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Dog kennels where Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son were shot dead are seen for the first time

Dog kennels where Alex Murdaugh's wife and son were shot dead are seen for the first time 2

The outdoor dog kennels where Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were brutally gunned down in a shocking, unsolved double murder last June can be seen for the first time, in exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail.com.

One year later, the cages stand empty with the dogs that mom-of-two Maggie loved so much, long gone.

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Homemaker Maggie, 52, and her youngest son Paul, 22, were found dead in their Moselle, South Carolina family home last summer in a mystifying crime that was the beginning of a long, scandalous saga for the prominent legal family led by patriarch Alex Murdaugh, 53.

Probate records seen by DailyMail.com reveal that the property– which was in Maggie’s name at the time of her death – was recently sold for $3.9million, funds already earmarked by the family’s numerous creditors.

Stripped clean and abandoned, it is hard to believe that just over a year ago, on June 7, this was a grisly crime scene; ground zero for what would turn out to be a labyrinthine tale of betrayal, fraud, addiction, and murder – with a failed suicide-for-hire plot and a couple of suspicious deaths thrown in for good measure.

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Now the mystery at the heart of it all – the vicious murder of mother and son – seems to be on the cusp of being resolved with disgraced attorney and one-time scion of a legal dynasty Alex about to be charged with murder, a capital offense in the state of South Carolina that could see him face the death penalty if found guilty.

The outdoor dog kennels where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot dead last June can be seen for the first time in exclusive DailyMail.com photos

The outdoor dog kennels where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot dead last June can be seen for the first time in exclusive DailyMail.com photos 

The mother and son duo were gunned down on their Moselle, South Carolina property on the night of June 7, 2021. Husband and father Alex Murdaugh, 53, told police at the time that he found their lifeless bodies when he returned to the family home around 10pm

The mother and son duo were gunned down on their Moselle, South Carolina property on the night of June 7, 2021. Husband and father Alex Murdaugh, 53, told police at the time that he found their lifeless bodies when he returned to the family home around 10pm 

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Stripped clean and abandoned, it is now hard to believe that just over a year ago the sprawling hunting lodge was a grisly crime scene

Stripped clean and abandoned, it is now hard to believe that just over a year ago the sprawling hunting lodge was a grisly crime scene

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were found shot dead on the grounds of the family home on June 7. Maggie was killed with an assault rifle, whereas Paul had been killed with a shotgun. Both were shot multiple times

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were found shot dead on the grounds of the family home on June 7. Maggie was killed with an assault rifle, whereas Paul had been killed with a shotgun. Both were shot multiple times

The mom and son's deaths shocked the South Carolina community and remains unsolved. Paul, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun – once in the head and once in the chest, while Maggie, 52, had been shot multiple times with an assault rifle

The mom and son’s deaths shocked the South Carolina community and remains unsolved. Paul, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun – once in the head and once in the chest, while Maggie, 52, had been shot multiple times with an assault rifle

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Thirteen months ago, Murdaugh told police he ‘found’ the bodies of his youngest son and wife by these kennels when he returned to the family’s 1,700-acre hunting estate of Moselle around 10pm.

In audio of the 911 call that he placed at 10:07pm that night, he can be heard telling the dispatcher in a high-pitched screech: ‘I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child were just shot badly.’

Paul, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun – once in the head and once in the chest. Maggie had been shot multiple times with an assault rifle. Their gunshot wounds were believed to be consistent with ‘execution-style’ killings, reports said. 

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According to several sources, Paul’s body was found partially inside one of the kennels, while his mother’s was several feet away, leading investigators to believe that she ran from her killer before being gunned down. 

At least two of her gunshot wounds were believed to have been inflicted while she was on the ground. 

If the dogs barked that night, they did so in vain.

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In the immediate aftermath of the horrific discoveries, Murdaugh’s family and attorneys were robust in their defense of the man and his marriage.

According to lawyer Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh had a ‘ironclad alibi’ and his marriage with Maggie was ‘full of love.’

