and miss,
then I did a bad job 'cause
he got me in the head.
All right, then.
Why don't you tell me what really happened?
- What took you so long?
- I'm sorry. You know, I...
It don't matter now, but
I've been standing out here
half the day.
You know if somebody
pulled over, offered to help me,
it would've screwed up the whole plan.
Look, I'm not so sure about this.
Like I told you, this is the only way.
Come on.
I wanna explain again what you need to do.
I don't think we should be doing this.
I mean, I shouldn't be the one helping you.
I mean, we're talking
about your life, Alex.
I appreciate what you're doing for me
because you're helping me help my family.
- This is for Buster.
- I know.
And as for me,
I'll be in a better place
with Mags and Pa-Pa.
So you just do like I told
you. You shoot me, drive off.
- You throw the gun in the river.
- In the river.
You don't talk to anyone.
You ready?
Yeah. Yeah.
All right. It's in your hands, my friend.
Ah! Dammit, Eddie!
What did you do? You idiot!
How'd you manage to miss?
Ah, this hurts so bad. I can't believe it.
I'm sorry I missed, man. Do
you want me to shoot you again?
No, dammit!
I don't trust you to shoot
a wall from inside a house!
Is there something wrong?
Look, I'm sorry, but...
I can't argue with that. It is...
It's hard to get good help.
Look, the way you tell it, it is possible,
but Eddie tells a different story.
Oh, so you talked to Cousin Eddie?
That why you were drinking so much?
I wasn't drinking with him.
After I talked to everyone,
including him, I thought a
couple of drinks would help.
- Did it?
- It never does,
but that's beside the point.
Do you know how Cousin Eddie tells it?
He said he went to meet you there.
- What took you so long?
- I was just thinking about this.
It don't matter now, but
I've been standing out here
half the day. Somebody...
- Take the gun.
- I don't...
Take the gun. You take
the gun. Take the gun.
You take the gun. You
shoot me. You drive away.
You throw it in the river.
You don't talk to anyone.
Take the gun. Come on.
Take the gun, all right? You ready?
All right. It's in your hands, my friend.
He actually claims he fired
the gun as a warning shot
to scare me off to not do this?
Well, either way, you gotta wonder how
someone who grew up
around here is such a lousy shot.
Mr. Murdaugh, you admit to
setting up your own murder,
fake or real, to cheat
the insurance company.
To help my son, Buster.
Well, don't you think having
a living father would be more
helpful to your son than a check
from the insurance company?
All I ever tried to do was help my family.
Did you try to help Paul?
You know when you tried
to pin the boat accident
and Mallory Beach's
murder on that other boy?
I did no such thing.
Like any man,
all I have ever done was
try to protect my family.
Is that all you've ever done?
You admitted to stealing
millions of dollars.
Was that to protect your family?
See, you don't know
because you weren't there.
Yeah, you're right.
And I wasn't there the night...
You mean, the night...
I'm here to talk about the
night your family was killed.
I'll be, uh, happy to talk.
But only because I
want you to hear the truth.
Then I'm gonna ask you some questions.
That's fine.
What do you wanna know?
Everything that happened that day.
Everything you did.
All right, then.
Well, I had a busy day at the office.
I was mostly busy dealing with the trial
of Paul's boat accident.
But I decided to leave early
so I could go hang out with Paul.
Hey, Paul. What you up to, Son?
Your feet still sore?
Your mama around?
I hear we're having country fried steak
and mac and cheese for dinner.
I don't know.
Hey, let's take a walk down to the field.
I'm a little busy.
Come on, you're not
too busy for your old man.
Besides, I need to pick your
brain about them sunflowers
'cause you know more about
running this place than I do.
How come you don't
want to go to the doctor's?
Your mama made you two
appointments with Dr. Redding.
You skipped on both of them.
And I can tell your feet
are still sore and blowed up
from all the stress.
I just don't want to go to the doctor.
Well, don't your feet hurt?
It's no big deal.
Besides, if they hurt, couldn't
I just take some pills like you?
- Now, that's just mean, Pa-Pa.
- Yeah, whatever.
I thought we were going
to look at sunflowers.
Yeah, we are.
So you think they got some
kind of root rot or mildew?
I just know something's wrong with them.
Well, they ain't gonna get
better unless we treat them.
- Yeah.
- Just like your feet.
I don't wanna talk about that.
I know people have been
saying some mean things
to you about the boat accident.
And I heard you got into
some fights over it, but I...
I've just gotta tell you,
there's nothing to worry about.
I'm taking care of it.
Are you and Mom getting a divorce?
Did she tell you that?
Are you?
I have no intention of leaving your mother.
She says she's leaving you.
Yeah, we're all under
a lot of stress right now,
so you know, sometimes
your mother says things.
All you do is say everything's okay.
You'd never admit there's a problem.
Well, I never say there's no problem.
It's just that if there is a problem,
I'ma try and fix it.
That's what problems
are for, for me to fix 'em.
You're saying you can fix anything?
My daddy could fix any problem.
As for me, I haven't met
a problem yet I couldn't fix.
So you ever hear anything
bad about your old man,
you just remember I was
probably trying to fix a problem.
- Got that, Pa-Pa?
- Yeah, I got it.
All right, then.
Then there is no problemo, amigo.
Some problems can't be fixed.
I never met one I couldn't.
You do realize you're sitting in a prison?
My problem is not that I'm in prison.
My problem is that someone
murdered my wife and son.
And I want to find them.
All right.
Tell me what happened later that night.
Well, we had dinner.
And Maggie and Paul
went down to the kennels
to look after the dogs.
I drove over my mom's house for a visit
'cause my dad was in the hospital.
I'm gonna stay here just a little longer.
And I'll be back to see you tomorrow.
All right, Dad. Goodnight.
You can just tell Mama
I'll be back tomorrow.
Come on, Mags, what's going on with you?
Maggie, I'm home!
Maggie! Pa-Pa!
Mags! Pa-Pa!
You alive?
Paul!
Paul.
Maggie. Maggie!
Paul, are you alive?
Paul, are you alive?
Maggie!
Maggie!
Maggie.
No, no.
This is Alex Murdaugh, 4147 Moselle Road.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
What is her name?
Maggie and Paul. Maggie.
You got any firearms on you at all?
I brought out a shotgun.
It's leaning against the side of the car.
You're fine, man. You're fine.
Turn around for me.
Yeah. I don't have anything on me.
Is this your wife and son?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
This firearm, is that
the one that you brought
from inside the house?
Yes, sir. It's a long story.
My son was in a boat
wreck a few months back.
He's been getting
threats. Most stuff's benign.
We didn't take serious,
but he's been getting, like, punched.
There's a lot of evidence and
things that don't make sense.
Are you going to cross-examine me?
Well, I've done what I said.
- I said I would listen.
- And you did.
Now, if you really want
my help finding who killed...
Maggie and Paul.
Then I'm gonna have to ask some questions.
But first I want to show you
the footage from that night.
Are you okay with that?
Do you have any guns on you at all?
I brought out a shotgun.
It's leaning against the side of the car.
You're fine, man. You're fine.
Turn around for me.
Yeah, I don't have anything on me.
This your wife and kid?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
This firearm, is that the one you brought
- from inside the house?
- Yes, sir. This is a long story.
My son was in a boat
wreck a few months back.
He's been getting
threats. Most stuff's benign.
We didn't take serious, but
he's been getting, like, punched.
You bring up the boat accident first thing.
- Not first thing, necessarily.
