'He is willing to do anything asked of him': South Carolina legal dynasty heir joins survivors of 2019 boat crash in volunteering DNA samples as investigation continues into the double murder of his wife and son
The heir of a prominent South Carolina legal dynasty has joined the survivors of a 2019 boat crash in volunteering his DNA sample as the investigation continues into the double murder of his wife and son.
The brothers of Richard Alex 'Alec' Murdaugh, 53, told Good Morning America the bereaved husband and father has offered a sample to investigators as he is 'willing to do anything' to help in the hunt for the person or persons responsible for shooting dead Paul, 22, and Margaret, 52, last Monday.
'I can tell you he was willing and still is willing to do anything that's asked of him,' said John Murdaugh. 'He wants this solved.'
Randy Murdaugh added that there is 'no possible way' his brother is involved in the murders and said he loved his family 'like nothing else on this earth.'
'My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster [the couple's other son],' he said.
'So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you.'
Margaret and Paul were shot multiple times and killed at their hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, on June 7.
Police said Alec called 911 at 10.07pm reporting that he had found their bodies when he returned to the family home. The time of death has been placed between 9pm and 9.30pm.
Murdaugh was interviewed by investigating officers on Thursday 10 June. Sources close to him state that he has a 'cast iron alibi' for the night of the killings and that he is merely co-operating with the investigation to clear himself.
Paul was awaiting trial on charges over the 2019 boat crash that saw 19 year-old Mallory Beach hurled to her death from the vessel he was sailing, allegedly while drunk.
Questions of a possible tie between the murders and the incident have swirled in the local community, while - now almost two weeks on from the killings - police have made no arrests, revealed no suspects, persons of interest or motives, and released very little information about the investigation.
Buster, Margaret 'Maggie', Paul and Richard Alex 'Alec' Murdaugh (left to right). Alec has joined the survivors of a 2019 boat crash in volunteering his DNA sample as the investigation continues into the double murder of his wife and son
Randy and John - the brothers of Alec - told Good Morning America he is 'willing to do anything' to help in the hunt for the person or persons responsible
The four survivors of the fatal boating accident have voluntarily stepped forward to give DNA samples and statements to investigators, DailyMail.com learned Thursday.
They are Paul's ex girlfriend Morgan Doughty, Beach's boyfriend Anthony Cook, his cousin Connor Cook and Connor's girlfriend, Beach's best friend, Miley Altman.
Beach's family have also handed over DNA samples, GMA reported, with the samples still being processed in the labs.
SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby confirmed that investigators have also pulled digital and cell-phone records – including those belonging to Alec – to pin down individuals' movements on and around the day of the murders. He described this as 'a usual investigative process.'
Paul's uncles Randy and John broke down in tears Thursday as they said they have no idea who could have been 'so sick' to carry out the brutal murders.
'It's hard to imagine somebody could be so sick as to do this, intentionally kill people like that,' said Randy.
'We see it in the world. We see it on the news. You don't think it's going to happen in your small community to your family.'
While Randy and John insisted the mother and son did not have any known enemies, they revealed that Paul had been receiving threats after he was accused of causing Beach's death.
'I don't really know of any enemies,' said Randy.
'We hear all this talk on social media in regard to Paul but I don't really know of anybody who would truly be an enemy or would truly want to harm them.'
John spoke of unspecified threats made to Paul, and said he'd initially dismissed them as harmless.
He did not share any further details on who had issued them, but admitted that the family now wonders if they were wrong to discount their seriousness.
'I didn't think it was credible threats. If it was I would have tried to do something or notified someone,' he said.
'But I guess, maybe I made a mistake.'
Randy and John grew emotional as they pleaded for people with information on the murders to come forward, no matter how 'big or small' the details.
Randy and John (left and right) broke down in tears as they revealed Paul had been receiving threats prior to his death
Alec - a part-time prosecutor for the 14th Circuit solicitor's office - called 911 at 10.07pm on June 6 to say he had returned home and found their bodies outside the residence.
Officers arrived on the scene to find both Paul and Margaret dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Paul had been awaiting trial on charges relating to Beach's death, after she was thrown from the boat he was driving. He denied the allegations he had faced.
DailyMail.com has learned that allegations of obstruction of justice in the original criminal enquiry into the boat crash are also being investigated.