But in the intervening months, a very different picture has emerged casting doubt on both claims, with evidence and witness testimony likely to be heard by a grand jury Thursday.

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In audio of the 911 call, Alex Murdaugh, pictured with Maggie, Paul and surviving son Buster (far right) can be heard telling the dispatcher in a high-pitched screech: 'I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child were just shot badly'

In audio of the 911 call, Alex Murdaugh, pictured with Maggie, Paul and surviving son Buster (far right) can be heard telling the dispatcher in a high-pitched screech: ‘I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child were just shot badly’

According to several sources, Paul's body was found partially inside one of the kennels, while his mother's was several feet away, leading investigators to believe that she ran from her killer before being gunned down

According to several sources, Paul’s body was found partially inside one of the kennels, while his mother’s was several feet away, leading investigators to believe that she ran from her killer before being gunned down

If the dogs barked that night, they did so in vain. Pictured above is one of the family's dogs in the kennel late last year, before the property was sold

Kennel

If the dogs barked that night, they did so in vain. Pictured above is one of the family’s dogs in the kennel late last year, before the property was sold 

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Pictured: A gated entrance to the Murdaugh hunting lodge. The disgraced attorney had originally told investigators that he was visiting his dying father and his mother about 11 miles away at their home in Varnville at the time of the murders

Pictured: A gated entrance to the Murdaugh hunting lodge. The disgraced attorney had originally told investigators that he was visiting his dying father and his mother about 11 miles away at their home in Varnville at the time of the murders

In fact, DailyMail.com can reveal, Murdaugh’s ‘alibi’ has changed significantly since his initial claims that he was nowhere near the property between 9 and 9:30pm – the time the coroner gave the approximate time of death.

In the immediate aftermath of the crime, Murdaugh told investigators that he was visiting his dying father and his mother about 11 miles away at their home in Varnville at the time of the murders.

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Two weeks later, his brothers John Marvin and Randy Murdaugh told Good Morning America that he had in fact dropped his father at a hospital in Savannah before going to visit his mother, who has dementia.

Now, according to an account given by Murdaugh’s lawyer Jim Griffin to The State newspaper, Murdaugh claims to have left the property around 9pm to make the 20-minute drive to his mother’s house and returned to Moselle as originally claimed around or shortly after 10pm.

It is an account that places him squarely on the scene within the timeframe of the killings.

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It has been speculated that audio and video data gleaned from Paul’s cellphone found by his body, but only recently unlocked by law enforcement, is what prompted Murdaugh’s dramatic change of tune.

Independent local news website FITSNews has reported that not only does this audio and video data show Murdaugh speaking with Maggie, but that ‘high velocity impact spatter’ of blood found on his clothing that night places him at the scene of the murders when at least one of the victims was killed.

The Murdaugh family's sprawling South Carolina property, where his wife and son were killed, was listed for sale in March. The massive Colleton County property is known as Cross Swamp Farm and houses two buildings, two waterfowl reservoirs, and has over 2.5 miles of river frontage that can be used for kayaking and fishing

The Murdaugh family’s sprawling South Carolina property, where his wife and son were killed, was listed for sale in March. The massive Colleton County property is known as Cross Swamp Farm and houses two buildings, two waterfowl reservoirs, and has over 2.5 miles of river frontage that can be used for kayaking and fishing

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The 1,700-acre hunting estate, which was in Maggie's name at the time of her death, was recently sold for $3.9million, probate records seen by DailyMail.com reveal

The 1,700-acre hunting estate, which was in Maggie’s name at the time of her death, was recently sold for $3.9million, probate records seen by DailyMail.com reveal

When DailyMail.com put these claims to South Carolina Law Enforcement Department (SLED) last week, officials would neither deny nor confirm them.

Meanwhile, the marriage described by Harpootlian as ‘full of love’ was, according to multiple sources, anything but.

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One source familiar with the household told DailyMail.com that Maggie and Murdaugh’s marriage was a union in crisis.

