1 00:00:34,033 --> 00:00:35,302 - If you didn't know the Murdaughs, 2 00:00:35,326 --> 00:00:36,953 you wasn't from Hampton. 3 00:00:37,036 --> 00:00:41,124 And whether you knew 'em or not, they knew you. 4 00:00:41,207 --> 00:00:45,462 - Where the Murdaughs go, death seems to follow. 5 00:00:45,545 --> 00:00:48,506 - There is no justice in Hampton County. 6 00:00:48,590 --> 00:00:50,258 Yeah, if it come out of Hampton, 7 00:00:50,341 --> 00:00:52,677 it's not going nowhere. 8 00:00:52,761 --> 00:00:55,346 - People that could just erase it 9 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:57,891 like it never happened. 10 00:00:57,974 --> 00:01:01,978 - This is a Southern version of a Mafia story. 11 00:01:02,061 --> 00:01:05,398 - Enough evil had been done by the family. 12 00:01:05,482 --> 00:01:07,400 It's gone too far this time. 13 00:01:25,543 --> 00:01:27,712 No. 14 00:02:18,054 --> 00:02:21,349 - The Lowcountry is a different part of the world 15 00:02:21,432 --> 00:02:24,143 and a different part of South Carolina. 16 00:02:26,187 --> 00:02:29,399 Hampton in particular is a small, 17 00:02:29,482 --> 00:02:31,568 sparsely populated town. 18 00:02:33,736 --> 00:02:37,490 - Hampton is a small rural community, 19 00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:39,242 very few stoplights, 20 00:02:39,325 --> 00:02:41,327 country folk. 21 00:02:42,745 --> 00:02:45,456 - We've had generations and generations of families, 22 00:02:45,540 --> 00:02:47,792 the same families. 23 00:02:47,876 --> 00:02:50,128 - Not a whole lot going on, you know? 24 00:02:50,211 --> 00:02:53,423 Not a whole lot of jobs, a lot of poverty. 25 00:02:54,591 --> 00:02:57,427 - People like me, we work for our money. 26 00:02:57,510 --> 00:03:00,138 We wasn't born with a silver spoon in our mouth. 27 00:03:01,055 --> 00:03:03,683 - Nobody ever had any reason to leave 28 00:03:03,766 --> 00:03:05,518 that part of South Carolina, 29 00:03:05,602 --> 00:03:07,437 and nobody ever had any reason 30 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,732 to come to that part of South Carolina. 31 00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:19,949 - Small towns generate big fish in small pools. 32 00:03:22,911 --> 00:03:25,663 - Hampton is pretty much historically dominated 33 00:03:25,747 --> 00:03:29,083 The Murdaughs. 34 00:03:29,167 --> 00:03:32,545 - Murdaugh. That name means power. 35 00:03:33,588 --> 00:03:35,340 - They're a great American family 36 00:03:35,423 --> 00:03:40,803 who has a successful law firm. 37 00:03:40,887 --> 00:03:43,806 Had deep roots in their community. 38 00:03:43,890 --> 00:03:48,394 - Money, position, power. 39 00:03:48,478 --> 00:03:51,397 The Murdaughs have had control of Hampton County 40 00:03:51,481 --> 00:03:53,691 for close to a century. 41 00:03:53,775 --> 00:03:57,320 - They have held the position of the prosecutor... 42 00:03:57,403 --> 00:04:01,991 The solicitor, we call it... Through four generations. 43 00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:05,161 - Everyone knows that they are 44 00:04:05,244 --> 00:04:06,579 the lawyers in the area. 45 00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:08,831 The Murdaughs are the justice system. 46 00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:12,585 - Kings of the Lowcountry. 47 00:04:12,669 --> 00:04:16,381 - Literally what took 100 years to build 48 00:04:16,464 --> 00:04:18,967 crumbled... 49 00:04:19,050 --> 00:04:20,760 in one year. 50 00:04:32,772 --> 00:04:34,524 - A mystery in the Lowcountry: 51 00:04:34,607 --> 00:04:36,567 a mom and son found dead, 52 00:04:36,651 --> 00:04:39,320 the circumstances still unknown. 53 00:04:39,404 --> 00:04:41,823 - We're still learning more about what exactly happened 54 00:04:41,906 --> 00:04:44,534 behind these gates of this hunting lodge. 55 00:04:44,617 --> 00:04:47,370 What we do know is, a high-profile family 56 00:04:47,453 --> 00:04:49,831 has lost both a mother and a son, 57 00:04:49,914 --> 00:04:51,499 both shot and killed. 58 00:04:51,582 --> 00:04:53,710 Detectives were called in just after 10:00 p.m., 59 00:04:53,793 --> 00:04:56,379 where they found two bodies inside: 60 00:04:56,462 --> 00:04:57,714 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh 61 00:04:57,797 --> 00:04:59,549 and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh. 62 00:04:59,632 --> 00:05:02,176 Their bodies were found by Maggie's husband 63 00:05:02,260 --> 00:05:05,555 and Paul's father, Richard Alexander Murdaugh. 64 00:05:07,473 --> 00:05:11,894 - The investigation into their murders was extremely closed. 65 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:13,730 Authorities were being very tight-lipped 66 00:05:13,813 --> 00:05:15,732 about what evidence they had gathered, 67 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:17,567 how they exactly they even had died. 68 00:05:17,650 --> 00:05:20,862 It was all very shrouded in mystery. 69 00:05:20,945 --> 00:05:23,072 - While the Murdaugh family owned hundreds of acres 70 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:25,575 in this area, the people who are their neighbors 71 00:05:25,658 --> 00:05:27,201 wouldn't talk much about the family 72 00:05:27,285 --> 00:05:28,828 or exactly what happened, 73 00:05:28,911 --> 00:05:30,913 just saying that they were good people. 74 00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:33,041 When the murders happened, 75 00:05:33,124 --> 00:05:35,543 the town stopped talking completely. 76 00:05:35,626 --> 00:05:38,212 It was truly this sort of ghost town feel of, 77 00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:42,300 "We can't say anything about it because either we're scared, 78 00:05:42,383 --> 00:05:46,554 or we know too much, or we could be next." 79 00:05:47,847 --> 00:05:50,641 - You felt the dome over this little county 80 00:05:50,725 --> 00:05:53,102 starting to crack. 81 00:05:53,186 --> 00:05:55,021 And since that time, 82 00:05:55,104 --> 00:05:57,648 it pretty much has broken wide open. 83 00:06:00,151 --> 00:06:01,652 Paul did some bad stuff. 84 00:06:01,736 --> 00:06:04,947 None of that warrants being killed that way. 85 00:06:05,031 --> 00:06:07,075 And I think that was the one big question. 86 00:06:07,158 --> 00:06:09,619 There's something that's not being told. 87 00:06:09,702 --> 00:06:13,790 - I just can't imagine anybody being hated that much. 88 00:06:13,873 --> 00:06:16,793 - It was shocking to hear about Paul and Maggie. 89 00:06:16,876 --> 00:06:18,419 But it's like, at the same time, 90 00:06:18,503 --> 00:06:20,129 you can only do so much bad 91 00:06:20,213 --> 00:06:23,341 until somebody finally just takes it in their hands. 92 00:06:41,025 --> 00:06:44,112 - In my opinion, you couldn't ask for a better childhood 93 00:06:44,195 --> 00:06:47,156 than Hampton, small town. 94 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,492 You know, that's not what a lot of people like, 95 00:06:49,575 --> 00:06:53,329 but I wouldn't have it any other way. 96 00:06:53,412 --> 00:06:56,332 Me and Paul, we started hanging out 97 00:06:56,415 --> 00:07:00,503 probably when I was in fifth or sixth grade. 98 00:07:00,586 --> 00:07:03,548 Couldn't ask for, you know, a better friend. 99 00:07:04,465 --> 00:07:07,301 One of our favorite things to do was go to the river. 100 00:07:07,385 --> 00:07:09,846 Everybody's got boats, so, you know, 101 00:07:09,929 --> 00:07:13,266 you just call somebody and go. 102 00:07:14,267 --> 00:07:19,522 So us six did that a lot, for hours. 