'Murdaugh: Death in the Family': What to know about the people and events that inspired the show

July 8, 2015 — Stephen Smith is killed

Smith’s assemblage was recovered successful the mediate of a roadworthy and had wounds accordant with blunt unit trauma to the head. There was small carnal grounds suggesting a car mishap had been the origin of his decease — neither skid marks, tyre impressions, breached solid nor integrative fragments were recovered astatine the scene, and determination was nary harm to the little fractional of Smith’s body. Still, a aesculapian examiner initially ruled Smith’s decease the effect of a hit-and-run.

Feb. 26, 2018 — Gloria Satterfield dies

Satterfield died weeks aft she allegedly tripped and fell astatine the Murdaugh’s household location connected Feb. 2. There were respective conflicting reports astir the details of the accident, but successful 2023 Alex admitted to lying astir his dogs causing Satterfield’s autumn arsenic a portion of his strategy to unit his insurers to marque a colony payment.

Feb. 24, 2019 — Mallory Beach killed successful vessel accident

After a nighttime of dense drinking, Paul got down the instrumentality of his family’s vessel with his girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, Beach, Anthony Cook, Connor Cook and Miley Altman. Around 2:20 a.m., the vessel crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge. Beach was ejected from the vessel and the different passengers were injured.

April 18, 2019 — Paul charged successful vessel clang case

Paul was charged with 3 felony counts: 1 number of boating nether the power causing decease and 2 counts of boating nether the power causing large bodily injury. Surveillance cameras captured Paul buying intoxicant astatine a section convenience store connected the time of the crash, utilizing Buster’s ID and Maggie’s recognition paper for the transaction earlier getting down the instrumentality of his father’s boat.

Paul pleaded not blameworthy to the charges, which were yet dropped aft his death.

June 7, 2021 — Paul and Maggie Murdaugh are killed

Around 10 p.m., Alex called 911 and said his woman and lad had been changeable astatine the family’s isolated hunting spot successful Islandton disconnected of Moselle Road. Paul was changeable doubly and Maggie was changeable 5 times, and 2 antithetic guns were utilized successful the killings. Authorities aboriginal placed the clip of Paul and Maggie’s deaths betwixt 9 and 9:30 p.m.

The Murdaugh’s hunting property, wherever the murders took place, was scoured by police, but investigators ne'er recovered the existent execution weapons: a shotgun and an AR-style rifle.

(Andrew J. Whitaker / Associated Press)

June 22, 2021 — Law enforcement reopen Smith’s case

Based connected accusation authorities officials gathered during investigations into the Murdaughs’ murders, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced it would beryllium reopening the probe into Smith’s death, which went acold wrong a twelvemonth aft his 2015 death. The lawsuit remains unsolved.

Sept. 3, 2021 — Alex resigns from household instrumentality firm

Alex resigned aft unit from his steadfast erstwhile they uncovered his fiscal misdeeds. Days later, connected Sept. 6, Alex said successful a connection that helium “made a batch of decisions that I genuinely regret” and that helium was entering a cause rehabilitation installation to combat an addiction that helium had been dealing with for a agelong time, which had been exacerbated by the murders. “I americium immensely atrocious to everyone I’ve hurt, including my family, friends and colleagues,” helium wrote.

The aforesaid time Alex released his statement, his erstwhile instrumentality steadfast said helium resigned aft they discovered helium had been misappropriating money.

Sept. 4, 2021 — Alex says helium was changeable successful the head

Alex called 911 and reported helium was changeable connected a roadworthy successful Hampton County portion helium was pulled implicit with a level tire. He was hospitalized with a “superficial” caput wound, according to section authorities, and was expected to marque a afloat recovery.

Less than 2 weeks later, Alex admitted helium had paid a man, who was reportedly a erstwhile lawsuit and allegedly his cause dealer, successful a failed suicide-for-hire plot. Alex had hoped his surviving son, Buster, could payment from a $10 cardinal beingness security payout. Curtis Edward “Eddie” Smith was arrested and charged with assisted suicide, battle and artillery of a precocious aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, security fraud and conspiracy to perpetrate security fraud.