Rumors that Murdaugh was having an affair with a fellow attorney have been widely circulated both locally and online.

And according to the source who spoke with DailyMail.com, there was ‘no love lost’ between the once loving couple. 

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In fact, the source said, in the months before her violent death, Maggie and Murdaugh had argued heatedly over finances.

Maggie, a stalwart of the South Carolina charity scene, had been socially embarrassed when a check written by her at a charity luncheon bounced. 

It was just one of many incidents that saw her not only asking questions about the family’s finances but demanding answers.

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The mysterious double murder, which sparked the beginning of the end for the prominent legal family, seems to be on the cusp of being resolved with Alex Murdaugh expected to be charged in connection to the slayings this week

Murdaugh, pictured during his bond hearing on September 16, is already facing embezzlement charges relating to the money he stole from his law firm and a failed suicide-for-hire attempt as part of a $10million life insurance scam -

The mysterious double murder, which sparked the beginning of the end for the prominent legal family, seems to be on the cusp of being resolved with Alex – who is already facing embezzlement charges relating to the money he stole from his law firm and a failed suicide-for-hire attempt as part of a $10million life insurance scam – expected to be charged in connection to the slayings this week

Murdaugh's only surviving son, Buster, was photographed being comforted at the funeral for his mother and brother on June 11 last year

Murdaugh’s only surviving son, Buster, was photographed being comforted at the funeral for his mother and brother on June 11 last year

In the months following, investigators looking into Maggie and Paul's deaths also uncovered a litany of crime and insurance fraud that have seen them reopen two suspicious deaths linked to the family

In the months following, investigators looking into Maggie and Paul’s deaths also uncovered a litany of crime and insurance fraud that have seen them reopen two suspicious deaths linked to the family

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FITSNews also reported that Maggie was living separately from Murdaugh at the family’s home in Edisto Beach and that she had only gone to Moselle on the night of her death ‘reluctantly’ and on Murdaugh’s request.

Maggie was also reported to have had gone to see a divorce lawyer in the weeks before her murder, sparking speculation that she was threatening to call in a forensic accountant, according to People magazine. 

At the same time, Murdaugh was under extreme pressure to cough up his financial records as part of a wrongful death suit being brought against him and his older son, Richard ‘Buster’ Murdaugh, Jr, by the family of Mallory Beach – the teenager killed in an horrific boat crash in 2019.

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Paul was drunk and at the wheel of the boat when it slammed into pilings on Archers Creek with six teens – all underage, all drinking heavily – aboard. 

Murdaugh's attorney had insisted his client had a 'ironclad alibi' and that his marriage with Maggie was 'full of love,' however, a very different picture has emerged casting doubt on both claims in recent months

Murdaugh’s attorney had insisted his client had a ‘ironclad alibi’ and that his marriage with Maggie was ‘full of love,’ however, a very different picture has emerged casting doubt on both claims in recent months 

Beach, 19, was thrown from the vessel and her body found by two fishermen one week later, five miles from the site. Her cause of death was blunt force trauma and drowning.

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Legal documents seen by DailyMail.com show that lawyers for Beach’s family had repeatedly pressed Murdaugh for financial disclosure and set a court deadline of June 9 – just two days after Maggie and Paul’s murders – for him to hand over all relevant paperwork.

Back then, only Murdaugh knew that he was neck-deep in debts and, what prosecutors allege, was a multi-million-dollar insurance fraud scheme and criminal enterprise.

In the months following, investigators looking into Maggie and Paul’s deaths uncovered a litany of crime and insurance fraud that have seen them reopen two suspicious deaths linked to the family – former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, 56, who fell after a ‘trip and fall’ at Moselle in 2018 and local teen, Stephen Smith, 19.

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Satterfield’s sons said they were defrauded out of a $4.3million wrongful death suit brought against Murdaugh on his own advice and with the promise that they would be taken care of.

Instead, Murdaugh syphoned off the funds for himself, allegedly with the help of Corey Fleming, a former USC roommate and fellow attorney whom he recommended the Satterfield brothers use. 