103 00:07:23,609 --> 00:07:26,320 - They were all childhood friends. 104 00:07:26,404 --> 00:07:30,700 They all grew up together. They were all extremely close. 105 00:07:30,783 --> 00:07:32,243 There is Anthony Cook 106 00:07:32,326 --> 00:07:34,412 and his girlfriend Mallory Beach, 107 00:07:34,495 --> 00:07:37,373 Connor Cook and his girlfriend Miley Altman, 108 00:07:37,456 --> 00:07:42,879 and Morgan Doughty and her boyfriend Paul Murdaugh. 109 00:07:42,962 --> 00:07:45,006 A very South Carolina group of friends 110 00:07:45,089 --> 00:07:48,509 that would do a lot of outdoor activities together. 111 00:07:48,593 --> 00:07:49,886 - In the Lowcountry, 112 00:07:49,969 --> 00:07:51,929 you go fishing, and you go boating, 113 00:07:52,013 --> 00:07:53,723 and sometimes those activities 114 00:07:53,806 --> 00:07:55,141 may involve a little bit 115 00:07:55,224 --> 00:07:58,227 of alcohol consumption as well. 116 00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:14,952 So provisions were made by some of these kids 117 00:08:15,036 --> 00:08:18,998 to get beer and to get alcohol. 118 00:08:21,083 --> 00:08:25,087 Paul Murdaugh used his older brother's ID. 119 00:08:25,171 --> 00:08:28,758 - He'd walked out and then lifted the 12-packs 120 00:08:28,841 --> 00:08:31,719 up over his head in celebration. 121 00:08:42,355 --> 00:08:45,608 - And off they went in the Murdaugh boat 122 00:08:45,691 --> 00:08:47,568 and headed towards a destiny 123 00:08:47,652 --> 00:08:51,072 that they could not possibly have imagined. 124 00:09:02,917 --> 00:09:04,961 - Just take us through 125 00:09:05,044 --> 00:09:08,506 how y'all met up that night and what y'all did. 126 00:09:08,589 --> 00:09:10,967 We want you to tell us what you're sure 127 00:09:11,050 --> 00:09:13,219 and certain about what you saw. 128 00:09:13,302 --> 00:09:14,553 - Mm. - Okay? 129 00:09:29,193 --> 00:09:30,486 - Everybody was drinking. 130 00:09:30,569 --> 00:09:32,655 Ain't no denying it, hiding it. 131 00:09:37,243 --> 00:09:39,870 It was just the thrill 132 00:09:39,954 --> 00:09:44,625 of going on a long boat ride at night. 133 00:09:51,591 --> 00:09:54,719 Then for some reason, Paul and Connor 134 00:09:54,802 --> 00:09:57,888 decided they wanted to make a pit stop 135 00:09:57,972 --> 00:09:59,890 at a bar on the way, 136 00:09:59,974 --> 00:10:03,436 and I definitely knew that wasn't a good idea. 137 00:10:28,627 --> 00:10:31,380 - I tried to stop that from happening, 138 00:10:31,464 --> 00:10:34,467 but there wasn't much I could say. 139 00:10:34,550 --> 00:10:37,219 - Paul was like the puppet master. 140 00:10:37,303 --> 00:10:39,305 People listened to him because of who his dad was. 141 00:10:39,388 --> 00:10:41,974 People were afraid of him because who his dad was. 142 00:10:42,058 --> 00:10:45,144 - Wasn't anything too good that I've ever heard about him 143 00:10:45,227 --> 00:10:46,896 that people would say. 144 00:10:46,979 --> 00:10:49,523 They would say Paul was very arrogant, 145 00:10:49,607 --> 00:10:51,776 entitled, 146 00:10:51,859 --> 00:10:53,861 always got his way. 147 00:10:53,944 --> 00:10:57,365 You could tell he was a "rich kid." 148 00:10:57,448 --> 00:10:58,783 - Like, he had a temper, 149 00:10:58,866 --> 00:11:00,868 and he liked to control everybody. 150 00:11:00,951 --> 00:11:02,578 And if you didn't do what he wanted, 151 00:11:02,661 --> 00:11:04,997 he had friends that would back him up 152 00:11:05,081 --> 00:11:06,374 to do his dirty work. 153 00:11:06,457 --> 00:11:07,750 - Whoo! 154 00:11:07,833 --> 00:11:10,586 - He always did a few things that I... 155 00:11:10,669 --> 00:11:12,922 You know, don't really feel comfortable. 156 00:11:14,006 --> 00:11:18,302 I'm not going to talk bad about him, you know? 157 00:11:19,178 --> 00:11:20,763 He was a good guy. 158 00:11:20,846 --> 00:11:22,556 - And we grew up with Paul's family. 159 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:23,640 - We did. 160 00:11:23,682 --> 00:11:25,351 One thing that we have tried 161 00:11:25,434 --> 00:11:27,603 to instill in our children is, 162 00:11:27,686 --> 00:11:29,063 you're friends with the Murdaughs, 163 00:11:29,146 --> 00:11:30,189 but at the same time, 164 00:11:30,272 --> 00:11:31,857 you have to beware of them, 165 00:11:31,941 --> 00:11:35,027 because if something goes down, 166 00:11:35,111 --> 00:11:37,279 you're gonna be the one in trouble, not them. 167 00:11:37,363 --> 00:11:39,573 - A lot of people in town 168 00:11:39,657 --> 00:11:42,410 would not let their kids hang out with Paul 169 00:11:42,493 --> 00:11:45,788 because of the reputation they all have. 170 00:11:45,871 --> 00:11:48,666 - His mother, Maggie, she taught her children, 171 00:11:48,749 --> 00:11:50,126 "Do whatever you want to do. 172 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:51,794 It's okay because of who you are." 173 00:11:51,877 --> 00:11:53,504 They raised them to know 174 00:11:53,587 --> 00:11:58,342 that they were above anyone else. 175 00:11:58,426 --> 00:12:01,554 The law did not pertain to them. 176 00:12:01,637 --> 00:12:02,989 - It's a scary thought, because you know 177 00:12:03,013 --> 00:12:05,433 they have that much power. 178 00:12:15,234 --> 00:12:17,153 - You said you noticed that... 179 00:12:17,236 --> 00:12:19,947 Paul was getting kinda drunk? 180 00:12:34,962 --> 00:12:37,047 - When we left the dock, 181 00:12:37,131 --> 00:12:40,217 things were starting to catch up. 182 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,431 Late, cold, foggy. 183 00:12:45,514 --> 00:12:48,434 I mean, everybody had been drinking. 184 00:12:48,517 --> 00:12:49,810 Wasn't smart. 185 00:12:51,228 --> 00:12:52,646 Paul was drunk, 186 00:12:52,730 --> 00:12:54,774 too drunk to be driving a boat. 187 00:12:56,192 --> 00:12:59,528 - Paul was drunk, and Paul was much worse 188 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:01,572 when he had alcohol in him. 189 00:13:02,990 --> 00:13:04,867 Then Timmy shows up. 190 00:13:06,619 --> 00:13:09,580 - Paul had an alter ego name for him of Timmy 191 00:13:09,663 --> 00:13:12,166 when he became intoxicated. 192 00:13:12,249 --> 00:13:14,960 They would know that Timmy is coming to the surface, 193 00:13:15,044 --> 00:13:17,588 because they would notice how his hands reacted. 194 00:13:26,889 --> 00:13:28,015 - His hands would be such 195 00:13:28,098 --> 00:13:29,600 that he can't bend his fingers, 196 00:13:29,683 --> 00:13:30,893 or he can't make a fist. 197 00:13:30,976 --> 00:13:32,561 His hands are sort of 198 00:13:32,645 --> 00:13:35,356 spread out wide with his fingers spread out wide. 199 00:13:42,154 --> 00:13:43,840 - They knew that there was a turn at some point, 200 00:13:43,864 --> 00:13:46,075 that this wasn't the Paul that they normally knew 201 00:13:46,158 --> 00:13:49,828 but became this Timmy character that did things 202 00:13:49,912 --> 00:13:52,623 that don't sound especially appetizing. 203 00:13:54,792 --> 00:13:57,461 - Paul was being really mean to a girlfriend, 204 00:13:57,545 --> 00:13:59,755 slapping her a time or two, 205 00:13:59,838 --> 00:14:01,715 spitting in her face. 206 00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:04,260 - Paul starts acting out. 207 00:14:04,343 --> 00:14:06,637 I mean, he's just doing stupid stuff, 208 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,266 like he starts driving the boat around in circles. 209 00:14:12,476 --> 00:14:14,436 - This had ceased to be a joyride 210 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,105 and had now become 211 00:14:16,188 --> 00:14:21,026 a very frightening concern for their safety. 