Who Is The Murdaugh Family? We Explain Here
The Murdaugh family is a well-known American legal family in South Carolina’s Low Country. Three generations of the Murdaugh family held the position of solicitor for a group of five counties in South Carolina’s Low Country from 1920 to 2006.
Similar to the district attorney in other U.S. jurisdictions, the solicitor in South Carolina is in responsibility of bringing all criminal prosecutions inside the state to trial. The only judicial circuit in the state to encompass five counties is this one.
Former attorney Alex Murdaugh comes from a South Carolina legal dynasty. Since then, more generations have worked as solicitors and joined the family business. The Murdaughs, who NPR called “one of South Carolina’s most illustrious legal families”, were the subject of a cover story for Carolina Lawyer magazine in 1989.
Judicial & Political Authority
Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh Jr., who served from 1940 to 1986, succeeded his father Murdaugh Sr. Buster only faced opposition twice during his 46 years in office. Professor John Blume of Cornell Law School claims that Buster received multiple reprimands from the state supreme court for his closing remarks in various instances involving the death penalty. 1986 saw Buster retire, and 1998 saw his passing.
After Buster retired in 1986, his son Randolph Murdaugh III took over as solicitor. Up to his resignation in 2006, he didn’t face any challengers in any elections. Randolph III was married to Elizabeth Alexander and they had four children: John Marvin, Randolph IV, and Richard Alexander. All three of the boys worked for the family business. In 2019, Governor Henry McMaster presented Randolph III with the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honour. He retired in 2006, and on June 10, 2021, he passed away naturally.
Hampton County lost potential employers since conducting business there became illegal as a result of the firm’s activity. In 2022, PMPED adopted the name The Parker Law Group. The powerful, old-money Murdaugh family scandals and killings in South Carolina’s Low Country have recently gained more attention.