- But almost the first thing,
which seems odd for a
man who's just seen his wife
and son's bodies.
'Cause that's who I thought did it!
Someone who had threatened
Paul had come for him.
Of course I'm going to say that.
Time's up, Prisoner.
It's been nice talking to
you, but I think we're done,
for good.
Are you sure you don't wanna talk anymore?
You think you're getting
away from me, but you're not,
you thieving bastard.
What the hell?
No matter where they send
you, I'm going to get you.
Boggs, back off!
I'm just saying hello.
Now you can say good-bye
or I'll put you in lockup.
Yes, sir.
You sure pissed him off.
Yeah, well, thanks for stopping him.
The neighborhood is noisy enough.
I hear you're moving to a
new neighborhood soon.
What's that?
You're being shifted out of
here sooner than expected.
Two more days and you're off
to max security for processing.
Is that right?
If there's anybody that you
want to talk to, you might want to
reach out now because you're
not allowed to communicate
with the outside world for several weeks.
While I've been staying at
home tending to my knitting,
it looks like you've been busy.
Well, while you've
been playing hard to get,
I've been out making friends.
Well, this is a friendly town.
It is that. The people do love to chat.
Anyone in particular?
The help.
The help?
Paralegals, assistants, receptionists.
- Anyone I know?
- They all seem to know you.
They told me a lot of things
that I'd like to run by you.
Get your opinion on.
Well, you've been nice
enough to listen to me.
I am glad to return the courtesy.
Now, this is just what I heard.
Yeah, and that is not gonna be a problem.
You said to bring Mr. Tinsley
in even if you were busy.
Yeah, I'll have my bank
send over that draft today.
All right, then.
Mr. Tinsley, it is an honor to see you.
Nice to see you too, Alex.
Everything going all right?
Well, some days are better than others.
So how can I help you?
I take it you got the Friendergram pictures
my associate sent you?
Are you referring to the ones of Paul?
Yeah, I remember these.
These are copies that
my assistant made before
they were wiped from your
son's Friendergram page.
- I don't know what that has...
- Your wife liked them, which
means she's aware that your
underage son was drinking, too.
Allegedly. Maggie's got
nothing to do with this.
Look, let's just talk about what you want.
You're representing the
family of Mallory Beach...
- And others.
- For $10 million.
- Correct.
- Which I don't have.
You've said that before
and I don't believe it.
The most I can scrape
together is maybe a million.
And then there's that
$500,000 insurance policy
I told you about.
Come on.
The insurance company's
probably not going to honor that.
You don't know that.
I know that it covers a
commercial hunting lodge.
Which Moselle Road is.
And the insurance company
will point out that you live there
and there's paid guests.
What's more, the policy only
covers accidents that are
part of the business operations.
Now, your son taking
his friends for a joy ride...
Be that as it may, I
don't have $10 million.
Your family has bought and
sold most of three counties
for 100 years. I know you have
the money hidden somewhere
and I'm going to find it.
Well, if you find it,
could you let me know?
Because I sure could use it.
So you were drinking with Mark Tinsley?
No. Someone else, but it's not important.
Well, drinking or no,
that is an interesting
version of the story.
- Well, is it true?
- Is what true?
That Tinsley was coming after
you for money you don't have?
And what money is that?
And that if he went after your finances,
it would be revealed that you
were stealing millions from your
clients to pay off bad debts.
And then, you were stealing
from your next clients to
cover up the debt that you owed
your other clients that
you had stolen before.
See, now you're just giving
the prosecutor's theory.
You decided the only way out of the lawsuit
was to kill your wife and son.
- That is not...
- You'd get sympathy
and the insurance money from their deaths
you could use to cover the
lawsuit and keep hiding that
you had been stealing to cover your losses,
like you did from Gloria
Satterfield's family.
Why don't you tell me
what you heard about that?
Well, the rumor is Gloria Satterfield
did not fall down the back stairs.
The story is that your wife killed her
by pushing her down the
stairs and you covered it up.
And then you stole the
insurance money from her family.
First of all, my late wife
never murdered anyone.
Is that clear?
And secondly, little helpful advice.
You're gonna murder someone,
pushing them down a couple of
steps doesn't seem like
the most efficient method.
I suppose not.
And as for money I took or didn't take,
- why is that important?
- Because once the boat lawsuit
happened and they dug into your finances,
they would see all the
stealing you'd been doing
to cover up your losses.
See, I thought you were gonna listen to me
to learn what really happened.
Maggie and Paul's death
were revenge killings.
And I'm doing my best,
but I can't believe you
unless we go over everything
the prosecution said happened
- that night and you explain.
- I don't know.
I can't believe you unless you tell me
what this is on Paul's
phone. You said you never
went back to the kennels
after Maggie got home,
yet this sounds like your voice.
I already told them in
court, I did lie about that.
It was paranoia from the drugs...
Mr. Murdaugh, you
asked me to listen to you,
but I need you to listen to me.
Come on. Quit.
Hey! He's got a bird in his mouth!
Bubba!
It's a guinea.
- It's a chicken.
- Come on, Bubba. Come on.
- Where did you get that?
- It's on the internet.
They used it as evidence.
You told the police, the court and everyone
that you were napping after
dinner and you never went
down to the kennels before
you drove to your parents' house.
You lied.
Just because I lied doesn't mean...
Doesn't mean what?
I loved my family.
But since you apparently
know more about it than I do,
why don't you tell me what happened there?
You really want that?
You're the writer.
You tell me the story.
After dinner, when you
said you were taking a nap,
you were getting ready to
go see your wife and son
for the last time.
You told the jury you were napping
and that you didn't go down to the kennels.
Come here. Come here. You're
such a good boy, aren't you?
But you didn't know that
Paul was shooting a video.
Hey! He's got a bird in his mouth!
And that it had your voice on it.
It's a guinea.
It's a chicken.
That's when you got your weapons.
Dad! What...
Alex! Did someone fire a gun?
Paul!
Paul.
You took the clothes and the guns.
And only you know what you did with them.
Hey Maggie, I'm just heading up to Mama's.
I'll be back in a while.
Nobody knows what happened to the guns.
But Maggie's phone was
found by the side of the road
in-between your home at
Moselle and your parents' house.
And according to the car's computer system,
you drove past the spot, slowing
down where the phone was found,
and speeding up as you went past it.
After throwing your wife's phone away,
you texted that phone.
You got to your parents' house
at 9:22 PM, then you went in.
Hey, Mama.
You and me don't talk much anymore.
But I'm gonna stay here
just a little longer and then I'll...
I'll be back to visit tomorrow.
How long were you there?
- What? At my mother's?
- Yes.
I don't remember.
Long enough to establish an alibi?
I listened to your version,
which I already heard
from prosecutors, so you
gonna let me tell the story?
I spent the night at home
with Maggie and Paul.
And yes, I did lie about
going down to the kennel.
Because I was scared and
paranoid from my drug use.
A man doesn't think straight when he's got
all that poison in him.
Now, you gonna let me finish?
I went to visit my mother.
And I called Maggie and Paul
from my parents' house,
but when they didn't get back,
I started to get worried.
Maggie! Paul!
Where the hell are you?
Paul! Paul!
This is Alex Murdaugh, 4147 Moselle Road.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
So you got back to the Moselle Road house
- at approximately...
- Excuse me.
- 10:05.
- Excuse me!
Oh, I'm sorry, but...
I don't wanna go through this again.
I'm leaving in the morning.
But I need to ask you why you did this.
Did what?
Lied, cheated, stole, killed.
All I'm trying to do is find the
people who killed my family.