212 00:14:54,602 --> 00:14:56,204 - Some of them were huddled down in the bottom 213 00:14:56,228 --> 00:14:58,355 because of, A, the way Paul was acting 214 00:14:58,439 --> 00:15:00,316 but also the speeds that they were going. 215 00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:02,318 This guy is angry, he's bitter, 216 00:15:02,401 --> 00:15:05,029 and I think it became a battle somewhere in there 217 00:15:05,112 --> 00:15:08,324 that Connor wanted to take him off the wheel. 218 00:15:08,407 --> 00:15:10,576 And he wouldn't have any of it. 219 00:15:25,758 --> 00:15:26,967 - Watch out! 220 00:15:36,393 --> 00:15:40,189 - I remember the commotion, 221 00:15:40,272 --> 00:15:43,108 the scream, 222 00:15:43,192 --> 00:15:44,652 and the bang. 223 00:15:45,778 --> 00:15:48,947 We hit the pylons on one side of the bridge, 224 00:15:49,031 --> 00:15:52,284 and when I came to, I was on the other side of the bridge. 225 00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:56,664 Miley... 226 00:15:56,747 --> 00:15:59,917 came running down there to me... 227 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,003 And asked me where my... Mallory was. 228 00:16:37,996 --> 00:16:40,833 It's so much fucking blood! 229 00:16:49,508 --> 00:16:50,860 - Hey, I got a description of that female 230 00:16:50,884 --> 00:16:53,095 for the boat accident. - Okay. 231 00:16:53,178 --> 00:16:55,681 - All right, it's gonna be a 19-years-of-age 232 00:16:55,764 --> 00:16:56,932 white female. 233 00:16:57,015 --> 00:16:59,601 Blonde hair. Pink shirt. 234 00:16:59,685 --> 00:17:02,146 She was last seen in the water, 235 00:17:02,229 --> 00:17:04,273 but they cannot see her now. 236 00:17:11,363 --> 00:17:12,448 - Come on. 237 00:17:35,053 --> 00:17:36,346 - When the phone rang that night, 238 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:38,307 I almost didn't answer it. 239 00:17:39,725 --> 00:17:42,352 But, you know, you get a phone call 240 00:17:42,436 --> 00:17:44,938 in the middle of the night, it's scary. 241 00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:52,696 - As soon as I heard his voice, I knew something was wrong. 242 00:18:13,050 --> 00:18:15,761 I loved her for a long time, you know, 243 00:18:15,844 --> 00:18:17,346 long before I said it. 244 00:18:17,429 --> 00:18:20,349 She always made it very known 245 00:18:20,432 --> 00:18:22,810 how she felt about me. 246 00:18:22,893 --> 00:18:25,270 I was just playing with her, you know. 247 00:18:25,354 --> 00:18:28,190 I wouldn't say anything just ever. 248 00:18:28,273 --> 00:18:29,817 And I don't know, 249 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:34,404 one day I... you know, I just looked at her and... 250 00:18:34,488 --> 00:18:36,031 said, you know, 251 00:18:36,115 --> 00:18:37,366 "All right, Mal, I love you," 252 00:18:37,449 --> 00:18:39,451 and it didn't register to her at first. 253 00:18:39,535 --> 00:18:41,411 And she was like, "Wait, what? 254 00:18:41,495 --> 00:18:43,831 What'd you just say?" 255 00:18:43,914 --> 00:18:47,084 But I mean, it was... 256 00:18:48,585 --> 00:18:50,462 Love is one thing, 257 00:18:50,546 --> 00:18:52,798 and saying it's another. 258 00:19:11,316 --> 00:19:14,570 - Paul's first thought was, "Let me call my grandfather 259 00:19:14,653 --> 00:19:16,321 Randolph Murdaugh," the former solicitor 260 00:19:16,405 --> 00:19:17,990 who knows all the law enforcement there. 261 00:19:18,073 --> 00:19:21,577 Paul was thinking two steps ahead, which is, 262 00:19:21,660 --> 00:19:23,412 "I'm gonna need help, 263 00:19:23,495 --> 00:19:25,998 and my grandfather's the best person to give it to me." 264 00:19:30,544 --> 00:19:32,087 - When we got there, 265 00:19:32,170 --> 00:19:36,216 Anthony was shaking and shivering, and... 266 00:19:37,509 --> 00:19:38,510 He didn't want to go. 267 00:19:38,594 --> 00:19:40,345 He did not want to go. 268 00:19:42,222 --> 00:19:45,142 - Anthony is obviously overcome with anger and guilt 269 00:19:45,225 --> 00:19:48,270 at the fact that his girlfriend is missing. 270 00:19:50,397 --> 00:19:52,649 He sees Paul 271 00:19:52,733 --> 00:19:56,236 coming within a close physical proximity to where he is. 272 00:20:00,073 --> 00:20:03,869 - He has some very telling admissions on camera. 273 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:14,421 - Paul was driving the boat 274 00:20:14,504 --> 00:20:17,716 and the fact that Paul was responsible for the fact 275 00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:19,217 that Mallory was missing. 276 00:20:32,898 --> 00:20:34,983 - Oh, that's... trust me. 277 00:20:35,067 --> 00:20:39,154 - He had seen the past where Paul got out of trouble 278 00:20:39,237 --> 00:20:40,822 because of who he was. - Yeah. 279 00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:43,158 - And Paul knew that, so he's just grinning, 280 00:20:43,241 --> 00:20:45,452 smiling, walking away. 281 00:20:58,674 --> 00:21:01,426 - Historically, Murdaughs have been able 282 00:21:01,510 --> 00:21:04,513 to do what they want 283 00:21:04,596 --> 00:21:07,641 when they want, how they want 284 00:21:07,724 --> 00:21:11,186 without deference to the other people around them. 285 00:21:12,688 --> 00:21:14,940 - I feel like justice has been done. 286 00:21:15,023 --> 00:21:17,025 Truth has been vindicated. 287 00:21:17,109 --> 00:21:19,027 It shows that the people of Jasper County 288 00:21:19,111 --> 00:21:20,487 support law and order. 289 00:21:20,570 --> 00:21:21,965 - Many people would know a solicitor 290 00:21:21,989 --> 00:21:23,865 more as a district attorney, 291 00:21:23,949 --> 00:21:26,868 but instead of just one county or one city, 292 00:21:26,952 --> 00:21:30,288 he would have charge of five different counties in our area. 293 00:21:30,372 --> 00:21:33,583 The Murdaugh dynasty starts with Randolph I. 294 00:21:35,168 --> 00:21:39,298 Then it goes to the man we know as Old Buster, 295 00:21:39,381 --> 00:21:42,718 then Randolph III, 296 00:21:42,801 --> 00:21:44,886 and then Alex himself. 297 00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:47,055 - To really understand the influence 298 00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:49,224 that the Murdaughs had in this community, 299 00:21:49,307 --> 00:21:51,393 you really have to go back to Old Buster. 300 00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:52,728 He was the longest, 301 00:21:52,811 --> 00:21:55,063 most influential Murdaugh member. 302 00:21:55,147 --> 00:21:57,357 - As bad a case as I've ever seen, 303 00:21:57,441 --> 00:21:59,568 and I've been solicitor 44 years. 304 00:21:59,651 --> 00:22:02,404 - I tended to think of that part of South Carolina 305 00:22:02,487 --> 00:22:04,906 as his duchy. 306 00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:08,910 People there had to give tribute 307 00:22:08,994 --> 00:22:11,038 to Buster Murdaugh. 308 00:22:15,333 --> 00:22:17,878 - If Buster Murdaugh liked you, 309 00:22:17,961 --> 00:22:20,589 he'd try to help you every way he could. 310 00:22:20,672 --> 00:22:22,090 If Buster didn't like you, 311 00:22:22,174 --> 00:22:25,469 he'd try to hurt you any way he could. 312 00:22:26,803 --> 00:22:30,265 - I knew Buster personally growing up, 313 00:22:30,348 --> 00:22:34,102 and the stories about Buster taking care of people... 314 00:22:34,186 --> 00:22:35,312 Very real. 315 00:22:35,395 --> 00:22:36,855 And a lot of people to tell you, 316 00:22:36,938 --> 00:22:38,332 "Yeah, Buster could have somebody taken out 317 00:22:38,356 --> 00:22:39,775 in a minute." 