A police source told local newspaper The Island Packet that they believed Paul to have been the target of the murders, with his mom shot for being with him when the killer or killers struck. Two different guns were used in the shootings.
Questions around a possible tie between the incident and last week's killings continue to mount as the state attorney general is refusing to close the case into the boat crash despite the death of the man accused of being culpable.
The local community felt Paul was receiving special treatment in the boating death case due to his family's power and legal expertise.
The Murdaugh family has dominated the county's legal system for decades, prosecuting nearly every criminal case in the southern part of the state.
Several family members have served as county elected prosecutors in the 14th Circuit solicitor's office going back almost a century.
But Randy and John denied that the family exercised its legal power to interfere in the boating case in any way and said they believe the perception of them as a 'dynasty' is all wrong.
Paul had been awaiting trial on charges relating to the 2019 boating death of Mallory Beach (pictured), who was thrown from the boat Paul was allegedly driving while drunk when he crashed it
'You see words like dynasty used and power and I don't know exactly how people use those words but we're just regular people and we're hurting just like they would be hurting if it happened to them,' said Randy.
The family members choked back tears as they revealed how, on the day of the murders, Alec had just taken their dying father Richard Murdaugh III back to the hospital and gone to check on their mother.
He then returned to his own home to find the bodies of his son and wife, they said.
Law enforcement sources previously told local outlet The Island Packet Alec told cops he had been out shooting that day when he returned to the grim scene.
John said he got a phone call from Alecthat night and just 'knew something was wrong.'
'I got a call from Alec Monday night. As soon as I picked up the phone I knew something was wrong,' he said.
'Oh man, he just told me: 'Come as fast as you can. Paul and Maggie have been hurt.''
Randy described his brother as a 'very caring person' whose wife Maggie was 'the rock of the family.'
'His voice - the fear, he was just distraught,' Randy said of speaking to his brother.
He added that the horrific murders had changed them as 'a family'.
'I can't imagine horror that my brother is experiencing,' he said.
John told how one moment Alec is 'upright and strong, and making his way and then he just breaks down'.
The family said they were speaking out to urge anyone with information to come forward.
'The person that did this is out there and there's information however big or however small it is,' said Randy.
The Murdaugh family home where the two bodies were found. Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said they had each been shot multiple times, with their time of death placed at between 9pm and 9.30pm
The bodies were said to be found near a dog kennel on the family's property by Richard
This graphic shows the Murdaugh family tree
The Murdaughs were dealt another tragedy last week when three days after Monday's murders, Paul's grandfather and Alec's father Richard Murdaugh III died aged 81. His death is believed to have been the result of natural causes.
Now, 11 days on from Paul and Margaret's murders, little is known about what happened.
Investigators were seen searching near a swamp close to the scene of the murders, reported GMA.
Police have made no arrests, revealed no suspects, persons of interest or possible motives, and little information has been released to the public.
They have ruled the deaths a double homicide but insisted there is no risk to the public. Cops have also appealed for anyone with information to come forward, and have refused to release audio of the 911 call made by Alec Murdaugh on the evening he found his wife and son dead.
Repeated requests for information from SLED were denied, citing an active investigation - even though South Carolina state law requires police to provide some records on cases in the days following an incident.
On Tuesday, State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) finally shared a press release about the investigation.
It gave few details, other than confirming Alec made the 911 call at 10.07pm to report finding his wife and son's bodies.
The agency again ruled out releasing further information about the case saying it does not want to jeopardize the investigation.
'SLED is committed to conducting a professional and thorough criminal investigation to bring justice in the deaths of Paul and Maggie,' it said.
'SLED is further committed to transparency and will release any additional information, including additional information provided during the 911 call, at the appropriate time.
Paul (right) - the son of a powerful South Carolina legal family - is thought to have been the intended target of the shooting that also killed his mom Margaret (left)
Paul, Margaret, Alec and Buster. The Murdaugh family has ruled the county's legal system for decades, prosecuting nearly every criminal case in the southern part of the state
'However, we cannot and will not do anything that could jeopardize the integrity of this investigation or that would violate the due process afforded to all in our constitutional system of justice.'
Officials also finally set up a dedicated tip line for the case.
Prior to this press release, the only report released to date had been a one-line statement from Colleton County Sheriff's Office Tuesday.