If I'm a liar, why are
you even listening to me?
Because liars tell the best stories.
You've been in town less than a week.
- And already you know more...
- I think I know a lot.
And I think I know why.
Why what?
It's you. You were never
anybody in this town,
except the son or a
grandson, or a great-grandson.
You were never the big man.
You were just in the shadow
of your daddy and your daddy's daddy.
And when you lost all that money,
you started stealing to hide it.
And you got away with it for a long time,
but not because you're smart.
But because of who your daddy
and your granddaddy were.
No one would ever think
a Murdaugh was broke enough to steal.
And all that talk about
protecting your family
and taking care of
them, all you cared about
was what people thought of you.
You were willing to kill your family...
Just so no one would think you
let down the Murdaugh name.
I'd like to say I'm looking
forward to your article, but...
I have better things to do.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Mom, how're feeling?
I just wanted you to know
I'll be home in a day or two.
I'm working on a project
and I was thinking I could
work on it there, maybe
help you out a little more.
Okay.
I'll see you soon.
I can't say I've enjoyed my stay here,
but I do thank you for your hospitality.
You're welcome, I guess.
I got you now!
You okay?
Thank you for that.
That's quite a surprise going-away party.
You sure you're not gonna miss this place?
Well, you just tell Boggs
if he needs a lawyer,
to give me a call.
Here you go. More fan mail today.
I just hope all this celebrity
doesn't go to my head.
"Mr. Murdaugh, I want to thank you again
for your time and help.
I thought a lot about what you said.
And I hope you find the story
I wrote about you to be fair."
I quit the magazine and
decided to stop writing
other people's stories. I now
have a contract to write a book
about my own family back in my
hometown where I'm living now.
Thank you again for your time.
And I hope you find peace.
Fancy magazine story on you, Murdaugh.
Do you want it?
You're not gonna read it?
Nah. It's always the same old story.
Thank you.
I ever tell you about the dog I once had?
Lots of times.
Well
time is what I got a lot of.
You're a good storyteller, Mr. Murdaugh.
Because liars tell the best stories.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
Could you give us your address again?
4147 Moselle Road. It's bad.
- Are they breathing?
- No, ma'am.
And you say it's your wife and your son?
My wife and my son.
What is her name?
Maggie and Paul. Maggie.
Are they breathing at
all? Are they moving at all?
I know you said she was
shot, but what about your son?
Nobody. Not one of them never moved.
I don't want you to touch them, okay,
in case they can get any evidence off them.
I already touched them
to see if they're breathing.
A jury took less than three
hours to convict lawyer
Alex Murdaugh of the murder of
his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
Murdaugh has been sentenced
to two consecutive life sentences,
and will be spending the
rest of his life behind bars.
Murdaugh's family was
prominent in Hampton County
for over 100 years and have
been described as de facto royalty.
Murdaugh, whose father, grandfather
and great-grandfather were all prosecutors,
claims that his family
was killed by people who
wanted revenge for a drunken boat accident
allegedly caused by his late son, Paul.
In addition to this sentence,
Murdaugh now faces charges of
embezzling millions of dollars
from his law firm and clients,
including his former
housekeeper's family. Who died
under mysterious circumstances
at the Murdaugh house.
Not only that, three months
after the murder of his wife
and son, Murdaugh
attempted to commit suicide
in order to get a life insurance
payment to his surviving son.
Murdaugh will continue to stay at the.
Kirkland Correctional Institute
for an unspecified time period
until he is processed and sent
to a maximum security prison.
It is a good day to get a
little sunshine, Officer Dealey.
Warmer than last week.
I can't argue.
How long are they going to
keep you here at Kirkland?
You mean before they
send me someplace else?
A couple of weeks, a month.
Lots of processing and figuring to do.
- But I suspect I'll be back.
- Why is that?
- You ever have a dog?
- Couple of them.
Dogs are like people.
I had this one dog that
kept trying to get away.
He'd cause a scrap, then run away,
but as soon as he got over the fence,
he'd come running right
back, barking to be let in.
You want to come back to Kirkland Jail?
Not the jail, particularly.
Yep.
- Murdaugh.
- Good mornin', sir.
You bastard.
- My name's Charlie Boggs.
- Boggs?
Yeah, I think I know some of your people.
- My mother.
- That's right.
Elsie Boggs. Lovely woman.
You were her lawyer. Do you remember?
- Well, I can't really remember...
- Don't worry.
Because when I get my hands
on you, you're gonna remember.
It's okay, son.
Boggs, calm yourself!
We'll talk.
Time to go inside, Prisoner Murdaugh.
What?
I thought I had a couple of
minutes out here on the patio.
You got a visitor.
Good afternoon.
Well, this is a surprise.
I was expecting to see one of my lawyers.
How do you do, Mr. Murdaugh?
I'm Alicia Seaborne.
Alicia Seaborne? I don't think we've met.
- I wrote to you two months ago.
- Oh, my goodness.
You're not one of those
women who started sending me
love letters asking me
to marry them, are you?
Because I find it sad.
Mr. Murdaugh, I'm from
Modern Metropolitan magazine.
You and your lawyers
invited me to interview you.
Ah! Excuse my confusion.
Thank you for coming all the
way from New York for this.
You're welcome.
And did you come from New
York or did you come from your
father's house in New Hampshire?
Why do you wanna know?
Well, I know your father
passed just two weeks ago, so
I admire your decision
to keep our appointment.
Well, congratulations
on having your lawyers
do a Google search on me.
But if you really wanna talk to me,
you can stop playing the games.
I'm afraid you're too
smart for my lawyer games.
Probably not.
Ms. Seaborne, I need your help.
I wanna find who killed my wife and son.
I'm here to talk about your crimes.
You mean my financial wrongdoing?
Yes, but also your attempt
to kill yourself so that
your son, Buster, could get a
financial settlement as well as
the millions you allegedly stole
from your clients and partners.
I admit I did a lot of bad things.
And that is why I think whoever
murdered Maggie and Paul
was after revenge for money I stole.
It's possible.
Or someone wanted revenge
for the boat accident Pa-Pa was in.
Where that
poor girl...
A jury thought otherwise.
I hope you'll listen to me.
You admitted on the stand
that you lied, cheated and stole
from your friends and business partners.
- Why would I believe you?
- I didn't say believe me.
- I said, listen to me.
- What does that mean?
If you listen to me...
Do you wanna do this story?
'Cause it'll win you the Pellinger.
- I've already got one Pellinger.
- Got it a long time ago.
So you want me to tell
your side of the story?
No. I want you to listen to me.
And maybe help me
find who killed my family.
Mr. Murdaugh, I believe the
police already found the killer.
I disagree.
Mr. Murdaugh, I flew down
here because you invited me.
Now I can drive back to
the airport this evening,
and none of this will matter to me.
And that is what I am inclined to do.
Well, you can go, but
then all they'll remember
you for at that magazine
is that last story of yours.
- What story is that?
- The one where you screwed up.
Got enough facts wrong
to get your bosses sued.
The judge threw that case out of court.
People don't remember that.
They just remember the
lawsuit and your name on it.
And by writing this story,
I'll get my reputation back.
I never said it would.
And why do you think
I would write this story?
Why is why you'll write it.
You wanna know why.
Mr. Murdaugh, I don't want to sound rude,
but I want to be straight with you.
I want to write a story about you.
- But I am not your friend and...
- I-I understand.
We will keep this businesslike.
And I want you to understand
why my family was killed.
And help you to understand
it was a revenge killing.