318 00:22:39,858 --> 00:22:41,794 - You didn't want to get on the Murdaughs' bad side. 319 00:22:41,818 --> 00:22:46,114 It would be beneficial to stay out of the Murdaughs' radar. 320 00:22:46,198 --> 00:22:48,116 - The Murdaughs were like the Mafia. 321 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,285 You know you just don't mess with 'em. 322 00:22:50,368 --> 00:22:51,912 - We will be seeking the death penalty. 323 00:22:51,995 --> 00:22:53,538 The South Carolina code provides 324 00:22:53,622 --> 00:22:55,791 that under certain circumstances that you can... 325 00:22:55,874 --> 00:22:58,752 - They're the ones who determine who gets prosecuted, 326 00:22:58,835 --> 00:23:00,295 who gets tried. 327 00:23:00,378 --> 00:23:02,089 Is the death penalty sought? 328 00:23:02,172 --> 00:23:06,802 So not only do you have the power over the people. 329 00:23:06,885 --> 00:23:09,096 You've got power over the system. 330 00:23:09,930 --> 00:23:11,932 - When you combine that with the fact 331 00:23:12,015 --> 00:23:14,392 that for a number of these decades, 332 00:23:14,476 --> 00:23:18,980 the Murdaughs were allowed to have a civil practice 333 00:23:19,064 --> 00:23:21,858 while they had the criminal authority. 334 00:23:21,942 --> 00:23:25,195 - Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick 335 00:23:25,278 --> 00:23:27,155 has been helping families in Hampton County 336 00:23:27,239 --> 00:23:30,158 and the South Carolina Lowcountry since 1910. 337 00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:32,536 If you or someone in your family has suffered a loss 338 00:23:32,619 --> 00:23:34,454 or has been personally injured, 339 00:23:34,538 --> 00:23:37,415 call us at Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick, 340 00:23:37,499 --> 00:23:39,000 where our attorneys are devoted 341 00:23:39,084 --> 00:23:41,086 to serving your legal needs. 342 00:23:41,795 --> 00:23:43,421 - The combination operated 343 00:23:43,505 --> 00:23:46,842 to their great financial advantage. 344 00:23:46,925 --> 00:23:49,469 - Some people say "PMPED." 345 00:23:49,553 --> 00:23:51,429 Most regular people just call it "the firm." 346 00:23:51,513 --> 00:23:52,740 - Some people probably don't even know 347 00:23:52,764 --> 00:23:54,641 what those letters stand for. 348 00:23:54,724 --> 00:23:58,061 All they know is the M, Murdaugh. 349 00:23:58,937 --> 00:24:01,017 - The main thing I'll remember about the law firm is, 350 00:24:01,064 --> 00:24:04,276 when I walked in the doors, just how... 351 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:05,694 big it was. 352 00:24:05,777 --> 00:24:08,196 You walk in. You're like, "Oh, yeah, 353 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,031 these people know what they're doing." 354 00:24:10,115 --> 00:24:12,159 - You have a law firm that makes 355 00:24:12,242 --> 00:24:14,161 millions and millions of dollars a year 356 00:24:14,244 --> 00:24:16,705 and is the biggest thing going in Hampton County, basically, 357 00:24:16,788 --> 00:24:19,332 other than government and, in fact, probably... 358 00:24:19,416 --> 00:24:22,085 In some ways, probably had more power than the government. 359 00:24:23,128 --> 00:24:24,421 - Without a doubt, 360 00:24:24,504 --> 00:24:26,715 Alex Murdaugh was a good lawyer. 361 00:24:26,798 --> 00:24:28,175 He was talented. 362 00:24:28,258 --> 00:24:30,427 He was a very dominating person 363 00:24:30,510 --> 00:24:34,264 and maybe even a little bit of a bully. 364 00:24:34,347 --> 00:24:36,892 - I myself grew up with Alex. 365 00:24:36,975 --> 00:24:42,105 His personality was, he should be top dog 366 00:24:42,189 --> 00:24:43,648 in everything. 367 00:24:43,732 --> 00:24:45,192 - He walks into a courtroom. 368 00:24:45,275 --> 00:24:46,735 He's gonna point out, 369 00:24:46,818 --> 00:24:48,379 well, that's his dad's picture on the wall. 370 00:24:48,403 --> 00:24:49,738 That's his grandpa. 371 00:24:49,821 --> 00:24:50,739 And he's gonna make sure 372 00:24:50,822 --> 00:24:52,240 that you know who he is. 373 00:24:52,324 --> 00:24:55,160 He is going to push his dominance. 374 00:24:55,243 --> 00:24:57,621 - You could see that smirk on his face 375 00:24:57,704 --> 00:25:00,749 that would tell you he's just lying through his teeth, 376 00:25:00,832 --> 00:25:03,335 trying to be nice to you. 377 00:25:03,418 --> 00:25:06,504 He's always been one to scheme and manipulate, 378 00:25:06,588 --> 00:25:10,342 and you could always tell that you better watch him, 379 00:25:10,425 --> 00:25:12,111 because you don't know whether what he was telling you 380 00:25:12,135 --> 00:25:13,803 was the truth or not. 381 00:25:13,887 --> 00:25:16,598 - Alex knew all the state troopers. 382 00:25:16,681 --> 00:25:18,934 He socialized with them. 383 00:25:19,017 --> 00:25:20,560 Tickets to football games, 384 00:25:20,644 --> 00:25:22,187 tickets to basketball games, 385 00:25:22,270 --> 00:25:24,189 stuff like that that just reminds them, 386 00:25:24,272 --> 00:25:27,984 "Hey, I'll do for you whatever I can do to help you, 387 00:25:28,068 --> 00:25:29,945 but in return, I expect the same." 388 00:25:30,654 --> 00:25:32,822 For example, if he works a wreck 389 00:25:32,906 --> 00:25:34,616 and the trooper is on the scene 390 00:25:34,699 --> 00:25:37,118 and he says that the fault was this particular driver 391 00:25:37,202 --> 00:25:38,912 and Alex needs it to be switched, 392 00:25:38,995 --> 00:25:40,914 that report is gonna get modified. 393 00:25:40,997 --> 00:25:42,332 That's corruption. 394 00:25:48,505 --> 00:25:52,842 - Connor said, "Daddy, we've had an accident. 395 00:25:52,926 --> 00:25:56,596 I need you and Mama to come to the Beaufort Hospital." 396 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:01,101 - Connor Cook had a very significant jaw injury... 397 00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:05,480 That required some surgical intervention 398 00:26:05,563 --> 00:26:06,648 and treatment. 399 00:26:08,066 --> 00:26:11,278 Morgan Doughty had a very severe hand injury. 400 00:26:16,908 --> 00:26:18,743 Paul was... I believe there's a quote 401 00:26:18,827 --> 00:26:20,495 from his grandfather that said 402 00:26:20,578 --> 00:26:23,540 he was drunker than Cooter Brown. 403 00:26:23,623 --> 00:26:27,544 - They had to restrain Paul in the ambulance 404 00:26:27,627 --> 00:26:30,797 and ended up putting him in his own ambulance 405 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,091 because he was... 406 00:26:33,174 --> 00:26:34,801 - Intoxicated that bad. 407 00:26:34,884 --> 00:26:36,654 Fighting them... he was fighting me and other people. 408 00:26:36,678 --> 00:26:38,513 - Yeah, they couldn't gain control of him. 409 00:26:38,596 --> 00:26:40,682 - Paul Murdaugh was laughing at points. 410 00:26:40,765 --> 00:26:42,517 He was joking with people. 411 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,269 He was completely unfazed by the fact 412 00:26:44,352 --> 00:26:46,980 that his friend was missing. 413 00:26:47,063 --> 00:26:49,983 - He was just so drunk at the hospital 414 00:26:50,066 --> 00:26:51,943 that he was hitting on the nurse 415 00:26:52,027 --> 00:26:53,486 who was trying to make sure 416 00:26:53,570 --> 00:26:55,322 that he was set up in his hospital bed. 417 00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:57,866 - He was acting out to the nurses 418 00:26:57,949 --> 00:27:00,035 and various emergency room personnel, 419 00:27:00,118 --> 00:27:05,373 just really obscene and not appropriate behaviors. 