Updates On 3 Deaths Now Tied The Murdaugh Family Murders & Their Tangled History
How the deaths of Mallory Beach, Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield may be linked.
Facebook Earlier this month, an influential family from South Carolina, the Murdaugh Family, found themselves at the center of a gruesome real-life murder mystery.
Richard Alex Murdaugh found his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, after both had been shot dead at the family’s sprawling 1,770 acre hunting lodge in Islandton, SC.
Alex Murdaugh, 52, is a lawyer and the great-grandson of Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh, Jr., the first elected chief prosecutor in the low country region of South Carolina.
He, his father Randolph Murdaugh, IV, and grandfather Randolph Murdaugh, III, are partners at the prestigious Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick law firm, known by locals as PMPED.
After finding his wife and son dead on June 7, Alex called 911 at 10:07 p.m. The times of their deaths are believed to fall somewhere between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Authorities have not made any arrests or named any suspects at the time, however, the killings have fueled further speculation about the powerful family’s tangled history in the area that may have been related to the crime.
Most recently,
Who are the other people whose deaths may be linked to the Murdaugh family murders?
The deaths of at three people in addition to Maggie and Paul Murdaugh have now been potentially linked to the case: Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old who died in a boating accident involving Paul Murdaugh; Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose death was originally attributed to a hit-and-run but is now believed to have possibly been a hate crime; and Gloria Satterfield, 57, Murdaugh's housekeeper who died in what was labeled a "trip and fall" accident.
Who is Mallory Beach?
Prior to his death, Paul Murdaugh had been released from jail on a $50,000 bond after a drunken boating accident resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Murdaugh was driving his father’s boat on Archers creek with five other friends, Beach being one of them, when Paul accidentally drove the boat into a piling, ejecting all six youths.
Beach was the only passenger who did not survive the boating accident.
According to legal documents, Murdaugh was “highly intoxicated,” “drunk” and “belligerent” on the night of her death.
According to the others on the boat, Murdaugh got into a physical fight with his girlfriend at the time, Morgan Doughty, and he would often leave the wheel of the boat while it was still moving. It was said that Murdaugh slapped Doughty, spit in her face, and pushed her.
South Carolina Highway Patrol detective Todd Proctor said, “I think it’s a situation when you grow up and your family is kinda high-profile and you get away with some things because of your family name. You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think you’re untouchable,” in regards to Paul Murdaugh’s involvement.
Beach’s mother has brought a wrongful death suit against the company who sold Murdaugh alcohol, Murdaugh’s father, and Murdaugh’s brother, Richard Alexander Jr., known as “Buster”, who gave Murdaugh his ID to use that day.
The case is still under investigation and at the time of his death, Paul Murdaugh was facing felony charges of boating under the influence resulting in Beach’s death.
Last week, however, a lawyer representing the Beach family said that the police improperly tried to influence the original investigation of the crash. None of the passengers were administered sobriety tests after the accident and it was originally undetermined who was driving the boat at the time.
Paul's uncle, John Marvin Murdaugh, also revealed that his nephew had been receiving death threats online prior to his murder.
A hearing for the crash was postponed “due to the murders,” the Beach family attorney told Inside Edition.
Who is Stephen Smith?
The death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith was originally ruled a hit-and-run in 2015 when his body was found in the middle of a road 15 miles from the Murdaugh hunting cabin.
Photo: Facebook
His body appeared to have been badly beaten, with a "7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead."
Additionally, it's been reported that his "head was misshapen by blunt force... His right shoulder was partially dislocated. Cuts and bruises dotted his right hand."
Smith’s mother, Sandy, maintained that her openly gay son was not involved in a simple hit-and-run, but instead, was the victim of a hate crime.
The Daily Mail revealed that during the initial investigation of Smith’s death, investigators found no evidence of any vehicle accident.
It was also revealed that Smith's case had been reopened after investigators received tips claiming Smith had been in a relationship with Paul’s older brother, Buster, 26.
Initially investigators said they believed Smith had been struck by a vehicle, but authorities disagreed about his actual cause of death. The case went cold, with little to no further investigations.
The original report of the incident states, “The victim was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road deceased from some sort of blunt force trauma to the head.”
The report also noted that authorities “saw no vehicle debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle.”
While the death was ruled a possible hit-and-run, a coroner’s report from July 8, 2015 said that Smith had a gunshot wound to his head and defensive wounds on his hands.
According to the coroner’s report, the death was ruled a homicide.
After being informed that her son’s case would be reopened due to the tips received about Smith and Buster Murdaugh’s alleged relationship, Sandy told ABC News 4, “We’ve been waiting on this forever. Stephen’s always been put on the back-burner. It’s like nobody’s looking for answers. Stephen’s had no justice.”
Who is Gloria Satterfield?
In 2018, Alex Murdaugh, Paul’s father, settled a wrongful death claim in relation to the death of Gloria Satterfield, 57.
Court documents do not say where the death occured or how she knew the Murdaugh family, but it did state that she died after a “trip and fall.”
Gloria’s obituary stated that Satterfield loved Alex and Maggie Murdaugh as if they were her own family.
Sources close to the case revealed that Satterfield was the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper.
Alex Murdaugh was the only defendant listed in the settlement, and his insurance provider ultimately paid $500,000 for personal liability due to a wrongful death.
Livvie Brault is a writer who covers self-love, entertainment and news and relationships.