Fleming has also been charged for his part in the scheme.

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SLED recently announced that it has received permission from Satterfield’s family to have her body exhumed.

Hampton County Coroner, Angie Topper, asked investigators to look at Satterfield’s death again due to ‘inconsistencies.’ 

These included the fact that her office was never informed, meaning no autopsy was conducted, and that the manner of death given on the death certificate – ‘natural’ – was not consistent with a trip and fall.

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The unsolved case, which would eventually evolve into a dramatic tale involving betrayal, fraud, addiction, and murder, took a twist last September when Murdaugh claimed he had been shot in the head in a drive by shooting on this rural South Carolina road

The unsolved case, which would eventually evolve into a dramatic tale involving betrayal, fraud, addiction, and murder, took a twist last September when Murdaugh claimed he had been shot in the head in a drive by shooting on this rural South Carolina road

Curtis Smith told police that Murdaugh hired him to kill him as part of a staged murder plot that would win his surviving son Buster $10million in life insurance money

Alex Murdaugh

It would later emerge that Murdaugh had hired Curtis Smith (left) as a hit man to kill him as part of a staged murder plot that would allow his surviving son Buster to collect $10million in life insurance money 

Similarly, the manner of Smith’s death is once again the subject of investigation. The 19-year-old’s body was found on a road in Hampton County in July 2015 with a head wound so devastating that investigators first thought he had been shot.

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DailyMail.com revealed that the incident was in fact initially investigated as a homicide but recategorized as a hit and run in the face of strong opposition from the lead investigator who was one of the first officers on the scene and found no evidence of any vehicular involvement.

In addition to this, 15 state grand jury indictments containing 79 charges have come down against Murdaugh with prosecutors claiming he defrauded a staggering $8.4million from victims.

The truly dire state of his financial affairs may go some way to explaining one of the most bizarre twists in this entire saga – Murdaugh’s failed ‘suicide-for-hire’ plot just three months after Maggie and Paul’s deaths, and one day after he resigned from the family’s Hampton-based law firm.

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The firm, formerly known as Parker, Murdaugh, Parker, Elztroth & Detrick, or PMPED, stripped the Murdaugh name from their masthead in January and has since rebranded as the Parker Law Group.

The firm later claimed that Murdaugh misappropriated company funds and at least one of Murdaugh’s former colleagues is among the many bringing suits against him.

Then on September 4 last year, Murdaugh made his second frantic 911 call, this time to report that he had been shot while attempting to change a tire by the side of the road not far from Moselle.

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From the start the story seemed odd, his injuries unconvincing and his description of the man so vague and contradictory that SLED chose not to release the artist’s impression that Murdaugh helped generate.

Once a prominent legal scion, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the family's Hampton-based law firm in September. The firm later claimed that Murdaugh misappropriated company funds and at least one of Murdaugh's former colleagues is among the many bringing suits against him

Once a prominent legal scion, Alex Murdaugh resigned from the family’s Hampton-based law firm in September. The firm later claimed that Murdaugh misappropriated company funds and at least one of Murdaugh’s former colleagues is among the many bringing suits against him

The South Carolina law firm (pictured) formerly known as Parker, Murdaugh, Parker, Elztroth & Detrick, or PMPED, stripped the Murdaugh name from their masthead in January and has since rebranded as the Parker Law Group

The South Carolina law firm (pictured) formerly known as Parker, Murdaugh, Parker, Elztroth & Detrick, or PMPED, stripped the Murdaugh name from their masthead in January and has since rebranded as the Parker Law Group

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Paul Murdaugh

At the time of Paul's death, the Murdaughs were facing a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Mallory Beach, 19 (pictured)–  who was killed in an horrific boat crash in 2019. Paul was drunk and at the wheel of the boat when it slammed into pilings on Archers Creek with six teens – all underage, all drinking heavily – aboard

At the time of Paul’s death, the Murdaughs were facing a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of Mallory Beach, 19, (right)– who was killed in an horrific boat crash in 2019. Paul was drunk and at the wheel of the boat when it slammed into pilings on Archers Creek with six teens – all underage, all drinking heavily – aboard

Within two weeks, the whole affair had unraveled with Murdaugh claiming that he had hired a friend and distant relative Curtis ‘Eddie’ Smith, 61, to shoot him in the head so that his surviving son, Buster, could receive a $10million pay out form his life insurance. 