- Revenge?
- Yes.
I'm convinced that someone
wanted me to pay for something
I did. Either something I did
or something my family did.
Maybe even before I was born.
Because people got long
memories around here.
And I need to make you see that.
Look, I'm trying to make
sense of what I'm hearing.
I will write the story,
but I need you to start from the beginning.
Well, first, I wanna tell
you about my drug problem,
- because that's an important...
- No, no, no, we'll get to that.
- But I need you...
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
It's important. And you said
that you would listen to me.
I did.
Okay.
Drugs.
What started it?
Football.
Played a little in college.
No trophies, except for a bum knee.
Mr. Murdaugh, it's healed
some, but it just takes time.
And I don't really wanna
do another surgery.
Well, I appreciate everything you're doing,
and have no problem
holding off on another surgery.
- But it is one thing.
- What's that?
My prescription for
the painkillers ran out.
Hmm. Okay, well, I'll
refill your prescription,
but be careful. I don't want
you getting used to these things.
I will. I will be extra careful.
All right.
I moved on to oxycodone in 2008.
And I'm not quite sure how
I let myself get where I got,
but it escalates.
It escalates.
The pills were 30 milligrams,
but there were some days...
There were some days I
was taking 2,000 milligrams.
But those are better than the
days when I didn't have any.
Alex.
Alex?
Alex, are you up?
I'm just a little bit under
the weather, Maggie.
But I'll be up in a bit.
Alex, you lied.
You told me this wouldn't happen again.
Mags?
Mags?
When you're withdrawing,
you're physically sick.
It's like the flu, joints hurt and ache.
It goes to all of a sudden,
sweat runs down your body.
It's like you ran a marathon.
Then there are the intestinal issues.
You literally can't control yourself.
I'm sorry to be so graphic, ma'am.
That's all right.
What would you do then?
What do you mean, after I got sick?
- Yes.
- I'd buy more pills.
- But...
- Just-just let me explain.
Daddy?
I wasn't expecting to run into you here.
Well, hello, Alex. I was
just here with your mother.
Where's Mama at? Is she okay?
Well, they have to run some tests,
but she's just not doing any better.
Alzheimer's does what it does.
If you told me you were
coming, I could have...
Never mind. Never mind.
What are you doing here?
Oh, I have an appointment
with the surgeon about
the old football knee.
As little as you played in college,
who would think that that knee
would give you so much trouble?
How many operations you had on that?
Well, surgeries work, but
then I always do something
to reinjure it, which reminds
me, I'm late for my appointment.
But if you and Mama wanna
wait, I can give you a ride.
No, no, thank you. I can still get around.
You know, I'm not a cripple, yet.
Hey Pa-Pa, where you
been all night? On the boat?
- Mm.
- I know you had a good time.
You catch anything other than a buzz?
I'm heading into the office,
but you have a nice day.
And try to get some sleep for a change.
You looking for something?
Yeah, I tucked my keys somewhere.
I thought you might be looking for these.
Where did you get that,
Paul? That's not yours.
It's not yours either, unless
you're Lenelle T. Robson.
That's interesting.
What are you doing? Your mother
brought you up better than that.
It was empty when I found it in the boat.
So you don't have to worry about it.
Paul, you got to understand.
You said you weren't
taking this crap anymore.
You promised Mom and me!
And you said you were clean!
I am trying, but it's hard, all right?
It's harder than anything
you can understand.
Come on, let's talk.
All right. You know what?
We'll go fishing tonight
and I'll try to explain.
And I can assure you, Mrs. Boggs,
that what happened to you
was not a normal workplace accident.
And that supermarket you worked...
- She worked at a pharmacy.
- What?
She worked at the Crown
Pharmacy, not a supermarket.
That's right, the pharmacy.
They're gonna pay for
all that pain and suffering
they caused you when that
delivery vehicle struck you.
Because I can tell you,
in all my years in this firm,
which was founded by my great-granddaddy,
I've never seen anything so...
- It wasn't a delivery truck.
- I beg your pardon?
It wasn't a delivery truck. She
was hit by a customer's car.
It makes no difference.
It was their parking lot, so we're gonna...
Unfortunately, that is a client
who needs my assistance right away.
How are we supposed to talk about the case?
We need to know what steps to
take, you know, moving forward.
We will. It's just, this is an emergency.
So you stay right here.
And I'm gonna have one of
my associates take over for me.
Morning, Brett.
Hey there, Cousin Alex.
This is a real nice ride you got here.
Tell me, these, uh, these tinted windows,
they cost extra or do they
come with the package?
Eddie, what are you doing in my car?
I saw these nice, dark
tinted windows and I thought,
this would be a great place for
us to talk. Nobody can see us.
There's cameras everywhere.
You're probably on half a dozen
security cameras just
walking across the street.
Is that so? If I'd known
that, I'd've got my hair done.
Now, you said you got
what we were talking about?
Oh, yeah.
All that money...
What about it?
That's money that you stole
from clients and partners.
It wasn't my money. That's true.
And from the family of
your former housekeeper,
Gloria Satterfield.
Well...
You stole millions by taking
checks and depositing them
into the account of a front company,
and then taking money from that account.
- I'm not saying I didn't.
- But how did you do it
on 1,000 milligrams of oxycodone a day?
You sound like the prosecutor now.
I don't mean to, but it's hundreds of times
the legal dosage, yet you
were functioning enough
to steal millions and
keep it hidden for years.
- But why would I lie about that?
- Sympathy?
I didn't need anyone's sympathy.
Not even from the jury
as an excuse for all these
incriminating details coming
out from the prosecution,
- the witness...
- My wife and son were murdered.
I didn't need to make up...
I apologize for raising my voice.
That's all right.
I am probably gonna stay in this evening.
You have any plans?
I'm going fishing.
Fishing?
Isn't that a reporter's job?
I'm sure the numbers
you're offering are fair.
I just wanna think about it before
committing that much capital.
Mr. Wilkins?
Oh, good-bye, Mr. Gustaf.
Looking to talk soon.
Mr. Wilkins. I'm Alicia Seaborne.
I emailed you earlier.
- The writer from the magazine?
- Yes. You are a hard man to find
with all these businesses you own.
You know, I tried texting
you, and when that didn't work,
I went to your other stores and businesses.
Well, you know, you're right
about all those businesses.
And that's why I like
this place, it's quiet
and almost nobody bothers me here.
I want to ask you about Alex Murdaugh.
Who said I knew anything about him?
A lot of people. I can
come back if you're busy.
No, it isn't busy. It's just, uh...
It's just talking about Alex Murdaugh?
Let's go.
Now come on this way.
Let me show you something.
- Grab that side.
- Oh.
Did you know Alex Murdaugh well?
Well, let's put it this way.
I knew him a long time.
You're in the real
estate business, I heard.
Did you have any business deals with him?
One or two.
- You fish?
- No. I'm no good.
Well, the secret to
fishing is that no one's
good at it, except the fish.
Some of those worms look a little beat up.
Well, you know bass will
ambush wounded prey.
This torn-up worm is perfect,
especially in shallow water.
So if you can't find a worm,
you just get a spinner bait
with a red or pink head. And the red, well,
it makes the fish think
that the bait is injured.
And they'll bite at it.
Okay, let me show you. Let's thread this.
This hook. Mm-hmm. Be
careful now. The hook's sharp.
Ooh. Ouch.
Now, once the worm's on
the hook, you're 90% done.
Did Alex Murdaugh catch many fish?
Now see, you've got to understand,
the Murdaughs have always
been rich for over 100 years.
