Alex Murdaugh, the man accused of trying to arrange his own death earlier this month for his son to receive $ 10 million in life insurance, will become authorities on Thursday, his lawyer told the affiliate of CBS WSPA-TV. Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina lawyer, allegedly hired a gunman to kill him, but the planned deadly shot only broke his head, state police reported Tuesday.
Jim Griffin, Murdaugh’s attorney, said an arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for a conspiracy charge to commit insurance fraud.
The alleged shooter, Curtis Edward Smith, was charged with assisted suicide, insurance fraud and several other crimes during the Sept. 4 Murdaugh shooting on a lonely Hampton County highway, the State Division reported. in a statement.
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Murdaugh gave Smith the gun to kill him and he followed him all the way to Old Salkehatchie Road, firing a shot at the lawyer while he was on the road, an agent said in an affidavit.
But that bullet only burst into Murdaugh’s head and he was able to call 911 for help, authorities said. Murdaugh’s lawyer said last week his skull was fractured by the bullet.
Murdaugh wanted Smith killed so his surviving son could get his $ 10 million life insurance policy, state agents said.
Murdaugh’s lawyers said he had been struggling with an opioid addiction for a long time and wanted to end his life. In a statement provided to CBS News, attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said:
On September 4, it became clear that Alex believed that ending his life was his only option. Today he knows that is not true. Over the past 20 years, there have been many people who have fueled their opioid addiction. During this time, these people took advantage of their addiction and their ability to pay substantial funds for illegal drugs. One of these individuals took advantage of his mental illness and agreed to take Alex’s life, shooting him in the head. Fortunately, Alex did not die from the gunshot wound.
They said Murdaugh is fully involved in the investigation of his shooting and the death of his wife and son. “Alex is not to blame, but he is just one of many whose lives have been devastated by opioid addiction,” his lawyers said.
Smith withdrew after the shooting and removed the weapon, authorities reported.
Colleton County Detention Center via AP
State officials said Murdaugh admitted he was trying to organize his own death Monday.
Murdaugh said last week through a family spokesman that he retired after the low-pressure light on the tires of his Mercedes SUV was turned on. A man passing by in a van asked him if he had problems with the car and then shot him.
Officers said Smith, 61, confessed Tuesday and was charged with assisted suicide, assault and very aggravated battery, which he had pointed out and presented with a firearm, insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud. insurance, methamphetamine distribution and marijuana possession.
It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf. Colleton County court records showed Murdaugh had been Smith’s attorney in a 2013 speeding case.
The June 7 massacres of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, are still unresolved. Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies of his wife and son at his home in Colleton County. Both had been shot several times.
Murdaugh announced two days after the shooting that he was going to rehab for an opioid addiction. He apologized to his family and said he was leaving his law firm.
“The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made many decisions that I truly regret,” Murdaugh said without going into detail.
A few hours later, the law firm PMPED (Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth Detrick) said Murdaugh had taken money from the business and was fired from the company. The amount of money has not been revealed.
Along with the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh and the execution of Alex Murdaugh, the State Division of Law Organization is investigating the missing money, if anyone tried to obstruct the investigation of a 2019 boat accident that eventually was charged Paul Murdaugh and a July 2015. death hit in Hampton County.
Murdaugh’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather held the position of solicitor in the area for more than 80 years, and other family members were prominent civil lawyers in the region.