Sept. 16, 2021 — Alex surrenders to authorities for fiscal crimes

Alex turned himself successful to beryllium arrested and charged successful narration to the security fraud plot. He was granted enslaved but ordered to surrender his passport earlier helium entered a cause rehabilitation facility.

Oct. 14, 2021 — Alex is arrested aft rehab release

Law enforcement arrested Alex astatine a rehab installation successful Florida for charges related to alleged misappropriated colony funds successful Satterfield’s case. He was denied bond.

July 14, 2022 — Alex is indicted connected treble execution charges

A expansive assemblage indicted Alex connected execution charges for the deaths of Maggie and Paul. He pleaded not blameworthy astatine a proceeding days later.

Jan. 23, 2023 — Alex’s proceedings begins

Jury enactment kicked disconnected for Alex’s proceedings connected the homicide charges, which took spot astatine the Colleton County Courthouse successful Walterboro, S.C. The proceedings was televised, drafting a wide assemblage to the lawsuit that had already captured nationalist and planetary attention.

Alex Murdaugh crying portion listening to grounds during his treble execution trial.

(Jeff Blake / Associated Press)

March 2, 2023 — Alex is convicted of murders of Paul and Maggie

The assemblage reached a verdict aft conscionable 3 hours of deliberation. He was recovered blameworthy of murdering his woman and son, and helium was besides recovered blameworthy of possession of a limb during the committee of a convulsive crime.

The adjacent day, a justice sentenced him to service 2 consecutive beingness sentences without the anticipation of parole. Alex’s attorneys filed a announcement of entreaty for his convictions and sentences a week aft helium received the blameworthy verdicts.

Sept. 5, 2023 — Alex’s lawyers record question for a caller trial

In their petition for a caller proceedings successful the execution charges against Alex, his ineligible squad alleged a tribunal clerk “tampered with the jury,” advising them “not to judge Murdaugh’s grounds and different grounds presented by the defense,” and had different questionable behaviors.

Nov. 28, 2023 — Alex gets authorities situation condemnation for fiscal crimes

Alex was sentenced to 27 years successful situation successful a plea woody successful which helium admitted to committing fiscal crimes. Victims of Alex’s crimes addressed him earlier the sentencing, and Alex apologized to his household and his victims.

Jan. 29, 2024 — Judge denies Alex’s bid for caller trial

The tribunal clerk Alex’s ineligible squad claimed had tampered with the assemblage denied that she had ever spoken astir Murdaugh oregon the lawsuit with jurors. The justice presiding implicit the lawsuit said she didn’t needfully judge the clerk, but said each 12 jurors who testified said immoderate comments she made did not straight power their determination to find Alex guilty.

The clerk resigned 2 months later, but her lawyer said it was unrelated to the Murdaugh case.

April 1, 2024 — Alex gets further condemnation for national fiscal crimes

After pleading blameworthy to 22 national fiscal crimes (including slope fraud, ligament fraud and wealth laundering) successful September 2023, Alex was sentenced to an further 40 years successful prison. These crimes included his strategy to nett disconnected of the security colony successful narration to Satterfield’s death. This condemnation is being served concurrently with the condemnation for the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Dec. 10, 2024 — Alex’s lawyers officially entreaty execution conviction

Alex’s squad filed the long-anticipated entreaty of his convictions, arguing determination were errors during his proceedings that prejudiced the assemblage successful his case.

Aug. 8, 2025 — State responds to Alex’s appeal, says he’s ‘obviously guilty’

After requesting much clip to reappraisal the appeal, which reached the South Carolina Supreme Court, the authorities lawyer general’s bureau responded by arguing that the assemblage recovered Murdaugh blameworthy based connected the “overwhelming” evidence, not due to the fact that of imaginable assemblage tampering.

Alex’s ineligible squad responded to the state’s filing astir a period aboriginal by maintaining their arguments and saying Alex was denied “any semblance” of a just trial.