A Murdaugh without money?
Well, if you look like you have money,
you don't need that much bait at all.
- Good afternoon, Mr. Murdaugh.
- Hello there, Emma.
- You holding down the fort?
- I am, though Mr. Parkinson
in accounting says he needs to
see you about a settlement check
you were supposed to send
him. And he's still asking if we
got the money from the
Elsie Boggs' settlement.
Could you just tell old Ron
I'll take care of it right away?
Okay. Oh, and Mr. Denny
Wilkins is here to see you.
- Can you tell him I'm busy?
- Yeah.
Is that Alex Murdaugh, I hear?
Denny! What a pleasant surprise!
The same, Alex, the same.
And of course, you know,
I'm hoping that you're going to
give another pleasant surprise
for me too.
Well, let's go to my office
and take of that, all right?
All right.
Emma, I'm just going to be
just a teensy bit busy, all right?
Of course, I have the money I
owe you for the parcel of land
next to the bait store.
When have I ever not paid what I owe?
Well, I don't know about ever,
but I was supposed to get paid
two months ago on that. Now
I know you got your plate full.
And I'm sorry to hear about
your boy's boat accident.
Yeah, well, as if I didn't have
enough lawyers and lawsuits
in my life, but it's gonna be okay.
I sure hope so.
I might be a little slow on the paperwork,
but you came on the right day.
You have immaculate timing.
And I take it that's the right amount?
To the penny. Thanks.
Hey, I'm sorry if I seem a little...
No, no, no. That's quite all right, Denny.
It's just we're moving
a lot of money around.
Did you manage to get
a developer interested
in building out there?
Oh, I got a lot of ol' boys
interested in my properties,
but some of them are from out of town.
And they want to build them
so all these New Yorkers and.
Californians can come in
here and start avoiding paying
high taxes, you know. And I'm...
I'm not rushing into bed with any of them.
So you don't have a development deal yet?
Oh, you mean is that where
this money come from?
Well, that's not polite.
You don't ask a man where
his money comes from.
Thank you.
To be a little impolite, where
did that money come from?
Well, the Murdaughs are a
very prominent and wealthy
family in these here parts. Now
why would they need money?
Very funny.
Now you watched the trial on TV.
You know where that money was
coming from. He was stealing it.
Millions for at least 10 years.
And you know that check that
he wrote me? It was
probably stolen from a client
and moved into his account.
But why did he need
to steal all that money?
Well, you may have to go
fishing someplace else for that.
But talk to someone who was on that boat.
Murdaugh's boy crashed or
someone who knew his wife.
Mom, what are you doing up at this hour?
Hey, I didn't wake you, did I?
No, I'm working.
Well, I hadn't heard from
you since you left yesterday,
- so I was a little worried.
- Mama, I called you
and left a voicemail on the house phone
and then I texted you on your cell phone.
I didn't even think to check the voicemail
and I just turned off the cell phone.
But I thought you played
Scrabble on the phone.
No. I use Dad's old computer for that now.
That way I don't get
interrupted by sales calls.
With your father gone,
sometimes I don't mind
talking to the salespeople,
even if I don't need a
new warranty on my car.
Okay, Mom. I'm sorry that I
worried you. Everything is fine.
I'm just working on the Alex Murdaugh story
- down in South Carolina.
- Oh. Yeah.
I saw that story.
That poor woman got
murdered by her husband.
She always dressed so nice
in the photos I saw on the news.
Yeah, she did dress
nice. Look, Mom, it is late.
And we should both probably
go to bed if we want to look nice.
You're right. I'm getting
my hair done tomorrow
and I don't want to show
up looking bad for that
'cause you know how them ladies will talk.
Yes, you don't want to look
bad to get your hair done.
Uh, goodnight, Mom. I love you.
Okay. Goodnight, sweetie.
Hey, don't work too hard.
Where did you get your hair done?
We're not open for
another half an hour, ma'am.
Oh, hi. I'm Alicia Seaborne.
You must be Mollie O'Donnell.
I got your name from...
Yeah, Denny said you'd be calling.
Do you even want a hair appointment?
I just got my hair done, but um...
Come in.
This is a nice place.
One of the best I ever worked at,
which is why I don't want
to get into any trouble.
- For talking to me?
- All hair stylists do is talk.
Well, I wanted to talk
about Maggie Murdaugh,
and I thought you might
feel nervous about that
because of the Murdaughs and their power.
No, that's not it.
Anything the Murdaughs had
is gone. Maggie was a friend.
I'm happy to chat with you.
No, I just want to be careful
because my boss doesn't like me
chatting with someone on
company time who isn't a customer.
Oh. Well, um, why don't
you sell me some product
and then we can talk?
Why don't you have a seat in my chair?
So...
What do you wanna know?
What you know about Maggie Murdaugh.
I knew everything.
I knew she was kind. She loved her sons.
She practically lived for them.
And what about her husband?
- Not so much.
- She wanted a divorce.
Why?
My first ex-husband said
there were only two answers
to every single question, sex or money.
Well, in Maggie's case, I
am guessing it was money.
Maggie told me.
Hello, darling. This is a nice surprise.
Is Pa-Pa with you?
Nope, he's with friends.
Oh, so it's just a romantic
evening with the two of us?
Do you know what this is?
It looks like a check from here.
Yeah. You know what it says?
I can guess.
Do you know how
embarrassing this is for me?
Every year I make a
donation to the children's wing
at the hospital, what they
call a sustaining pledge.
I know what it's called.
And this year, one week
after I wrote the check,
I get a call from Mrs.
Laurence at the bank telling me...
- Maggie, I know what they said.
- Telling me I bounced a check.
Alex, I know it is not
a mistake on their part.
It's just a temporary shortfall.
You shouldn't have used that account.
I talked to a divorce attorney.
What?
You know what she told me?
Um...
Can I get a sip of that tea?
I think I need it.
Why would you go to a divorce attorney?
She told me that I needed
to check our other accounts.
- And from what I can tell...
- Maggie, you know you're not
good with money.
I can read enough to know
what a negative number is.
And we...
Our bank accounts are hundreds of thousands
of dollars in the red.
No. It's just those accounts.
Those accounts? There
are other accounts, Alex?
What? Are you hiding money?
Listen, Mags, you know that the trial
for Paul's boat accident's coming up.
Don't try to change the subject.
That is the subject.
If we lose that trial,
we're gonna be broke.
Don't try to blame Paul
for your money troubles.
If we are broke, it's because of you.
Well, you certainly enjoy spending it.
And there's always money coming in.
I'm just shifting it around, so...
So you're hiding the money,
but we can't write a check?
I got a land deal about
to close. And it's so big...
I'm sick of hearing it.
Sick of it.
You finish that and get out of here.
Wait, so you're leaving me over money?
I'm leaving you over lies.
It sounds like a third
reason for divorce...
Lying.
Maybe, but the only things worth
lying about are sex and money.
And my weight.
Okay. How much do I owe you for this?
Ah, don't worry about it.
I gave you a bunch of free samples.
Thank you, but you
really helped me out today.
No, no. Seriously, it was
nice to talk to someone.
Maggie was a good woman.
And I meant to ask,
do you know anyone who was
on the boat the night it crashed?
I told you, I do hair.
I know everyone.
Excuse me. Are you
Bailey... Oh, my goodness.
I'm sorry. I did not mean to...
Are you the reporter?
Where'd you park your car?
Uh, someone was mad at
me and took it out on my tires,
so while I'm waiting for another rental.
