Oxygen immerses viewers in the multi-layered and quickly unfolding story of South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, currently charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report. However, the nation’s attention turned to a prominent attorney after his wife Maggie and son Paul were found brutally murdered in June 2021. In the months that followed, Alex’s admission that he hired a former client to kill him so that his remaining son could benefit from an insurance policy. Oxygen was on the ground from the beginning, already digging into Alex’s past and present, and tenaciously pursuing incredible insight only locals from his community could provide when news of his shooting broke. The two-hour special “Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power.” premieres Sunday, December 12 @ 8:00PM ET/PT on Oxygen.
When Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed, and Alex admitted to plotting to have himself murdered, local speculation about sinister cover-ups from the past came to light. Three other deaths of people close to Alex Murdaugh’s immediate family began six years before, and some people asserted the circumstances around those deaths were suspicious. With the demise of Alex Murdaugh’s law career in the offing and his authority potentially weakening, would the tight-knit community circle the wagons around the still highly influential Murdaugh family, or speak out to share what’s only whispered about behind closed doors?
· 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a friend of Alex’s older son Buster, was found dead in the middle of a country road in 2015. His manner of death has been disputed, with some pointing to inconsistencies in what was reported compared to what the evidence revealed.
· Gloria Satterfield, Alex’s housekeeper and nanny of more than 20 years, died after a reported trip and fall accident in Alex’s home in 2018. Her estate recently reached a settlement with Alex’s former law firm for money due to the estate.
· 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who died tragically in 2019 when she was ejected from a boat being driven by Alex’s son Paul, who was legally intoxicated. Paul was indicted and charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, including causing Mallory’s death and injuring two other passengers. He was awaiting trial when he was murdered.
· In June of 2021, Alex called 911 after finding his wife Maggie and son Paul shot dead.
With access to locals, friends, and family of those in the Alex’s world, the special dissects the unexpected twists and turns in his life that may have led the high profile attorney to become the man who stands accused of crimes today.
In addition, Roberts talks with Matt Harris and Seton Tucker, hosts of “The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence” podcast, provide an understanding of Alex’s place in his powerful family, whose roots stretch back more than a century in the community of Hampton County, South Carolina.
“Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power.” is produced by Wolf Entertainment, Left/Right, and Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group. Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer serves as executive producers for Wolf Entertainment and Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Michael LaHaie, and Maija Norris serving as executive producers for Left/Right. Will Ward also serves as an executive producer.
