Alex Murdaugh has practically become a household name, as the scandal surrounding his formerly well-respected southern family has rocked the nation. Each new headline about the family seemed more bizarre than the last, culminating in the most shocking one of all. Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the murder of his 22-year-old son Paul and his wife, nearly 30 years, Maggie.
The Murdaugh family story was captured in several documentaries, including Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix, Low Country on HBO Max, and Murdaugh Murders: A Deadly Dynasty on Hulu. While the documentaries made it clear the Murdaugh family’s morals were questionable at best, many wondered what would drive Alex to murder his own wife and child in cold blood. Several theories have been thrown around both in and out of the trial, and while there is not one clear-cut answer, it is possible one or maybe even partially all of the ones listed below could have been contributing factors. Here are all the theories around the motive for Alex Murdaugh’s heinous crime.
Too much of a liability
The Murdaugh family troubles began on Feb. 24th, 2019, when then-19-year-old Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s youngest son, decided to drive his friends home in the family boat after having too much drink. Paul grew agitated, and his driving became increasingly more erratic, resulting in his boat crashing into Archer’s Creek Bridge, South Carolina. Paul and four of his friends were injured. However, 19-year-old Mallory Beach could not be located. Mallory had been thrown from the boat, and after eight days of searching, her body was recovered, and it was revealed she had died from blunt force trauma and drowning.
Young Paul was subsequently charged. While awaiting trial, he reportedly was still partying, showing little remorse or understanding of his crime. In plain view of court officials for his upcoming trial, he posted pictures of his wild partying and lifestyle on social media.
A rumor was also printed in the local papers that Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, 52, had been to see a divorce attorney. There has been no full substantiation of this claim; however, many who knew the family believe it is a real possibility. Sources report that the couple had been fighting over money, bounced checks, and “dwindling funds” in the weeks leading up to her death. People also reveal that Alex’s coworkers had reported a “noticeable cooling” of the relationship in the weeks leading up to the murder.
One of the less complex theories around why Murdaugh would murder his wife and son is that they simply became too much of a liability for him, too much trouble. With his son’s upcoming trial and a possible public divorce, it is theorized that Murdaugh thought his life would just be easier with them no longer in it.
Also, it is important to note that the Beach family not only sought justice in criminal court over their daughter’s death, they also went after those responsible in civil court. They sued the convenience store Parker’s, which sold underage Paul alcohol, as well as the Murdaugh family. The Beach family recently received a $15 million settlement from the store. The family was also seeking a possible $30 million settlement offer at the time of Paul’s death. With him gone, Alex could have figured the Beach family would simply give up the lawsuit and that the truth, and court case would die with Paul.
To provide a distraction
As the Murdaugh family gained more and more attention, another sinister layer to Alex Murdaugh’s life was revealed. The Murdaugh family was well-known in the community for their legal prowess. Going back three generations, the family had worked in the district attorney’s office, and Alex and his brother worked at a prestigious law firm. The Murdaugh name held a lot of weight, especially in the legal community.
Yet everything within the firm was not as it seemed, and it was later revealed that Murdaugh had been embezzling money not only from the firm but from his own clients. One of the most notable examples was from the sons of his former housekeeper, who was critically injured under mysterious circumstances at the Murdaugh home. Alex had offered to help her sons collect an insurance payout, yet while he had received the money, he had actually taken it for himself, not giving the sons any of it. He had stolen $4.3 million from them. As investigators continued to dig, they realized Murdaugh had done this with millions of dollars of client and law firm money, totaling around $8.7 million over 11 years.
One theory and the one presented by the prosecution is that the murders of his wife and son were thought to create a distraction from the scandal that was dangerously close to coming to light. By creating a sense of chaos and a false murderer for investigators to chase after, it is possible Murdaugh thought he could divert attention away from his own crimes, paint himself as a victim, and possibly even shift blame to some unknown assailant for his other crimes.
They had found out about his scheme
The Murdaugh clan was a small insular family living in a town with a close-knit community. Word traveled fast, and scandals traveled even quicker. It is possible that Maggie Murdaugh and her son Paul had become aware of what Alex had been doing at his law firm and were planning to expose him or tell someone about what he had done. Maggie, especially with the rumors of a possible divorce, might have threatened to use the information against Alex or expose him for who he truly was. Paul, too, could have had reasons for wanting to expose his father’s lies. It’s possible that the two confronted Alex with what they had found out, and to keep them from revealing his secrets, he murdered them.
They were going to expose his opioid addiction
During his arrest and trial, Murdaugh revealed he also struggled with an opioid addiction. According to CNN, he admitted to taking over 2000 milligrams of oxycodone daily in the months leading up to his wife and son’s death. For reference, most patients take about 10-20 milligrams daily. While an embezzlement scandal and a legal scheme might have been slightly easier to keep separate from his home life, that level of addiction would certainly have been noticeable.
In fact, according to BuzzFeed News, Paul had texted his father about a month before the murder, letting him know his mother had found “several bags of pills in your computer bag.” Another motive presented was that Maggie and Paul had discovered the depth of Alex’s addiction, which at its height was reportedly costing him $50,000-$60,000 per week, and were going to confront him about it, expose it or force him to go to rehab. All of which could have contributed to or led him to kill them.
The possible divorce
While the divorce angle was somewhat dismissed as there had never been any hard proof, it does provide an interesting and possibly viable theory. The idea began as the rumors of Maggie Murdaugh visiting a divorce attorney surfaced. The claim could not be substantiated, so the theory was somewhat brushed. While money as a motive was considered, no insurance on the pair was ever located, so it was also rather dismissed. However, Murdaugh could have been forced to pay Maggie alimony or some other large settlement sum if a divorce was on the table.
So while he may not have gained money from Maggie’s death, he potentially avoided losing money, making the divorce motive look a little more promising. It is also possible that Paul was somewhat collateral damage. if perhaps he had jumped in to defend or protect his mother, he could have been shot by mistake. He also could have been killed to take suspicion off of an impending divorce as a motive. It’s also possible that, as with the divorce, Murdaugh perceived with Paul gone, he might save money. He might have surmised that the Beach family would drop the lawsuit with Paul’s death and perhaps even empathize with him over losing their children. So while once again, he did not make money from his family’s death, he might have perceived he would be saving it.
Alex was convicted of killing his wife and son in March of 2023 and received two life sentences back to back. While there are a lot of possible motives for Murdaugh’s heinous crime, one thing is sure, none of them come anywhere close to justifying his actions. He is also facing a lawsuit on the wrongful death of Mallory Beach and 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering charges. It is an ironic turn of justice to have a member of one of the most prominent legal families in South Carolina now be on the other side of the courtroom.
While we may never know why Alex Murdaugh decided to kill his wife and son on that fateful night, these motives may give us some clues. Yet at the end of the day, all motives aside, the truth remains that five people are dead, and many more are permanently affected by the decisions made by one small southern family.