I took a taxi.
Did you know Paul Murdaugh in high school?
Everybody knew Paul.
But you knew that already.
You just wanna talk about the boat crash.
The one where Mallory died.
If you don't wanna
talk... If you're worried...
About someone slashing my tires?
I wouldn't worry about the guys who did it.
They're just a bunch of big
mouths who want anyone, um,
badmouthing our town.
Oh, wow.
So not a conspiracy, just idiots.
But um, about the boat accident
and what happened after it.
Was that a conspiracy?
You could call it that.
I just call it the Murdaughs.
Well, can you tell me more about that?
Where did it begin?
I mean, what's to tell?
Rich boy gets drunk, a girl dies.
What could I tell you that
you don't already know?
A lot.
You could tell everyone
what happened that night.
All right.
It starts with Buster
Murdaugh's driver's license.
Then it was party time.
Around 7:00, Paul picked a bunch of us up,
including Mallory, and Conor, and Anthony.
He'd already been drinking,
but then we headed to
a house party on the river
and stayed there drinking
for a couple more hours.
Um...
Sometime around midnight, I
think we took off from the party
and Paul was at the
wheel. After the party, we...
We pulled off to a bar, and
he had a couple more drinks.
And then we went back on the river.
He was doing donuts on the
river and just chugging beers.
And we were all telling him to stop.
Had he done that kind of thing before?
He was always drinking and
doing whatever he wanted.
He was a Murdaugh.
And then what happened?
We were all yelling at him to stop.
Then one of the guys was trying
to get someone else to steer.
And then...
We crashed into the bridge.
It took them eight days
to find Mallory's body.
I just remember waking up at the hospital.
Mr. Murdaugh was there.
How's Pa-Pa doing?
He's a little bruised, and a
little ornery with the doctors.
Well, he needs to behave. This is serious.
The police said that his
blood alcohol level was 2.8.
Damn.
- What's gonna happen?
- That all depends.
Honey, Paul's room is this way.
You go keep an eye on Paul. I'm
gonna check on something here.
Hey, Jerry. Everything all right?
It's calmed down a bit, Mr. Murdaugh.
I certainly hope so.
Thank you for keeping an eye on things.
I'm going to be out in a minute.
- Okay?
- Yes, sir.
Mr. Murdaugh.
I'm sorry to intrude on you.
Did you wanna talk to my mom?
She just went to the ladies room.
No, no. I just wanted
to see how you're doing,
if you're all right?
What happened is awful,
and I'm just grateful to
the Lord that you're alive.
And I'm here to help in any way that I can.
Thank you, Mr. Murdaugh. I appreciate it.
I'm extra glad to help.
Now, I hope the police haven't
been bothering you too much.
Oh, I haven't talked to them yet.
Okay, well, they're gonna
ask you a lot of questions,
so you just make sure
you tell them the truth.
For instance, do you remember
who was driving the boat?
- Yeah...
- Because I heard it was Conor.
It was Paul driving the boat.
I'm just saying, you want to be
sure when you talk to the police
'cause after all, you have been drinking.
It was Paul. It was his boat.
I'm sure you remember it that way, Bailey.
Memory's tricky. And you want to be careful
what you tell the police 'cause it can have
serious repercussions for a lot of people.
But again, please, if
you need anything at all,
you let me know. All right?
You need a lawyer, you
want someone to talk to?
I know some good people that can help you.
Could you tell me what
room the other boy is in,
the one who was driving the boat?
You mean your son?
No, that other boy, Conor Lake.
Oh, yes sir. He's in room 209.
Thank you.
What did Mr. Murdaugh say to Conor?
I heard he said the same
thing to him he did to me,
that he was there to help.
And he kept prodding Conor
to admit that he was the one
driving the boat, not Paul.
I bet he told Conor he was
gonna help him get a lawyer
and take care of him.
Take care of him?
Yeah, that's what the Murdaughs do.
Or did.
They make a mess,
like getting Mallory killed.
And then they just help
someone else take the blame.
- I wanted to ask...
- I hope you don't mind,
but I really don't wanna talk anymore.
Thank you for taking
the time to talk to me.
If you think of anything
else you want to say,
just give me a call.
Thank you.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
I hear you had a little
trouble with your tires.
- Who told you that?
- Gossip travels fast.
I just wanted you to know
I didn't have anything...
I know. That's not your style.
They're probably just
friends of Charlie Boggs or
someone else who says I stole their money.
You talking to me, you must be my friend.
I am not your friend!
You didn't have to say that so fast.
Guess all I'm saying is,
I got a lot of people out
there who still don't like me.
I see.
Now, I hear you talked to a couple people,
including Denny Wilkins and
that nice, young Bailey Swann.
What'd you talk about?
Wilkins and I talked about money.
And Bailey talked about
Paul's boat accident.
What did she tell you?
She told me that the Murdaughs
clean up a lot of messes.
That's why I wanted to ask
you about your suicide attempt.
Well, three months after
your wife and son were killed,
you got yourself shot in the
head for life insurance money,
so that you could give
a $10 million settlement
to Buster.
So?
This is about fixing up messes.
Really?
Well, that's one way to look at it.
But since you know so much about it,
why don't you tell me what you heard?
Well, a lot of people think
it was fake, that the law was
closing in on you for the
deaths of your wife and son.
And that this could be a distraction,
that those random vigilantes
you said murdered your family
were coming after you.
Well, if my plan was to have
Eddie shoot at me and miss,
then I did a bad job 'cause
he got me in the head.
All right, then.
Why don't you tell me what really happened?
- What took you so long?
- I'm sorry. You know, I...
It don't matter now, but
I've been standing out here
half the day.
You know if somebody
pulled over, offered to help me,
it would've screwed up the whole plan.
Look, I'm not so sure about this.
Like I told you, this is the only way.
Come on.
I wanna explain again what you need to do.
I don't think we should be doing this.
I mean, I shouldn't be the one helping you.
I mean, we're talking
about your life, Alex.
I appreciate what you're doing for me
because you're helping me help my family.
- This is for Buster.
- I know.
And as for me,
I'll be in a better place
with Mags and Pa-Pa.
So you just do like I told
you. You shoot me, drive off.
- You throw the gun in the river.
- In the river.
You don't talk to anyone.
You ready?
Yeah. Yeah.
All right. It's in your hands, my friend.
Ah! Dammit, Eddie!
What did you do? You idiot!
How'd you manage to miss?
Ah, this hurts so bad. I can't believe it.
I'm sorry I missed, man. Do
you want me to shoot you again?
No, dammit!
I don't trust you to shoot
a wall from inside a house!
Is there something wrong?
Look, I'm sorry, but...
I can't argue with that. It is...
It's hard to get good help.
Look, the way you tell it, it is possible,
but Eddie tells a different story.
Oh, so you talked to Cousin Eddie?
That why you were drinking so much?
I wasn't drinking with him.
After I talked to everyone,
including him, I thought a
couple of drinks would help.
- Did it?
- It never does,
but that's beside the point.
Do you know how Cousin Eddie tells it?
He said he went to meet you there.
- What took you so long?
- I was just thinking about this.
It don't matter now, but
I've been standing out here
half the day. Somebody...
- Take the gun.
- I don't...
Take the gun. You take
the gun. Take the gun.
You take the gun. You
shoot me. You drive away.
You throw it in the river.
You don't talk to anyone.
Take the gun. Come on.
Take the gun, all right? You ready?
All right. It's in your hands, my friend.
He actually claims he fired
the gun as a warning shot
to scare me off to not do this?
