How a Housekeeper’s 2018 Death Became the Latest Murdaugh Murder Mystery

U.S.|How a Housekeeper’s 2018 Death Became the Latest Murdaugh Murder Mystery

Authorities successful South Carolina announced connected Wednesday that they person opened an probe into the 2018 decease of a housekeeper astatine the location of Alex Murdaugh, a salient lawyer who is astatine the halfway of aggregate investigations aft his woman and lad were changeable and killed astatine the family’s location successful June.

The decease of the housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, 57, was attributed successful tribunal documents to a “trip and fall” accident, but Angela Topper, the coroner successful Hampton County, S.C., said the decease was ne'er reported to her bureau and nary autopsy was conducted.

The announcement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division followed different stunning improvement connected Tuesday, erstwhile the bureau said that Mr. Murdaugh had asked a erstwhile lawsuit to termination him connected the broadside of a roadworthy earlier this period truthful that his older lad could person a $10 cardinal security payout.

Mr. Murdaugh survived being changeable successful the head, and concocted a fake communicative astir being changeable by a passer-by, a communicative that his lawyers present admit was false. The constabulary arrested the erstwhile lawsuit they accidental changeable him, Curtis Edward Smith, 61, connected Tuesday, and charged him with trying to assistance Mr. Murdaugh successful suicide, among different crimes.

Dick Harpootlian, a lawyer for Mr. Murdaugh, said connected Wednesday that helium expected Mr. Murdaugh to beryllium arrested successful the coming days oregon weeks for his relation successful the scheme, but helium was adamant that Mr. Murdaugh had not been progressive successful the slaying of his woman and lad successful June. He said Mr. Murdaugh had concocted the termination program due to the fact that helium was suffering from slump portion trying to halt an oxycodone addiction.

Mr. Murdaugh is referred to arsenic a “co-defendant” successful the charging documents for Mr. Smith; a constabulary spokesman, Tommy Crosby, said without elaborating that the constabulary expected to bring much charges successful the case.

The lawsuit has already captured attraction due to the fact that of the Murdaugh family’s almighty past successful the South Carolina Lowcountry, wherever members of the household served arsenic apical prosecutors for a five-county portion for much than 8 decades. Mr. Murdaugh was a salient lawyer astatine his household instrumentality steadfast until helium was pushed retired the time earlier helium was shot, aft leaders said they had discovered that helium had taken millions of dollars from the steadfast and its clients.

The cardinal question of who killed Mr. Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and assemblage pupil son, Paul, who were found changeable to death astatine their location successful June, remains unsolved.

The caller probe into Ms. Satterfield’s decease came aft lawyers representing her 2 sons said the children had not received immoderate of the $505,000 colony that their erstwhile lawyer had reached with Mr. Murdaugh.

In that case, Ms. Satterfield’s decease was attributed to injuries sustained successful a “trip and fall.” But Ms. Topper, the section coroner, said the decease had been listed arsenic “natural” connected Ms. Satterfield’s decease certificate, which she said was “inconsistent” with an accidental fall.

The sons, Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott, who are present some successful their 20s, did not enactment successful the negotiations and did not motion immoderate colony agreements, the sons’ caller lawyers, Ronnie Richter and Eric Bland, said successful a suit filed Wednesday. The suit named Mr. Murdaugh, arsenic good arsenic the instrumentality steadfast and idiosyncratic lawyer who had represented the sons, arsenic defendants.

The caller lawyers said Mr. Murdaugh had introduced Ms. Satterfield’s sons to 1 of the lawyers who represented them successful the settlement, but that they had not been alert of however adjacent the lawyer was to Mr. Murdaugh.

Mr. Richter said successful an interrogation that helium had not expected the authorities constabulary to unfastened a transgression investigation, but helium was gladsome Ms. Satterfield’s decease was getting a deeper look.

“I can’t callback a lawsuit that required sunlight much than this one,” helium said. “Wherever it comes from, it’s a bully thing.”