420 00:27:11,921 --> 00:27:14,257 Alex Murdaugh and his father, 421 00:27:14,341 --> 00:27:16,384 the former solicitor Randolph Murdaugh, 422 00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:18,094 arrived at the emergency room, 423 00:27:18,178 --> 00:27:22,557 and they were trying to quarantine Paul off 424 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:24,559 and prohibit him from being interviewed 425 00:27:24,642 --> 00:27:26,061 by law enforcement. 426 00:27:26,144 --> 00:27:30,398 - There appeared to be an effort by Alex Murdaugh 427 00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:33,526 to try and influence the direction 428 00:27:33,610 --> 00:27:35,195 of this investigation, 429 00:27:35,278 --> 00:27:38,323 perhaps to subvert the investigation. 430 00:27:38,406 --> 00:27:40,241 - Takes about an hour to drive 431 00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:42,452 from Hampton to Beaufort Hospital. 432 00:27:42,535 --> 00:27:43,995 We're both crying. 433 00:27:44,079 --> 00:27:46,498 We started getting phone calls from Alex, 434 00:27:46,581 --> 00:27:50,543 and in that hour, he called three, four, five times, 435 00:27:50,627 --> 00:27:53,922 trying to convince us 436 00:27:54,005 --> 00:27:56,216 that Connor was driving the boat. 437 00:27:56,299 --> 00:27:59,511 - The push became, is there a way that we can show 438 00:27:59,594 --> 00:28:01,137 that Paul was not driving? 439 00:28:01,221 --> 00:28:02,740 - What you have to do for a criminal case 440 00:28:02,764 --> 00:28:04,766 is establish reasonable doubt, 441 00:28:04,849 --> 00:28:07,310 so if you can create doubt 442 00:28:07,394 --> 00:28:10,480 that Paul was actually driving the boat at the time, 443 00:28:10,563 --> 00:28:13,775 then he's not gonna get convicted. 444 00:28:13,858 --> 00:28:16,277 - When we did arrive to the hospital, 445 00:28:16,361 --> 00:28:19,280 Alex was already there, Randolph was already there, 446 00:28:19,364 --> 00:28:21,116 trying to orchestrate everything. 447 00:28:21,199 --> 00:28:22,909 Alex was telling me how, with his influence 448 00:28:22,992 --> 00:28:26,329 over the judges and juries and all this, 449 00:28:26,413 --> 00:28:27,747 how, "Don't worry." 450 00:28:27,831 --> 00:28:30,041 He was gonna take care of Connor. 451 00:28:30,125 --> 00:28:33,128 Make more sense to me for him to be telling us 452 00:28:33,211 --> 00:28:37,715 how he is using his resources to find this missing child, 453 00:28:37,799 --> 00:28:39,342 but no, no, that's what... 454 00:28:39,426 --> 00:28:41,302 That wasn't on his mind at all. 455 00:28:41,386 --> 00:28:43,805 Somebody heard Randolph say, "Well, she's gone. 456 00:28:43,888 --> 00:28:45,849 We don't need to worry about her." 457 00:28:47,475 --> 00:28:49,436 - Alex is walking around the hospital 458 00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:54,023 telling the passengers not to say anything to police. 459 00:28:54,107 --> 00:28:56,317 Nobody said, "Alex came to my room 460 00:28:56,401 --> 00:28:59,654 to check on my condition, to see if I was okay." 461 00:28:59,737 --> 00:29:01,406 They said, "Alex came to my room 462 00:29:01,489 --> 00:29:05,160 to tell me not to say who was driving the boat." 463 00:29:05,243 --> 00:29:07,370 Alex apparently talked to Connor, 464 00:29:07,454 --> 00:29:09,330 and Connor said, "He was trying to get me 465 00:29:09,414 --> 00:29:10,832 "to say I was driving 466 00:29:10,915 --> 00:29:13,835 and take the blame for this instead of Paul." 467 00:29:14,627 --> 00:29:18,798 - Paul had called his grandfather Randolph 468 00:29:18,882 --> 00:29:21,342 from the ambulance, 469 00:29:21,426 --> 00:29:24,804 and Connor heard Paul tell Randolph 470 00:29:24,888 --> 00:29:27,098 that Cotton Top was driving the boat. 471 00:29:27,182 --> 00:29:30,643 That's Connor's nickname, so Connor knew right then 472 00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:32,562 what they were trying to do. 473 00:29:36,941 --> 00:29:38,943 - Alex Murdaugh and his father 474 00:29:39,027 --> 00:29:42,405 were trying to arrange for a lawyer 475 00:29:42,489 --> 00:29:44,157 to represent Connor Cook. 476 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,284 - And Alex said, "I know the perfect guy," 477 00:29:46,367 --> 00:29:49,913 so that's how we got introduced to Cory Fleming. 478 00:29:49,996 --> 00:29:52,540 - Cory Fleming was a pretty well-known lawyer 479 00:29:52,624 --> 00:29:54,042 and a good lawyer. 480 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:57,795 Very soon after their first meeting with Mr. Fleming, 481 00:29:57,879 --> 00:30:03,593 they discovered that he was Alex's son Buster's godfather. 482 00:30:03,676 --> 00:30:05,154 - Cory Fleming is his son's godfather. 483 00:30:05,178 --> 00:30:06,679 It's his college roommate. 484 00:30:06,763 --> 00:30:08,431 It is one of his best friends out there, 485 00:30:08,515 --> 00:30:12,143 so he was trying to direct them to use Cory Fleming 486 00:30:12,227 --> 00:30:13,978 because he knew it would benefit him 487 00:30:14,062 --> 00:30:16,064 and that Cory would lead them, theoretically, 488 00:30:16,147 --> 00:30:17,774 in the right direction. 489 00:30:17,857 --> 00:30:21,736 Alex clearly was trying to use his people, his situation 490 00:30:21,819 --> 00:30:24,572 to control the entire event. 491 00:30:24,656 --> 00:30:28,243 - We didn't have a clue that he and Alex go back to college 492 00:30:28,326 --> 00:30:30,453 and were roommates and best friends 493 00:30:30,537 --> 00:30:33,873 and Cory's the godfather of one of Alex's children. 494 00:30:33,957 --> 00:30:35,416 We didn't know any of that. 495 00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:37,794 - He already had the plan in motion, 496 00:30:37,877 --> 00:30:39,587 and we fell for it. 497 00:30:39,671 --> 00:30:40,964 - Mm-hmm. 498 00:30:41,047 --> 00:30:42,757 - He was relieved of duty 499 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:44,300 pretty quickly thereafter 500 00:30:44,384 --> 00:30:48,054 when those relationships became known to the Cooks. 501 00:30:48,137 --> 00:30:50,598 - It was actually pretty hard for him to find an attorney 502 00:30:50,682 --> 00:30:52,809 that would represent Connor. 503 00:30:52,892 --> 00:30:54,394 - Because of who they were up against. 504 00:30:54,477 --> 00:30:55,955 - "We're not going against the Murdaughs, no." 505 00:30:55,979 --> 00:30:58,690 - The first two lawyers we spoke to 506 00:30:58,773 --> 00:31:04,237 told us that if Buster Murdaugh was still alive, 507 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,197 we wouldn't have to worry about all of this, 508 00:31:06,281 --> 00:31:08,366 because Connor would already be crab bait 509 00:31:08,449 --> 00:31:11,244 and there wouldn't be a problem. 510 00:31:16,082 --> 00:31:18,042 - Meanwhile, first responders were focused 511 00:31:18,126 --> 00:31:20,128 on trying to save Mallory 512 00:31:20,211 --> 00:31:22,255 and not registering that we're going to need 513 00:31:22,338 --> 00:31:25,633 to make this into a crime scene now, not later. 514 00:31:25,717 --> 00:31:28,553 The Murdaughs said, "We know what could happen next, 515 00:31:28,636 --> 00:31:31,055 and we need to protect ourselves." 516 00:31:31,139 --> 00:31:33,808 They circled the wagons better than law enforcement did. 517 00:31:33,891 --> 00:31:36,227 - That night at the accident scene, 518 00:31:36,311 --> 00:31:38,021 when they had taped it off, 519 00:31:38,104 --> 00:31:40,732 Mallory's parents wanted to go down to the water, 520 00:31:40,815 --> 00:31:43,443 and they wouldn't let anybody past that tape. 521 00:31:43,526 --> 00:31:45,695 And Mr. Randolph and Maggie came up, 522 00:31:45,778 --> 00:31:48,406 and they lifted the tape and let them go right under. 