Alex Murdaugh Told Police That Man Suspected of Shooting Him Was His Primary Oxycodone Supplier

The once-prominent attorney is charged in connection with an alleged suicide-for-hire plot that went awry when the suspected hitman failed to kill him, say police

Alex Murdaugh, Curtis Edward Smith
Alex Murdaugh, Curtis Edward Smith. Photo: Facebook; Colleton County Sheriff's Office/AP/Shutterstock

The man who Alex Murdaugh allegedly hired in a botched suicide-for-hire plot was his primary oxycodone supplier, the disgraced attorney allegedly told police.

In an interview with the New York Times, Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin said that his client struggled with addiction and that he told police that Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was the one who furnished him with the drugs.

Both men were arrested after authorities say that Murdaugh hired Smith to kill him so that his son, Buster, would receive a $10 million insurance policy. Murdaugh believed that the insurance company wouldn't pay any money if he committed suicide.

On Sept. 4, Murdaugh was allegedly shot by Smith as he changed a tire. Authorities called his head wound "superficial," and he spent two days in the hospital.

On Thursday, agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Murdaugh, 53, "in connection to a shooting incident on Sept. 4 in which he conspired with Curtis Edward Smith to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance," the state's highest law enforcement agency said in a news release.

Murdaugh is charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report. He has been released on $20,000 bond and has not yet entered a plea.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Smith, of Walterboro, S.C., was arrested and charged with assisted suicide, aggravated assault and battery, and insurance fraud in connection with the shooting on Sept. 4, SLED said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. He has not yet entered a plea and it's unclear if he has hired an attorney authorized to speak on his behalf.

Murdaugh Family
From left, Buster Murdaugh, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh. Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook

The Sept. 4 incident came a day after Murdaugh was fired from the law firm that his great-grandfather started more than 100 years ago. The firm alleged that he misappropriated funds from their accounts. SLED announced on Monday that it had opened an investigation into the allegations.

Murdaugh's arrest came more than three months after the June 7 murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and son, Paul, 22. Police have not arrested anyone in connection with their deaths.

Related Articles