Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer who survived a road shooting months after the deaths of his wife and son, is being investigated on charges of mishandling the funds of his former practice. legal.
The South Carolina state police division announced Monday it was studying allegations that Murdaugh was “misappropriating” money from the law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick. Murdaugh, 53, said in a statement last week that he had given up on rehab and that he “made a lot of decisions that really make me regret it.”
The family-run company revealed the allegations against Murdaugh earlier this month and said a forensic accountant would lead an internal investigation. Murdaugh’s license was suspended indefinitely two days after the announcement.
It is still unclear how much Murdaugh is accused of taking from the firm and how it was used.
The head of the SC law enforcement division, Mark Keel, called for patience as the investigation unfolded.
“The investigative decisions we make throughout this case and any potentially related cases must ultimately resist scrutiny of the criminal justice process,” Keel said Monday. “As in all cases, SLED is committed to conducting a professional, thorough and impartial criminal investigation, regardless of where the facts lead us.”
Murdaugh became the object of intrigue in June after the murder of his wife, Margaret, and his son, Paul. He discovered their bodies lying on the ground near the family’s kennels, according to his 911 call. They had been shot several times.
The double homicide has not been resolved and is being investigated by the state police division.
Legal officials have given no indication that the shootings of Margaret, 52, and Paul, 22, are directly related to those of Alex Murdaugh.
Paul Murdaugh was due to stand trial for three offenses related to the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in a boating accident. Authorities report he was intoxicated while driving a boat when it crashed and sent Beach aboard. His body was found a week later.
On September 4, Murdaugh reported that he was shot in the road. He told 911 that he had been shot while changing a tire in Hampton County. Murdaugh was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, for treatment of a “superficial” head wound.