Alex Murdaugh resigns from law firm and goes into rehab after weekend shooting

HAMPTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – Alex Murdaugh has released his first statement since he was shot on a country road in Hampton County over the weekend.

In this statement, published through his lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh said he plans to resign from his law firm and go into rehab:

The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I’ve made a lot of decisions that I really regret. I give up my law firm and go into rehab after a long battle that has been aggravated by these murders. I am immensely sorry for everyone I have hurt, including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers in rehabilitating myself and my relationships.

Neither Murdaugh nor Harpootlian have answered questions about the statement.

The state police division is investigating the shootings on Old Salkehatchie Road, near Varnville. SLED says the Hampton County office received a call to Murdaugh’s 911 on Saturday at 1:34 p.m., where it told lawmakers he had been shot.

The Hampton County Sheriff’s Office secured the scene while the EMS coordinated Murdaugh Medical Air Transportation to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, for the treatment of a superficial gunshot wound to the none, said SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby.

SPECIAL SECTION: Murdaugh’s death investigation

The Hampton County Sheriff’s Office asked SLED to lead the investigation and SLED staff was sent to the scene at 2:41 p.m., with Lowcountry regional agents arriving at the scene at 3:40 p.m. pm and crime scene officers arriving at 4:30 p.m., Crosby said.

Murdaugh’s lawyer, Jim Griffin, said he spoke to members of Murdaugh’s family who said he was aware, alert and talking, “which is a good sign.” Griffin said Murdaugh was shot in the head while changing a tire. He originally said Murdaugh was taken to MUSC in Charleston, and then clarified that he was taken to a Savannah hospital.

No arrests were made during the shooting.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Murdaugh family said, “The Murdaugh family has suffered more than any family could have imagined. We hope Alex recovers and asks for his privacy while he recovers.”

Saturday’s incident was the latest in a series of tragedies for the Murdaugh family, a well-known family in the Netherlands.

Murdaugh is the father of Paul Murdaugh, 22; and the husband of Margaret Murdaugh, 52; who were found shot at their hunting property in the rural community of Colleton County, Islandton, on June 7th.

SLED confirmed that Alex Murdaugh discovered them after they were shot. The two Murdaughs were shot several times, investigators confirmed.

Days after the double shooting, family patriarch Randolph Murdaugh died. He was Paul’s grandfather and Alex’s father.

The family has strong connections to the circuit’s 14th attorney’s office, which serves Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.

Members of the Murdaugh family ran the circuit’s 14th attorney’s office for about 87 years. When this position became an elected office in 1920, Mr. Randolph Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, became the first man elected to the role. He served until he died in a train accident in 1940. His son, Randolph Murdaugh Jr., took office after his father’s death and served until his retirement in 1987.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates again.

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