523 00:31:48,489 --> 00:31:52,827 - The boat itself was now recognized, 524 00:31:52,910 --> 00:31:55,872 hours later, to be a crime scene. 525 00:31:59,083 --> 00:32:00,363 - There's been descriptions made 526 00:32:00,418 --> 00:32:01,836 of efforts to get the boat 527 00:32:01,919 --> 00:32:05,131 away from the scene of the crash. 528 00:32:05,214 --> 00:32:06,841 The local law enforcement officers there 529 00:32:06,924 --> 00:32:09,844 enlisted the help of a member of the Murdaugh family 530 00:32:09,927 --> 00:32:12,889 to bring the trailer to the scene. 531 00:32:12,972 --> 00:32:14,474 - Strikes me as a bit odd 532 00:32:14,557 --> 00:32:16,684 that the Department of Natural Resources 533 00:32:16,768 --> 00:32:17,935 would not have trailers, 534 00:32:18,019 --> 00:32:19,771 since I would assume that agency 535 00:32:19,854 --> 00:32:21,814 has hundreds of boats. 536 00:32:21,898 --> 00:32:25,610 It's a little astonishing that a family member 537 00:32:25,693 --> 00:32:30,073 could get anywhere near the scene of the crime. 538 00:32:31,616 --> 00:32:34,994 - We knew some of the law enforcement that were there, 539 00:32:35,078 --> 00:32:36,746 and we knew that they were close friends 540 00:32:36,829 --> 00:32:38,373 with the Murdaugh family. 541 00:32:38,456 --> 00:32:41,709 It's always been that way, because... 542 00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:43,294 if you were in law enforcement, 543 00:32:43,378 --> 00:32:45,588 you were close friends with the Murdaughs. 544 00:32:46,255 --> 00:32:49,884 - It appears that some evidence is missing: 545 00:32:49,967 --> 00:32:52,178 Paul's clothing, Paul's cell phone, 546 00:32:52,261 --> 00:32:56,057 items from the boat that should have been preserved. 547 00:32:57,058 --> 00:33:00,561 - Some of the evidence has... 548 00:33:00,645 --> 00:33:02,271 disappeared. 549 00:33:02,355 --> 00:33:05,692 Certain DNA evidence that we know was collected 550 00:33:05,775 --> 00:33:07,735 is now unaccounted for. 551 00:33:08,986 --> 00:33:12,532 How that occurs is a mystery to me. 552 00:33:12,615 --> 00:33:14,617 - A lot of the local people were like, 553 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:16,411 "We know there's nothing you can do," 554 00:33:16,494 --> 00:33:18,162 so we just kind of give up hope 555 00:33:18,246 --> 00:33:20,373 and just let whatever happens happen, 556 00:33:20,456 --> 00:33:24,335 because we've seen it so many times. 557 00:33:37,181 --> 00:33:39,142 - DNR officials are still holding out hope 558 00:33:39,225 --> 00:33:41,769 that Mallory will be found safe. 559 00:33:41,853 --> 00:33:44,605 They have been searching for three full days, 560 00:33:44,689 --> 00:33:47,150 and that search area expands with every day, they say, 561 00:33:47,233 --> 00:33:49,360 making it much harder to find her. 562 00:33:49,444 --> 00:33:50,862 Hope, though, has begun to dwindle 563 00:33:50,945 --> 00:33:53,656 for her family and for rescuers out there. 564 00:33:56,492 --> 00:33:58,411 - Every day, we were pretty much 565 00:33:58,494 --> 00:34:01,372 the first ones there and the last to leave. 566 00:34:01,456 --> 00:34:03,416 One particular day, 567 00:34:03,499 --> 00:34:06,335 I was having an emotional moment 568 00:34:06,419 --> 00:34:09,922 and just wanted to be by myself for a minute. 569 00:34:13,885 --> 00:34:15,178 And so I got in the truck, 570 00:34:15,261 --> 00:34:16,846 and I was watching the helicopter 571 00:34:16,929 --> 00:34:20,641 and praying and looking out at the water. 572 00:34:21,893 --> 00:34:24,395 And I heard somebody get in the back. 573 00:34:24,479 --> 00:34:27,565 Turned around, and it was Maggie Murdaugh. 574 00:34:29,233 --> 00:34:30,568 My first thought was, 575 00:34:30,651 --> 00:34:32,445 she's getting in the truck with me 576 00:34:32,528 --> 00:34:35,406 to make everybody else see that, 577 00:34:35,490 --> 00:34:38,201 but then she started questioning me 578 00:34:38,284 --> 00:34:39,869 and my opinion about things. 579 00:34:39,952 --> 00:34:43,164 And one of the things she said was, 580 00:34:43,247 --> 00:34:47,001 "What do you think will happen if they never find her?" 581 00:34:47,085 --> 00:34:48,544 I mean, how can you even say that? 582 00:34:48,628 --> 00:34:50,505 Like, I can't think that way. 583 00:34:50,588 --> 00:34:55,510 My Lord, what... you know, I want her to be found alive, 584 00:34:55,593 --> 00:34:59,096 and I'm not entertaining this conversation. 585 00:35:00,223 --> 00:35:03,226 So she waited a few minutes, and then she got out. 586 00:35:04,435 --> 00:35:07,563 And that was the last time I ever talked to her. 587 00:35:08,606 --> 00:35:12,777 I saw her... a few times, 588 00:35:12,860 --> 00:35:14,695 like, in the grocery store or whatever, 589 00:35:14,779 --> 00:35:16,948 but I made sure I went the other way, 590 00:35:17,031 --> 00:35:20,535 because I didn't want to entertain any conversation. 591 00:35:20,618 --> 00:35:22,411 And so I just stayed away. 592 00:35:31,337 --> 00:35:33,297 - It was a Sunday. 593 00:35:34,090 --> 00:35:35,716 That was the... 594 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:40,096 That was the only day that I didn't go... 595 00:35:40,179 --> 00:35:41,514 to the bridge. 596 00:35:44,141 --> 00:35:48,563 - Yesterday, after one week, the search for Beach ended. 597 00:35:48,646 --> 00:35:50,773 - It's the conclusion that family and friends 598 00:35:50,857 --> 00:35:52,233 of Mallory Beach feared 599 00:35:52,316 --> 00:35:54,152 after praying for a week for a miracle 600 00:35:54,235 --> 00:35:56,571 that maybe she had survived that boat crash 601 00:35:56,654 --> 00:35:58,906 and would be found alive. 602 00:36:00,157 --> 00:36:02,910 - It took me months 603 00:36:02,994 --> 00:36:05,913 to really believe it. 604 00:36:08,833 --> 00:36:10,626 And... 605 00:36:10,710 --> 00:36:13,129 sometimes it still don't feel real. 606 00:36:13,212 --> 00:36:14,755 You know, just... 607 00:36:14,839 --> 00:36:17,800 I guess that probably happens for everybody. 608 00:36:19,594 --> 00:36:22,930 - Your children go through a lot of things in life. 609 00:36:23,014 --> 00:36:26,642 You lose people, and... 610 00:36:26,726 --> 00:36:27,977 things happen. 611 00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:31,105 A lot of people have tragedies. 612 00:36:31,188 --> 00:36:35,693 But for him, he didn't just lose her. 613 00:36:35,776 --> 00:36:39,238 He lost her right out of his arms. 614 00:36:39,322 --> 00:36:41,282 He had her one second, 615 00:36:41,365 --> 00:36:42,783 and the next second, she was gone, 616 00:36:42,867 --> 00:36:44,702 and he never saw her again, ever. 617 00:36:44,785 --> 00:36:48,289 - If you got a phone call saying 618 00:36:48,372 --> 00:36:53,127 that your girlfriend was just killed in a car wreck, 619 00:36:53,210 --> 00:36:56,797 it wouldn't be near as bad as... 620 00:36:56,881 --> 00:36:59,508 losing her out of your own arms. 621 00:37:00,801 --> 00:37:02,762 There's no comparison. 622 00:37:04,096 --> 00:37:07,141 - I like to consider myself lucky. 623 00:37:07,224 --> 00:37:10,645 Yeah, it sucks that I lost her, but... 624 00:37:10,728 --> 00:37:13,981 at the same time, 625 00:37:14,065 --> 00:37:17,109 I was the one she loved before she left. 626 00:37:27,912 --> 00:37:29,205 - Two months ago, 627 00:37:29,288 --> 00:37:31,165 Hampton County teen Mallory Beach 628 00:37:31,248 --> 00:37:33,209 died from a boat crash. 