Convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh will be deposed in the wrongful death suit filed by the family of an 19-year-old woman who died in his son’s boat crash in 2019.
A judge told the South Carolina Department of Corrections to make Murdaugh, serving consecutive life terms for the death of his wife Maggie and son Paul, available for a deposition, WSAV reported. No date has been set for that deposition; the trial is slated to begin August 14.
Murdaugh is alleged to have interfered in the investigation, trying to protect his son, as CrimeOnline has reported. Several witnesses have said that the elder Murdaugh tried to pressure witnesses into saying his son wasn’t the driver of the boat and that one of his friends on board was.
A police report says that Paul Murdaugh and other passengers on board the boat — which belonged to Alex Murdaugh — were “grossly intoxicated” on the night of the crash, yet the younger Murdaugh was never given a sobriety test. The boat slammed into bridge pilings, tossing Mallory Beach into the water. Her body was found a week later.
Paul Murdaugh was later charged with two counts of boating under the influence causing severe bodily injury or death and was awaiting trial when he was gunned down alongside his mother on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh, already charged with dozens of financial fraud charges, was ultimately charged with their murders and convicted after a sensational 28-day trial. The jury took just three hours to return guilty verdicts.
No date has been set for trial on the financial charges, which allege that Murdaugh scammed millions of dollars from his storied law firm, founded by his great-grandfather more than 100 years ago, and clients. He admitted to the crimes on the stand during his murder trial, saying he did it to fund a long-time drug habit.
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The Beach family initially filed suit against Alex and Maggie Murdaugh, their surviving son Buster Murdaugh, and the convenience store where Paul Murdaugh allegedly bought the alcohol he consumed on the night of the crash. The suit alleges that Paul, then 19 and under age, used his brother’s identification and his mother’s credit card to buy the alcohol, and that the entire family was well aware of his drinking.
The family reached an agreement with Maggie Murdaugh’s estate and Buster Murdaugh earlier this year, and they were dropped from the suit.
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[Featured image: Left: Mallory Beach/Facebook and Alex Murdaugh/Hampton County Sheriff’s Office]
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