A South Carolina man has been arrested on charges of assisted suicide and fraud in the shooting of attorney Alex Murdaugh earlier this month, authorities reported Tuesday.
Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was arrested in connection with the Sept. 4 shooting that survived Murdaugh, the South Carolina Police Division said in a statement.
Murdaugh told 911 he was shot in the head while changing a tire.
The state law enforcement division has said Murdaugh suffered a “superficial” shot in the head.
The shooting came nearly three months after Murdaugh’s wife and adult son were found fatally shot on the family property in rural Islandton on June 7.
The bodies of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh were found June 7 near kennels on the family’s hunting property in Colleton County, west of Charleston. They had been shot dead.
State investigators classified his deaths as a double homicide.
Murdaugh, 53, who is part of a prominent South Carolina legal family, has not been charged with any crime.
Smith was charged with assisted suicide, assault and aggravated battery nature, who pointed and filed a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, the SLED police division said Tuesday night.
He said Smith, of Colleton County, was also arrested on charges of distributing methamphetamine and possession of marijuana and that additional charges were expected.
Smith was detained in jail Tuesday night, officials said. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
Days after the Sept. 4 shooting, Murdaugh said in a statement that he resigned from his job at a law firm to enter rehab. He said he “made a lot of decisions that I really regret” and that the murders of his wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult period.
The law firm said Murdaugh only resigned after partners discovered he had allegedly appropriated funds. On Monday, South Carolina law enforcement officials announced they were studying allegations that Murdaugh was “misappropriating” the firm’s money.