629 00:37:35,169 --> 00:37:36,921 - The young man accused of driving the boat 630 00:37:37,004 --> 00:37:38,881 when it crashed, Paul Murdaugh, 631 00:37:38,965 --> 00:37:41,008 was arraigned today. 632 00:37:44,220 --> 00:37:46,597 - He was charged with felony boating under the influence 633 00:37:46,681 --> 00:37:48,641 that causes a death. 634 00:37:50,393 --> 00:37:54,981 So he was facing literally 55 years in prison. 635 00:38:02,154 --> 00:38:05,700 - The big question became, who was driving the boat 636 00:38:05,783 --> 00:38:08,035 when it hit the bridge? 637 00:38:08,119 --> 00:38:09,662 Based upon the evidence, 638 00:38:09,745 --> 00:38:12,373 there's no way the state could have proved 639 00:38:12,456 --> 00:38:15,876 Paul was driving the boat at the time of the collision. 640 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:20,715 I say that based upon written statements by these witnesses. 641 00:38:20,798 --> 00:38:24,260 Paul's girlfriend said, "Paul drove. 642 00:38:24,343 --> 00:38:27,430 "He was very intoxicated as well as Connor. 643 00:38:27,513 --> 00:38:30,307 "We putted around until Connor took over. 644 00:38:30,391 --> 00:38:32,977 We slammed into the bridge." 645 00:38:34,353 --> 00:38:36,856 Anthony Cook says, "Paul got defensive 646 00:38:36,939 --> 00:38:39,567 "and started yelling at everyone else, 647 00:38:39,650 --> 00:38:41,444 "so Connor tried to calm everyone down 648 00:38:41,527 --> 00:38:43,946 and let him drive the boat." 649 00:38:44,739 --> 00:38:46,532 It's interesting what Connor Cook 650 00:38:46,615 --> 00:38:48,159 said at the hospital. 651 00:38:48,242 --> 00:38:50,411 The officer asks, "Connor, who was driving the boat 652 00:38:50,494 --> 00:38:51,871 at the time of the collision?" 653 00:38:51,954 --> 00:38:54,498 Connor says, "I don't know." 654 00:38:54,582 --> 00:38:55,851 "Connor, who was driving the boat 655 00:38:55,875 --> 00:38:57,543 at the time of the collision?" 656 00:38:57,626 --> 00:38:59,587 "I don't know." 657 00:38:59,670 --> 00:39:02,590 - I said, "Connor, is there any chance 658 00:39:02,673 --> 00:39:03,924 that you were driving the boat?" 659 00:39:04,008 --> 00:39:07,219 And he's like, "What, Mom? No." 660 00:39:07,303 --> 00:39:09,597 - Alex told him to say he didn't know 661 00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:11,348 who was driving the boat. 662 00:39:11,432 --> 00:39:13,476 If Connor was asked, not to say, "No, I wasn't." 663 00:39:13,559 --> 00:39:15,311 To say, "I don't know." 664 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,773 - It was devastating to know that somebody 665 00:39:18,856 --> 00:39:22,443 that was supposed to be that good of a friend of mine 666 00:39:22,526 --> 00:39:24,862 would be willing to try to sacrifice my child 667 00:39:24,945 --> 00:39:25,988 to save his. 668 00:39:26,072 --> 00:39:30,409 Oh, it brought me to reality. 669 00:39:40,669 --> 00:39:42,463 - Murdaugh's bond was set by presiding judge 670 00:39:42,546 --> 00:39:45,841 Steven S. John at $50,000. 671 00:39:45,925 --> 00:39:47,635 - It was the moment after the judge said 672 00:39:47,718 --> 00:39:50,471 yes, the charges were going to stand 673 00:39:50,554 --> 00:39:53,557 that the bailiff came with handcuffs 674 00:39:53,641 --> 00:39:56,644 and Paul's eyes lit up. 675 00:39:56,727 --> 00:39:58,604 They got big, and they went, 676 00:39:58,687 --> 00:40:01,941 "Somebody's coming with handcuffs to handcuff me. 677 00:40:02,024 --> 00:40:03,609 Who do they think they are?" 678 00:40:05,111 --> 00:40:07,154 And they stopped it. 679 00:40:07,238 --> 00:40:09,365 The lawyers were able to stop it. 680 00:40:09,448 --> 00:40:12,034 And it doesn't make any sense that you didn't get that, 681 00:40:12,118 --> 00:40:14,620 that he never spent a moment 682 00:40:14,703 --> 00:40:17,748 not in a jail cell, even, but getting booked. 683 00:40:17,832 --> 00:40:19,166 They took his mug shot 684 00:40:19,250 --> 00:40:21,293 in the hallway of the courthouse, 685 00:40:21,377 --> 00:40:23,045 and he walked out that day. 686 00:40:27,049 --> 00:40:30,386 And I think that's rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. 687 00:40:32,096 --> 00:40:34,682 What you got from a lot of people was, 688 00:40:34,765 --> 00:40:37,601 "It's the Murdaughs. Nothing's going to happen." 689 00:40:41,856 --> 00:40:43,732 - I think it was shocking to a lot of people 690 00:40:43,816 --> 00:40:47,528 in Hampton County that he was even charged with a crime 691 00:40:47,611 --> 00:40:51,157 and shows how serious this crime was. 692 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:54,243 But even though he was waiting to stand trial, 693 00:40:54,326 --> 00:40:56,996 a lot of people didn't think it was actually gonna happen. 694 00:41:03,752 --> 00:41:07,756 - A lot of people felt that there was too much delay 695 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,676 and that Paul's able to go to college. 696 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:20,227 He was bullied a fair amount. 697 00:41:20,311 --> 00:41:22,813 He would walk into class, and people would 698 00:41:22,897 --> 00:41:25,065 blow the horn at him and yell at him 699 00:41:25,149 --> 00:41:28,611 and just cuss him and shoot him the bird. 700 00:41:29,653 --> 00:41:31,989 A lot of people in the public thought 701 00:41:32,072 --> 00:41:36,535 there will not be any justice until Paul gets convicted. 702 00:42:00,142 --> 00:42:02,686 - I got a call from one of my sources that said, 703 00:42:02,770 --> 00:42:04,271 "You won't believe this, but..." 704 00:42:04,355 --> 00:42:06,732 - A prominent family here in South Carolina 705 00:42:06,815 --> 00:42:09,944 dead after what's being called a double homicide. 706 00:42:10,027 --> 00:42:11,838 - You just sit there with a blank look on your face, 707 00:42:11,862 --> 00:42:14,657 going..."What happened?" 708 00:42:14,740 --> 00:42:17,159 - Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were found dead 709 00:42:17,243 --> 00:42:18,869 at their family hunting lodge. 710 00:42:18,953 --> 00:42:21,247 - It was... shocking. 711 00:42:21,330 --> 00:42:24,917 Time stood still. I remember exactly where I was. 712 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:26,710 - Both mother and son were shot and killed 713 00:42:26,794 --> 00:42:27,670 execution style. 714 00:42:27,753 --> 00:42:29,004 Investigators note 715 00:42:29,088 --> 00:42:31,131 both were shot multiple times. 716 00:42:31,215 --> 00:42:32,591 - Dumbfounded by it. 717 00:42:32,675 --> 00:42:34,843 You can't express the reaction. 718 00:42:34,927 --> 00:42:37,721 And then, of course, you start asking questions. 719 00:42:37,805 --> 00:42:39,807 - A small Lowcountry community remains in shock, 720 00:42:39,890 --> 00:42:41,684 left with more questions than answers. 721 00:42:41,767 --> 00:42:45,062 - The family asking for the public's help. 722 00:42:54,071 --> 00:42:56,490 - In the Lowcountry, a community gathered 723 00:42:56,573 --> 00:42:59,159 for funeral services being held 724 00:42:59,243 --> 00:43:00,828 for 52-year-old Maggie 725 00:43:00,911 --> 00:43:04,290 and her 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh. 726 00:43:05,457 --> 00:43:06,834 - There were so many people there, 727 00:43:06,917 --> 00:43:10,087 and my wife was afraid 728 00:43:10,170 --> 00:43:13,590 for our safety going to the funeral. 729 00:43:13,674 --> 00:43:17,094 And she was concerned about law enforcement being there, 730 00:43:17,177 --> 00:43:19,555 because we didn't know what had happened. 