It reads: 'On June 7, 2021 at approximately 2226 hours I responded to 4147 Moselle Rd in Colleton County in reference to two gunshot victims found by the caller.'
Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey confirmed Monday the two victims had each been shot multiple times, with their time of death placed at between 9pm and 9.30pm.
The coroner said authorities would know more when the full autopsy is completed in around six weeks' time.
Harvey refused to answer any further questions about the case or confirm reports that two separate firearms were used in the slayings.
'That is all the information we are releasing at this time,' Harvey said Monday.
'They were both shot multiple times and SLED will take it from here,' he said.
A law enforcement source last week told The Island Packet Paul was shot in the head and upper body with a shotgun, while Margaret was shot with an assault rifle.
Alec and Margaret pictured together. Officials continue to remain tight-lipped about the double murders
The source said Paul was thought to have been the intended victim of the shooting while Margaret was likely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Their bodies were found several yards apart from one another and shell casings were discovered at the scene, they said.
SLED was handed the case from Colleton County Sheriff's office almost immediately due to the Murdaugh family ties to the 14th Circuit solicitor's office.
Rumors continue to swirl over the case given the silence from officials and Paul's charges over the boating death.
The South Carolina Attorney General's Office said Monday the charges had been dropped following Paul's death but that the investigation remains open.
'We had every intention of moving forward with Paul Murdaugh's prosecution,' spokesperson Robert Kittle told the Island Packet.
'While the charges against him will be dismissed, the case has not been closed because the investigation is not finished.'
The local paper had asked the office for the case files.
This has fueled speculation about why the investigation is still ongoing, with the attorney representing Paul saying he believes it suggests cops are probing a tie between the 2019 death and the double murder.
'I can understand that they would not want to open the investigative file to disclosure because there may be information related to the murder investigation,' said attorney Jim Griffin.
Paul was awaiting trial on three felony charges of facing one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of boating under the influence causing great bodily injury over the death of Mallory in 2019.
He had been indicted and released on a $50,000 bond.
Beach's mother, Renee, brought a wrongful death suit last year which is currently proceeding against the company who sold alcohol to Murdaugh, Alec, and Paul's older brother, Richard Alexander Jr, known as 'Buster,' whose ID Murdaugh used that day.
Mallory Beach (pictured). Questions around a possible tie between her boating death and last week's murders continue to mount as the state attorney general is refusing to close the case into the boat crash despite the death of the man accused of being culpable
Paul's attorney said the fact the 2019 case is not closed suggests a tie between the case and the murders
According to depositions filed as part of the lawsuit, he and Mallory were part of a group of six involved in the boat crash on February 23 2019.
The documents say Paul was 'highly intoxicated,' 'drunk' and 'belligerent' that night with all of the survivors testifying to him being drunk and there being arguments over his determination to drive his boat.
All of the six youths on board that night were under 21, all were ejected from the vessel and all but Beach made it to shore.
The group had gone by boat to an oyster roast on Paukie Island before they left to head back around midnight.
Witnesses at the party said they urged the group not to travel by boat as it was foggy and cold and they had been drinking.
Paul was 'grossly intoxicated', got into an argument in a bar and insisted on driving the boat, according to testimony.
Anthony Cook, who was Mallory's boyfriend, said Paul was behaving erratically in the moments before the crash.
Altman recalled that the group repeatedly urged him to let someone else drive the boat.
'I yelled at him once and he just told me... he was like... shut the eff up and sit the eff down. Nobody else is driving my boat,' Altman said.
Cook said Paul started yelling at his girlfriend and slapped her, before stripping down into his underwear in the 40 degree weather.
'Paul for some reason acted like he was on drugs or something. He started taking his clothes off during one of the arguments, and it is 40 degrees outside,' Cook sad in his testimony.
'I've seen him do it a few times when gets drinks. I don't know why he does that.'
Paul then allegedly pushed the boat full throttle and it took off.
'We went from a two-mile-per-hour idle to the bow of the boat sticking up in the air and I went to the back,' said Cook.
Cook pulled Beach down next to him and held onto her, he testified.
The boat crashed into bridge pilings that lead to Parris Island.
Cook said the next thing he knew he was 'waking up' in the water, grabbing at piles of weed and debris and fighting against the swift current and frigid temperatures.
