High-profile South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh turned himself into authorities Thursday following an alleged botched suicide attempt — which, if successful, would have resulted in a $10 million life insurance payout to his surviving son.
The 53-year-old lawyer admitted to conspiring with his former client, Curtis Edward Smith, as part of an insurance fraud scheme. Murdaugh allegedly instructed Smith, 61, to shoot him in the head and provided Smith with a firearm. However, the lawyer survived the Sep. 4 shooting, sustaining “superficial gunshot wound,” according to CNN.
Alex Murdaugh has turned himself in for an alleged insurance fraud scheme that court documents say involved Murdaugh arranging for his own killing so his surviving son could collect the life insurance payout. Something tells me there’s a lot we don’t know. https://t.co/0EaEYGzuwQ
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) September 16, 2021
Murdaugh was charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, insurance fraud and filing a false police report, the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said. Murdaugh’s lawyers said he had been in drug rehab for about 10 days after resigning from his law firm over allegations of misappropriation of funds, Fox News reported. (RELATED: Watch: Man Seemingly Fakes Ridiculous Fall In Attempt To Win Insurance Money)
Murdaugh’s wife Margaret and 22-year-old son Paul were shot to death nearly three months earlier outside the family’s residence in Islandton, South Carolina. The double murder case remains unsolved, according to The New York Times (NYT).
Authorities also announced launching two additional investigations into Murdaugh and his family. The first one concerns the 2015 death of a teen and the second one regards the 2018 death of the family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who was found dead in the lawyer’s home, Fox News reported.
Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper had demanded an investigation, appealing to the fact that Satterfield’s death certificate lists she died of natural causes, which is inconsistent with injuries she sustained in what was described a “trip and fall accident,” according to CNN.
“I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations,” SLED Chief Mark Keel said, according to Fox News. “The arrests in this case are only the first step in that process.”