731 00:43:21,181 --> 00:43:22,433 - The service starts, 732 00:43:22,516 --> 00:43:25,644 and Maggie Murdaugh's sister-in-law 733 00:43:25,728 --> 00:43:27,438 starts talking about, 734 00:43:27,521 --> 00:43:29,690 like, what a loving and warm person 735 00:43:29,773 --> 00:43:32,693 Maggie Murdaugh was, 736 00:43:32,776 --> 00:43:36,030 how she loved her sons more than anything. 737 00:43:36,113 --> 00:43:40,034 And then for Paul, they had a partner at the law firm, 738 00:43:40,117 --> 00:43:42,995 and in his first remarks, he mentioned 739 00:43:43,078 --> 00:43:45,706 that he actually hadn't seen Paul in a while. 740 00:43:45,789 --> 00:43:48,208 So the guy that they have speak for Paul 741 00:43:48,292 --> 00:43:50,377 was a law firm member 742 00:43:50,461 --> 00:43:53,047 who hadn't seen Paul in a while. 743 00:43:54,214 --> 00:43:57,217 I don't know if people really got to know 744 00:43:57,301 --> 00:43:59,053 who Paul really was, 745 00:43:59,136 --> 00:44:00,346 which is a shame, you know? 746 00:44:00,429 --> 00:44:01,573 I mean, people are more than just 747 00:44:01,597 --> 00:44:03,724 their worst things about them. 748 00:44:04,975 --> 00:44:06,602 - Anything he did or said ever 749 00:44:06,685 --> 00:44:10,564 was gonna be scrutinized, maybe, by his family, 750 00:44:10,647 --> 00:44:12,983 because you have to be this way. 751 00:44:13,067 --> 00:44:15,361 You have to act this way. 752 00:44:16,278 --> 00:44:19,239 I think Anthony almost felt sorry for him 753 00:44:19,323 --> 00:44:23,577 for some of that, because every little thing you do 754 00:44:23,660 --> 00:44:27,623 is based upon who you are. 755 00:44:31,668 --> 00:44:33,045 - No. 756 00:44:33,128 --> 00:44:34,338 No. 757 00:44:34,421 --> 00:44:35,672 It was... 758 00:44:35,756 --> 00:44:37,591 I wanted to, 759 00:44:37,674 --> 00:44:40,928 but I figured there was probably a little bit... 760 00:44:41,011 --> 00:44:43,555 Too much drama would be involved. 761 00:44:44,932 --> 00:44:50,062 You know, and I've made my peace 762 00:44:50,145 --> 00:44:52,523 without having to go to the funeral. 763 00:44:53,690 --> 00:44:56,735 - Anthony has since told us that 764 00:44:56,819 --> 00:44:58,153 one of the days out at the bridge 765 00:44:58,237 --> 00:45:01,198 that Paul did make contact with him. 766 00:45:02,032 --> 00:45:04,118 - He looked at me 767 00:45:04,201 --> 00:45:06,620 dead in my eyes when... 768 00:45:06,703 --> 00:45:09,331 there wasn't nobody paying attention 769 00:45:09,415 --> 00:45:12,459 and apologized 770 00:45:12,543 --> 00:45:16,755 and said, "You know I love you," 771 00:45:16,839 --> 00:45:19,049 and I said, "I love you too, 772 00:45:19,133 --> 00:45:21,593 and I... You know, it's all good," 773 00:45:21,677 --> 00:45:23,637 and I had to walk away. 774 00:45:23,721 --> 00:45:27,057 But that was it. 775 00:45:27,141 --> 00:45:28,809 A lot of people try to make it out 776 00:45:28,892 --> 00:45:32,521 like it never really fazed him, but it did. 777 00:45:32,604 --> 00:45:36,483 He knew deep down. 778 00:45:36,567 --> 00:45:39,361 I think there's a lot of people out there 779 00:45:39,445 --> 00:45:42,823 in the world that heard a lot of things, 780 00:45:42,906 --> 00:45:45,159 but if you didn't know him like I did, 781 00:45:45,242 --> 00:45:46,994 you wouldn't understand, you know, 782 00:45:47,077 --> 00:45:49,371 'cause he really was a good person. 783 00:45:58,005 --> 00:46:00,674 - Usually murders are solved, you know, 784 00:46:00,757 --> 00:46:02,426 within days or weeks. 785 00:46:02,509 --> 00:46:04,803 And if they don't get solved within days or weeks, 786 00:46:04,887 --> 00:46:07,514 I think a large percentage go unsolved. 787 00:46:08,182 --> 00:46:09,534 - Still no arrests more than a week 788 00:46:09,558 --> 00:46:10,476 after the mother and son 789 00:46:10,559 --> 00:46:11,559 from an influential 790 00:46:11,602 --> 00:46:12,603 South Carolina family 791 00:46:12,686 --> 00:46:13,686 were shot and killed. 792 00:46:13,729 --> 00:46:14,646 - I think this may 793 00:46:14,730 --> 00:46:15,731 very well be related 794 00:46:15,814 --> 00:46:17,566 to the death of Mallory Beach. 795 00:46:17,649 --> 00:46:19,401 People begin to think another Murdaugh 796 00:46:19,485 --> 00:46:21,361 is gonna get away with something. 797 00:46:21,445 --> 00:46:23,363 So what was the motivation 798 00:46:23,447 --> 00:46:27,201 other than anger or revenge? 799 00:46:27,284 --> 00:46:30,120 - Many people, me included, 800 00:46:30,204 --> 00:46:32,289 thought that this was the act 801 00:46:32,372 --> 00:46:36,168 of some delusional vigilante. 802 00:46:36,251 --> 00:46:38,003 - My instincts tell me that this was 803 00:46:38,086 --> 00:46:41,340 a targeted hit meant for the young victim, 804 00:46:41,423 --> 00:46:43,634 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. 805 00:46:43,717 --> 00:46:44,927 Two weapons were used, 806 00:46:45,010 --> 00:46:48,013 a shotgun and an assault rifle. 807 00:46:48,096 --> 00:46:50,432 Now, I find it very difficult to believe 808 00:46:50,516 --> 00:46:51,916 that unless you're a Hollywood actor 809 00:46:51,975 --> 00:46:55,103 pretending you're carrying two long guns 810 00:46:55,187 --> 00:46:57,898 that one person did this. 811 00:46:59,233 --> 00:47:01,985 - Paul was shot two times at very close range. 812 00:47:02,069 --> 00:47:05,572 Maggie is shot multiple times. 813 00:47:05,656 --> 00:47:09,368 Then there were two last shots while she was on the ground, 814 00:47:09,451 --> 00:47:10,994 at close range. 815 00:47:11,078 --> 00:47:15,457 What it appears to be is that Paul was a target 816 00:47:15,541 --> 00:47:20,587 and that Maggie came up on what had happened 817 00:47:20,671 --> 00:47:22,422 and was a witness. 818 00:47:27,010 --> 00:47:29,972 - I called Connor and his parents, 819 00:47:30,055 --> 00:47:33,433 and I said, "You may rest assured that law enforcement 820 00:47:33,517 --> 00:47:35,477 "will be calling you, 821 00:47:35,561 --> 00:47:37,104 "because they're gonna be calling 822 00:47:37,187 --> 00:47:41,942 "every person in the boat and their family members 823 00:47:42,025 --> 00:47:44,945 to learn whether everyone has an alibi." 824 00:47:45,028 --> 00:47:48,824 - Is there a nexus between the death of Mallory Beach 825 00:47:48,907 --> 00:47:50,284 in 2019 826 00:47:50,367 --> 00:47:53,328 and the death of Paul Murdaugh? 827 00:47:55,122 --> 00:47:59,001 - This case has become so convoluted, so crazy, 828 00:47:59,084 --> 00:48:01,128 so many twists and turns to it, 829 00:48:01,211 --> 00:48:03,672 because every time you think it's finished, 830 00:48:03,755 --> 00:48:05,090 there's another turn. 831 00:48:09,303 --> 00:48:10,637 - It's another bizarre twist 832 00:48:10,721 --> 00:48:12,347 in the story of the Murdaugh family. 833 00:48:12,431 --> 00:48:14,558 Investigators are looking into another crime 834 00:48:14,641 --> 00:48:17,227 connected to another family member. 835 00:48:17,311 --> 00:48:18,353 - Good evening, everybody. 836 00:48:18,437 --> 00:48:19,438 Andrew Davis out here 837 00:48:19,521 --> 00:48:20,814 in Hampton County right now 838 00:48:20,897 --> 00:48:23,066 with the story that really everybody 839 00:48:23,150 --> 00:48:24,610 is talking about. 840 00:48:24,693 --> 00:48:26,111 There's a massive investigation 841 00:48:26,194 --> 00:48:27,654 going on right now. 842 00:48:27,738 --> 00:48:30,490 Multiple shell casing signs here, 843 00:48:30,574 --> 00:48:32,075 ten at least. 844 00:48:32,159 --> 00:48:35,495 We now know that it was somewhere after 1:30 today 845 00:48:35,579 --> 00:48:38,749 that Alex Murdaugh was shot in the head.