From our correspondent in the United States,

Money, power, and for a long time, impunity. After three generations of prosecutors who ruled the region, this South Carolina dynasty is now synonymous with infamy. That of Alex Murdaugh, sentenced Friday to life in prison for the double murder of his wife and son. But if this verdict – pending a possible appeal – puts a culmination of a mystery that has kept America in suspense for two years, the legal saga is far from over. Investigations into two other suspicious deaths, in 2015 and 2018, have resumed. They are discussed in the Netflix documentary, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

2015: A young man found dead on a country road

Stephen Smith was 19 years old. In a still very conservative South, he was proudly and openly gay. On July 8, 2015, his body was found in the middle of the road on a deserted country road, in the middle of the night, the back of his skull sunk. The coroner concluded that the young man, who appeared to have broken down, was knocked down, and that he may have been struck by the rear-view mirror of a vehicle. But this thesis is questioned by the coroner, who investigates the circumstances – not the cause – of death. According to the report obtained by local broadcaster WISTV, the first officer who intervened saw "no signs suggesting that the victim had been hit by a vehicle": no debris or brake marks; and Stephen still has his shoes, though unlaced, on his feet.

Officers question his relatives and friends. In the report, one name appears several times: that of Alex Murdaugh's eldest son, Buster, a former classmate of the victim. In the Netflix documentary, several young people evoke the rumor of a secret homosexual relationship, which has, at this stage, not been corroborated. But for some reason, Buster is never heard from by investigators. This is not surprising when you consider that until 2005, the patriarch of the family, Randolph Murdaugh was, like his father and grandfather, the chief prosecutor of the region.

The investigation is finally closed, with one death resulting from a "hit and run". But two weeks after the double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, South Carolina authorities announced on June 22, 2021, that they were reopening the investigation into the death of Stephen Smith. They say they have obtained new information while investigating the double murder. Last January, investigators say they have made "progress", without giving details. Contacted by 20 Minutes, the SLED (State law enforcement division) of South Carolina had not responded Friday night.

2018: Fatal fall of the domestic worker

Gloria Satterfield was more than a governess who worked for 20 years for the Murdaughs. Paul's ex-girlfriend introduces her as the second mother of the youngest of the family. On February 2, 2018, Maggie Murdaugh called for help. She tells them that Gloria Satterfield has fallen backwards down brick stairs and is bleeding profusely. Alex Murdaugh then told authorities that his employee, semi-conscious, managed to talk to him before help arrived and told him that the dogs had tripped him up. But in the Netflix documentary, the gardener of the family disputes this version: according to him, Alex Murdaugh was not there before the arrival of the rescue.

Gloria Satterfield died two weeks later. Without knowing why, his death was not reported to a coroner, and no autopsy was performed. Alex Murdaugh then assured the Satterfield family that he would compensate them with his liability insurance. He gets $4 million... which he keeps to himself.

Paul Murdaugh's ex-girlfriend claims that the employee had found, shortly before her fall, a bag of pills belonging to Alex Murdaugh, who suffers from an addiction to opiates that he hides from his family. And this commercial insurance, thanks to which he receives a windfall? He subscribed to it a month before the tragedy.

Alex Murdoch doesn't know it yet, but this insurance fraud marks the beginning of his downfall. Gloria Satterfield's relatives are suing him and the partners in his firm realize that he has embezzled millions of dollars for years. Under this threat – and that of the prosecution of his son Paul, responsible for the death of a friend in a boating accident he was driving drunk – Alex Murdoch killed his wife and son on June 7, 2021. According to prosecutors, to gain sympathy and buy time in the face of the tightening vice.

SLED is opening an inquest into Gloria Satterfield's death in September 2021. Last year, his relatives agreed to have his remains exhumed. One of their lawyers told the New York Post on Friday that the exhumation is expected to take place soon.

2021: The failed suicide staged

Three months after the double murder, while authorities still have no suspect, Alex Murdaugh calls the police after being shot in the head while changing a tire. His story of an unknown assailant falls apart: he confesses to having tried to organize his suicide by paying his dealer, so that his son Buster receives $ 10 million in life insurance.

Serious doubts remain about this version. Curtis Edward Smith, a very distant cousin, claims that Alex Murdaugh asked him to come and brandished a gun. According to Smith, the two men struggled and a blow went off, wounding the lawyer. In total, Murdaugh wrote his dealer 437 checks for $2.4 million over 8 years to buy oxycodone pills, which he swallowed by handful, up to 60 a day. The last check, for $22,109, was ten days before the murders of his wife and son.

What's next: more trials to come

Sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of release, Alex Murdaugh is expected to appeal, his lawyers said. They believe that he could not benefit from a fair trial in the face of the media circus, especially with the Netflix documentary launched a week before the verdict.

Disbarred, the lawyer still has to answer for 99 charges, mainly financial and insurance fraud. He also faces several civil actions, including for the fatal boat accident.

"Even though he was sentenced to life imprisonment, the authorities will continue to investigate any other homicides Murdaugh may have committed," said attorney Duncan Levin, who has represented Harvey Weinstein and Clare Bronfman. "Even without more time in prison, justice must be done, it is always a priority for law enforcement."


The main dates of the case

8 July 2015. Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on a country road, killed by a blow to the head. He was a classmate of Alex Murdaugh's eldest son, Buster. Relatives evoke in the Netflix documentary rumors of a possible secret homosexual affair, which have not been corroborated at this stage.

26 February 2018. The Murdaughs' housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died two weeks after falling down the stairs of their property. His death was never reported to a coroner, and no autopsy was performed. The ex-girlfriend of Paul Murdaugh, the youngest, claims that the employee had found a bag of pills belonging to Alex Murdaugh shortly before his fall.

24 February 2019. Mallory Beach, 19, dies in the accident of Paul Murdaugh drunk driving.

June 7, 2021. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are shot dead.

June 22, 2021. Authorities are reopening the investigation into Stephen Smith's death, based on new information obtained in the investigation into the double murder of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.

September 4, 2021. Alex Murdaugh calls police after being shot in the head. He has since admitted to asking an acquaintance to kill him so that his eldest son, Buster, would receive $10 million in life insurance. But his accomplice obviously missed it.

March 3, 2023. Murdaugh was convicted of the double murder of his wife and son and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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