He claimed that he had been in the throes of opioid addiction and had been for more than two decades and checked himself into rehab in Florida.

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He was charged with insurance fraud and false reporting while Smith was charged on several counts including conspiracy. 

He too has since been slapped with other charges relating to his relationship to Murdaugh, financial wrongdoing and drug trafficking.

Murdaugh is currently being held in Alvin S Glenn detention center in Richland County on a $7million bond.

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He remains the only person ever named a person of interest in his wife and son’s death though, with murder charges apparently imminent, it is unclear whether they will be considered by a state grand jury in Columbia, or one in Colleton County, where Moselle, the scene of the crimes, sits.

TIMELINE OF MURDAUGH FAMILY MURDERS, DEATHS, LAWSUITS AND ARRESTS

Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith (above)

Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith 

Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies

Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies

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Mallory Beach, 19, died in February 2019

Mallory Beach, 19, died in February 2019 

2015: Teenager Stephen Smith dies

Smith was found on the side of the road. 

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Police officially rule his death a hit-and-run but he had suffered blunt force trauma to the head 

His mother has since shared her belief that she thinks he was killed in a hate-crime because he was gay 

Case notes obtained by DailyMail.com revealed Paul’s older brother Buster was named multiple times in the investigation. 

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Police wanted to know more about his relationship with Stephen 

Stephen’s mother said he had been having a ‘fling’. 

In a deposition years later, one of Paul’s friends said the family had ‘covered’ other killings up. 

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He mentioned Smith’s death.  

2018: Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield dies

Gloria died after ‘falling’ down the stairs in the family house

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The family gave her family $500.000 in a wrongful death settlement but it’s unclear why her death was ruled to be their fault. 

Alex Murdaugh was listed as the defendant in the lawsuit. 

Satterfield was only 57 when she died. 

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She left behind a husband and children. 

Her death was also mentioned in the deposition by Paul Murdaugh’s friend.  

2019: Mallory Beach dies being thrown from boat driven by Paul Murdaugh

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Paul was charged afterwards because he’d been drinking and was behaving ‘belligerently’ that night. 

He had been released on bond.  

Other kids were on the boat but were unharmed.

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One testified that they were scared to speak about the Murdaugh family because they knew how to ‘cover things up’. 

That boy named Stephen Smith and the housekeeper, and claimed Paul pushed her 

June 7 2021: Paul and Maggie are murdered 

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The mom and son were found shot dead at the family home in Hampton, South Carolina. 

Alex Murdaugh says he found them  at the home. 

The medical examiner said the pair had been dead for an hour at most when he discovered them.  

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Paul, 22

Margaret, 52

Alex’s son Paul, 22, (left) and wife Maggie, 52, (right) were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on June 7 at the family hunting lodge 

Alex's father Randolph Murdaugh III died 'peacefully' at home three days after Maggie and Paul were found shot dead

Alex’s father Randolph Murdaugh III died ‘peacefully’ at home three days after Maggie and Paul were found shot dead 

June 10 2021:  Alex’s 81-year-old father Randolph Murdaugh III dies ‘naturally’ and ‘peacefully’ at home

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September 3: Alex resigns from his law firm amid claims he misused funds

The firm has hired a forensic investigator to go through the accounts 

September 4: Alex calls 911 claiming he’s been shot in the head in a drive-by. 

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He only had ‘surface’ wounds and was also able to call his brother

September 6: Alex releases a statement confirming his resignation from the firm and announcing he has entered rehab 

Says ‘I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.’ 

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