All of the survivors testified to Murdaugh being drunk and there being arguments over his determination to drive his boat. Beach's boyfriend Anthony Cook offered to get an Uber but Murdaugh was insistent they would travel by boat despite the fog and the lack of any light on the vessel
‘We went from a two-mile-per-hour idle to the bow of the boat sticking up in the air and I went to the back,' Anthony Cook said as he described the accident
Corporal John Keener, an officer on the scene on the night of the crash, spoke about Murdaught being 'belligerent and stupid' and generally difficult
Both Cook and Altman told how Murdaugh, 'slapped, pushed and spat' on his girlfriend Doughty as the bitter arguing continued
Doughty told how she and Beach cowered in the boat with their arms 'intertwined,' as Murdaugh continued the journey that was doomed to end in such tragedy
All six were thrown from the boat with the five survivors quickly establishing that nobody could locate Beach.
It took dive teams nine days to find her body in the water.
In an emotional Facebook post barely a month after Beach's death Cook wrote how he would have to live the rest of his life, 'with the memory of getting thrown into the freezing pitch black water with the true love of my life in my arms.'
He wrote, 'I had to swim against that current for 15 minutes in a panic screaming her name begging her to answer me. I had to swim to shore without her to save my own life and live in regret of that forever. I'm reminded of that by every little thing all day everyday!'
Cook also testified that Paul would often get drunk and become a 'crazy' different person, earning him the nickname 'Timmy'.
'It's a different name because he turns into a completely - totally different person. So somebody will say, 'All right. Here comes Timmy. We got to go.''
Paul's then girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, also testified that he was 'an angry drunk,' who thought he was 'invincible.'
Paul pleaded not guilty and was due to stand trial.
Paul's ex-girlfriend Morgan Doughty (pictured together) has been cooperating. According to Doughty, Paul was, 'an angry drunk,' who thought he was 'invincible'
Anthony Cook posted a heartbreaking tribute to his girlfriend Mallory who he called 'the love of my life'
The day after the boating accident - and weeks before Paul was charged - the 14th Circuit solicitor's office told the attorney general about the conflict of interest.
Mallory's mother filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the family last year.
The suit also named Parker's convenience store, saying a store clerk sold alcohol to two of the underage teens that night after one of them flashed a fake ID.
Both Mallory and Paul were underage at the time.
The first two judges it was assigned to each recused themselves from the suit and it was eventually handed to a judge from another county in the state.
The Beach family released a statement after the murders saying they hoped the killer would be brought to justice.
'The Beach Family extends its deepest and warmest sympathies to the Murdaugh family during this terrible time.
'Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss.
'They would like the family and the community to know that their thoughts and continued prayers are with the Murdaughs.
Authorities are refusing to release almost any information about the investigation despite state rules. Colleton County Sheriff's Office released this one-line statement Tuesday
'It is their most sincere hope that someone will come forward and cooperate with authorities so that the perpetrator of these senseless crimes can be brought to justice.'
Paul's family connections are believed by some in the local community to have landed him with softer treatment from prosecutors.
There are now growing concerns the family's powerful role in the county's legal system could jeopardize the current murder investigation and the search for the killer or killers.
The sheriff's office handed the case to SLED last week due to the Murdaugh family ties to the 14th Circuit solicitor's office, according to The Post and Courier.
Alec works as a part time prosecutor for the office.
On Thursday, Richard Murdaugh III - Paul's grandfather and Margaret's father-in-law, died aged 81 from an unspecified illness
Three generations of the family - Alec's father, grandfather and great-grandfather - ran the office consecutively from 1920 through 2005.
There was a brief gap in 1995 when Buster Murdaugh was accused of helping moonshiners evade authorities.
It is now headed up by non-family member Duffie Stone.
However, the 14th Circuit solicitor's office is still involved with the investigation and has not handed off the case, reported The Post and Courier.
Funerals were held Friday for Paul and Margaret. Hundreds including public officials gathered for the service as they were laid to rest in Hampton Cemetery.
Alec and Margaret also had another son named Buster.
As well as dominating the 14th Circuit solicitor's office, Randolph Murdaugh also founded law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick in 1910.
The Murdaugh family's power has helped them accrue vast amounts of wealth in the county, including owning more than 1,700 acres of land including the hunting lodge where the double murders took place.
They have been struck by other tragedy in the past with Randolph killed when a freight train hit his car.
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