Well, either way, you gotta wonder how
someone who grew up
around here is such a lousy shot.
Mr. Murdaugh, you admit to
setting up your own murder,
fake or real, to cheat
the insurance company.
To help my son, Buster.
Well, don't you think having
a living father would be more
helpful to your son than a check
from the insurance company?
All I ever tried to do was help my family.
Did you try to help Paul?
You know when you tried
to pin the boat accident
and Mallory Beach's
murder on that other boy?
I did no such thing.
Like any man,
all I have ever done was
try to protect my family.
Is that all you've ever done?
You admitted to stealing
millions of dollars.
Was that to protect your family?
See, you don't know
because you weren't there.
Yeah, you're right.
And I wasn't there the night...
You mean, the night...
I'm here to talk about the
night your family was killed.
I'll be, uh, happy to talk.
But only because I
want you to hear the truth.
Then I'm gonna ask you some questions.
That's fine.
What do you wanna know?
Everything that happened that day.
Everything you did.
All right, then.
Well, I had a busy day at the office.
I was mostly busy dealing with the trial
of Paul's boat accident.
But I decided to leave early
so I could go hang out with Paul.
Hey, Paul. What you up to, Son?
Your feet still sore?
Your mama around?
I hear we're having country fried steak
and mac and cheese for dinner.
I don't know.
Hey, let's take a walk down to the field.
I'm a little busy.
Come on, you're not
too busy for your old man.
Besides, I need to pick your
brain about them sunflowers
'cause you know more about
running this place than I do.
How come you don't
want to go to the doctor's?
Your mama made you two
appointments with Dr. Redding.
You skipped on both of them.
And I can tell your feet
are still sore and blowed up
from all the stress.
I just don't want to go to the doctor.
Well, don't your feet hurt?
It's no big deal.
Besides, if they hurt, couldn't
I just take some pills like you?
- Now, that's just mean, Pa-Pa.
- Yeah, whatever.
I thought we were going
to look at sunflowers.
Yeah, we are.
So you think they got some
kind of root rot or mildew?
I just know something's wrong with them.
Well, they ain't gonna get
better unless we treat them.
- Yeah.
- Just like your feet.
I don't wanna talk about that.
I know people have been
saying some mean things
to you about the boat accident.
And I heard you got into
some fights over it, but I...
I've just gotta tell you,
there's nothing to worry about.
I'm taking care of it.
Are you and Mom getting a divorce?
Did she tell you that?
Are you?
I have no intention of leaving your mother.
She says she's leaving you.
Yeah, we're all under
a lot of stress right now,
so you know, sometimes
your mother says things.
All you do is say everything's okay.
You'd never admit there's a problem.
Well, I never say there's no problem.
It's just that if there is a problem,
I'ma try and fix it.
That's what problems
are for, for me to fix 'em.
You're saying you can fix anything?
My daddy could fix any problem.
As for me, I haven't met
a problem yet I couldn't fix.
So you ever hear anything
bad about your old man,
you just remember I was
probably trying to fix a problem.
- Got that, Pa-Pa?
- Yeah, I got it.
All right, then.
Then there is no problemo, amigo.
Some problems can't be fixed.
I never met one I couldn't.
You do realize you're sitting in a prison?
My problem is not that I'm in prison.
My problem is that someone
murdered my wife and son.
And I want to find them.
All right.
Tell me what happened later that night.
Well, we had dinner.
And Maggie and Paul
went down to the kennels
to look after the dogs.
I drove over my mom's house for a visit
'cause my dad was in the hospital.
I'm gonna stay here just a little longer.
And I'll be back to see you tomorrow.
All right, Dad. Goodnight.
You can just tell Mama
I'll be back tomorrow.
Come on, Mags, what's going on with you?
Maggie, I'm home!
Maggie! Pa-Pa!
Mags! Pa-Pa!
You alive?
Paul!
Paul.
Maggie. Maggie!
Paul, are you alive?
Paul, are you alive?
Maggie!
Maggie!
Maggie.
No, no.
This is Alex Murdaugh, 4147 Moselle Road.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
What is her name?
Maggie and Paul. Maggie.
You got any firearms on you at all?
I brought out a shotgun.
It's leaning against the side of the car.
You're fine, man. You're fine.
Turn around for me.
Yeah. I don't have anything on me.
Is this your wife and son?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
This firearm, is that
the one that you brought
from inside the house?
Yes, sir. It's a long story.
My son was in a boat
wreck a few months back.
He's been getting
threats. Most stuff's benign.
We didn't take serious,
but he's been getting, like, punched.
There's a lot of evidence and
things that don't make sense.
Are you going to cross-examine me?
Well, I've done what I said.
- I said I would listen.
- And you did.
Now, if you really want
my help finding who killed...
Maggie and Paul.
Then I'm gonna have to ask some questions.
But first I want to show you
the footage from that night.
Are you okay with that?
Do you have any guns on you at all?
I brought out a shotgun.
It's leaning against the side of the car.
You're fine, man. You're fine.
Turn around for me.
Yeah, I don't have anything on me.
This your wife and kid?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
This firearm, is that the one you brought
- from inside the house?
- Yes, sir. This is a long story.
My son was in a boat
wreck a few months back.
He's been getting
threats. Most stuff's benign.
We didn't take serious, but
he's been getting, like, punched.
You bring up the boat accident first thing.
- Not first thing, necessarily.
- But almost the first thing,
which seems odd for a
man who's just seen his wife
and son's bodies.
'Cause that's who I thought did it!
Someone who had threatened
Paul had come for him.
Of course I'm going to say that.
Time's up, Prisoner.
It's been nice talking to
you, but I think we're done,
for good.
Are you sure you don't wanna talk anymore?
You think you're getting
away from me, but you're not,
you thieving bastard.
What the hell?
No matter where they send
you, I'm going to get you.
Boggs, back off!
I'm just saying hello.
Now you can say good-bye
or I'll put you in lockup.
Yes, sir.
You sure pissed him off.
Yeah, well, thanks for stopping him.
The neighborhood is noisy enough.
I hear you're moving to a
new neighborhood soon.
What's that?
You're being shifted out of
here sooner than expected.
Two more days and you're off
to max security for processing.
Is that right?
If there's anybody that you
want to talk to, you might want to
reach out now because you're
not allowed to communicate
with the outside world for several weeks.
While I've been staying at
home tending to my knitting,
it looks like you've been busy.
Well, while you've
been playing hard to get,
I've been out making friends.
Well, this is a friendly town.
It is that. The people do love to chat.
Anyone in particular?
The help.
The help?
Paralegals, assistants, receptionists.
- Anyone I know?
- They all seem to know you.
They told me a lot of things
that I'd like to run by you.
Get your opinion on.
Well, you've been nice
enough to listen to me.
I am glad to return the courtesy.
Now, this is just what I heard.
Yeah, and that is not gonna be a problem.
You said to bring Mr. Tinsley
in even if you were busy.
Yeah, I'll have my bank
send over that draft today.
All right, then.
Mr. Tinsley, it is an honor to see you.
Nice to see you too, Alex.
Everything going all right?
Well, some days are better than others.
So how can I help you?
I take it you got the Friendergram pictures
my associate sent you?
Are you referring to the ones of Paul?
Yeah, I remember these.
These are copies that
my assistant made before
they were wiped from your
son's Friendergram page.
- I don't know what that has...
- Your wife liked them, which
means she's aware that your
underage son was drinking, too.
Allegedly. Maggie's got
nothing to do with this.
Look, let's just talk about what you want.
You're representing the
family of Mallory Beach...
- And others.
- For $10 million.
- Correct.
- Which I don't have.
You've said that before
and I don't believe it.
The most I can scrape
together is maybe a million.
And then there's that
$500,000 insurance policy
I told you about.
Come on.
The insurance company's
probably not going to honor that.
You don't know that.
I know that it covers a
commercial hunting lodge.
Which Moselle Road is.
And the insurance company
will point out that you live there
and there's paid guests.
What's more, the policy only
covers accidents that are
part of the business operations.
Now, your son taking
his friends for a joy ride...
Be that as it may, I
don't have $10 million.
Your family has bought and
sold most of three counties
for 100 years. I know you have
the money hidden somewhere
and I'm going to find it.
Well, if you find it,
could you let me know?
Because I sure could use it.
So you were drinking with Mark Tinsley?
No. Someone else, but it's not important.
Well, drinking or no,
that is an interesting
version of the story.
- Well, is it true?
- Is what true?
That Tinsley was coming after
you for money you don't have?
And what money is that?
And that if he went after your finances,
it would be revealed that you
were stealing millions from your
clients to pay off bad debts.
And then, you were stealing
from your next clients to
cover up the debt that you owed
your other clients that
you had stolen before.
See, now you're just giving
the prosecutor's theory.
You decided the only way out of the lawsuit
was to kill your wife and son.
- That is not...
- You'd get sympathy
and the insurance money from their deaths
you could use to cover the
lawsuit and keep hiding that
you had been stealing to cover your losses,
like you did from Gloria
Satterfield's family.
Why don't you tell me
what you heard about that?
Well, the rumor is Gloria Satterfield
did not fall down the back stairs.
The story is that your wife killed her
by pushing her down the
stairs and you covered it up.
And then you stole the
insurance money from her family.
First of all, my late wife
never murdered anyone.
Is that clear?
And secondly, little helpful advice.
You're gonna murder someone,
pushing them down a couple of
steps doesn't seem like
the most efficient method.
I suppose not.
And as for money I took or didn't take,
- why is that important?
- Because once the boat lawsuit
happened and they dug into your finances,
they would see all the
stealing you'd been doing
to cover up your losses.
See, I thought you were gonna listen to me
to learn what really happened.
Maggie and Paul's death
were revenge killings.
And I'm doing my best,
but I can't believe you
unless we go over everything
the prosecution said happened
- that night and you explain.
- I don't know.
I can't believe you unless you tell me
what this is on Paul's
phone. You said you never
went back to the kennels
after Maggie got home,
yet this sounds like your voice.
I already told them in
court, I did lie about that.
It was paranoia from the drugs...
Mr. Murdaugh, you
asked me to listen to you,
but I need you to listen to me.
Come on. Quit.
Hey! He's got a bird in his mouth!
Bubba!
It's a guinea.
- It's a chicken.
- Come on, Bubba. Come on.
- Where did you get that?
- It's on the internet.
They used it as evidence.
You told the police, the court and everyone
that you were napping after
dinner and you never went
down to the kennels before
you drove to your parents' house.
You lied.
Just because I lied doesn't mean...
Doesn't mean what?
I loved my family.
But since you apparently
know more about it than I do,
why don't you tell me what happened there?
You really want that?
You're the writer.
You tell me the story.
After dinner, when you
said you were taking a nap,
you were getting ready to
go see your wife and son
for the last time.
You told the jury you were napping
and that you didn't go down to the kennels.
Come here. Come here. You're
such a good boy, aren't you?
But you didn't know that
Paul was shooting a video.
Hey! He's got a bird in his mouth!
And that it had your voice on it.
It's a guinea.
It's a chicken.
That's when you got your weapons.
Dad! What...
Alex! Did someone fire a gun?
Paul!
Paul.
You took the clothes and the guns.
And only you know what you did with them.
Hey Maggie, I'm just heading up to Mama's.
I'll be back in a while.
Nobody knows what happened to the guns.
But Maggie's phone was
found by the side of the road
in-between your home at
Moselle and your parents' house.
And according to the car's computer system,
you drove past the spot, slowing
down where the phone was found,
and speeding up as you went past it.
After throwing your wife's phone away,
you texted that phone.
You got to your parents' house
at 9:22 PM, then you went in.
Hey, Mama.
You and me don't talk much anymore.
But I'm gonna stay here
just a little longer and then I'll...
I'll be back to visit tomorrow.
How long were you there?
- What? At my mother's?
- Yes.
I don't remember.
Long enough to establish an alibi?
I listened to your version,
which I already heard
from prosecutors, so you
gonna let me tell the story?
I spent the night at home
with Maggie and Paul.
And yes, I did lie about
going down to the kennel.
Because I was scared and
paranoid from my drug use.
A man doesn't think straight when he's got
all that poison in him.
Now, you gonna let me finish?
I went to visit my mother.
And I called Maggie and Paul
from my parents' house,
but when they didn't get back,
I started to get worried.
Maggie! Paul!
Where the hell are you?
Paul! Paul!
This is Alex Murdaugh, 4147 Moselle Road.
I need the police and an
ambulance immediately!
My child and my wife have been shot badly.
So you got back to the Moselle Road house
- at approximately...
- Excuse me.
- 10:05.
- Excuse me!
Oh, I'm sorry, but...
I don't wanna go through this again.
I'm leaving in the morning.
But I need to ask you why you did this.
Did what?
Lied, cheated, stole, killed.
All I'm trying to do is find the
people who killed my family.
If I'm a liar, why are
you even listening to me?
Because liars tell the best stories.
You've been in town less than a week.
- And already you know more...
- I think I know a lot.
And I think I know why.
Why what?
It's you. You were never
anybody in this town,
except the son or a
grandson, or a great-grandson.
You were never the big man.
You were just in the shadow
of your daddy and your daddy's daddy.
And when you lost all that money,
you started stealing to hide it.
And you got away with it for a long time,
but not because you're smart.
But because of who your daddy
and your granddaddy were.
No one would ever think
a Murdaugh was broke enough to steal.
And all that talk about
protecting your family
and taking care of
them, all you cared about
was what people thought of you.
You were willing to kill your family...
Just so no one would think you
let down the Murdaugh name.
I'd like to say I'm looking
forward to your article, but...
I have better things to do.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Mom, how're feeling?
I just wanted you to know
I'll be home in a day or two.
I'm working on a project
and I was thinking I could
work on it there, maybe
help you out a little more.
Okay.
I'll see you soon.
I can't say I've enjoyed my stay here,
but I do thank you for your hospitality.
You're welcome, I guess.
I got you now!
You okay?
Thank you for that.
That's quite a surprise going-away party.
You sure you're not gonna miss this place?
Well, you just tell Boggs
if he needs a lawyer,
to give me a call.
Here you go. More fan mail today.
I just hope all this celebrity
doesn't go to my head.
"Mr. Murdaugh, I want to thank you again
for your time and help.
I thought a lot about what you said.
And I hope you find the story
I wrote about you to be fair."
I quit the magazine and
decided to stop writing
other people's stories. I now
have a contract to write a book
about my own family back in my
hometown where I'm living now.
Thank you again for your time.
And I hope you find peace.
Fancy magazine story on you, Murdaugh.
Do you want it?
You're not gonna read it?
Nah. It's always the same old story.
Thank you.
I ever tell you about the dog I once had?
Lots of times.
Well
time is what I got a lot of.
You're a good storyteller, Mr. Murdaugh.
Because liars tell the best stories.