Attorneys at Alex Murdaugh's family law firm continue trying to distance themselves from their former partner amid a cascade of criminal investigations and civil lawsuits related to his alleged wrongdoings.
A new statement posted front-and-center on the website of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED) laments the "tragic" situation involving Alex Murdaugh, and the "regrettable" negative attention it has brought upon the law firm, while promising PMPED will continue to work in an "honorable and transparent fashion."
"Despite the widespread recent publicity, we continue to work to represent our clients with the same diligence and professionalism as prior to the discovery of Alex’s misdeeds," the statement reads in part, alluding to three pending criminal charges, at least five open criminal investigations, and three wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits currently in litigation.
Three of the criminal probes have each been opened in the last month, starting with what attorneys and state police investigators have described as a failed suicide plot and insurance fraud scheme in which Alex reportedly enlisted friend Eddie Smith to shoot and kill him along a rural stretch of Hampton County highway on Sept. 4.
Murdaugh survived the reportedly staged shooting, and had no apparent injuries at a bond court hearing related to the case held Sept. 16, despite Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin's insistence Alex had suffered a minor skull fracture and both entry and exit wounds from the gunshot.
Authorities have said the alleged assisted suicide attempt came a day after Murdaugh's ousting from PMPED following the discovery and his admission of embezzling money from the firm while also in the throes of a severe addiction to opiates.
"The funds taken by Alex will not affect current or future PMPED operations. No client of PMPED will suffer a financial loss as a result of Alex’s misconduct," the law firm said in its newest statement Thursday.
Previously, Alex's brother and PMPED partner, Randy Murdaugh, had publicly condemned Alex's behavior. Thursday's new statement on behalf of the entire firm is more direct, and attempts to reemphasize Alex's partners were uninvolved in his purported crimes.
"[Alex] lied and he stole from us," the statement goes on to say. "No member of PMPED was aware of Alex’s scheme. When we learned he betrayed our trust, we requested his resignation immediately. We have yet to speak to anyone who was aware of his addiction to opioids."
The South Carolina Supreme Court has since suspended Murdaugh's license to practice law in the state, citing the ongoing criminal probes, which SLED Chief Mark Keel said Thursday now involve assistance from federal authorities with the FBI and the Dept. of Justice.
The newest such criminal investigation and associated civil lawsuit involves millions of dollars of missing life insurance settlement money for Alex Murdaugh's former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. She died in 2018 following a reported trip-and-fall accident in the Murdaugh's home.
Eric Bland, an attorney for Satterfield's surviving sons, has suggested Alex Murdaugh hatched a scheme to steal the life insurance settlement for Satterfield, alongside longtime friend and fellow attorney, Cory Fleming, and Chad Westendorf, an executive at a local bank branch in Hampton County.
Bland has sued the trio on behalf of Satterfield's sons, while state police have opened a criminal inquiry into the overall case, including missing funds, court paperwork irregularities and the circumstances of Satterfield's death.
"We have read the media reports about the lawsuit and settlement resulting from the death of Gloria Satterfield," PMPED says in its newly released statement. "If these reports are accurate, we are stunned at what occurred. It’s important for everyone to know that PMPED did not represent Alex in that case. His insurance company hired counsel to represent him."
"Like many of you, we have lots of questions about Alex and what has recently come to light," law firm leaders add in the statement on their website. "We don’t know the answers, but we will continue assisting law enforcement and other authorities in efforts to find the truth."
Alex Murdaugh's widely publicized legal troubles have been in the forefront of the South Carolina rumor mill since the unsolved June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, outside a family property in the rural Moselle community of Colleton County.
Alex discovered Maggie and Paul's bodies after they were reportedly shot to death. The State Law Enforcement Division has yet to name suspects or make any arrests related to Maggie and Paul's killings.
At the time he was killed, Paul Murdaugh was facing three felony criminal charges of boating under the influence related to a drunken February 2019 boat crash that claimed the life of 19-year-old Hampton girl, Mallory Beach, and sent several of the teens onboard to the hospital after Paul reportedly drove his father's boat into a bridge piling at a high speed.
Alex Murdaugh is now the subject of two wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits related to the boat crash — one by Beach's family, and another filed earlier this month by Connor Cook, a passenger on the boat the night of the crash near Parris Island in Beaufort County.
Cook's lawsuit accuses Alex Murdaugh and his late father, former 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III, of trying to exert influence over the investigation into the boat crash in an effort to deflect blame away from Paul and onto Connor.
Meantime, SLED has also reopened an investigation into the unsolved 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a gay Hampton County teen found dead along a rural backroad with a blunt force trauma to his head.
The case was reopened based on evidence found while investigating the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, SLED agents said over the summer.
Smith's death ultimately was ruled a hit-and-run by a vehicle as the case went cold, but Highway Patrol investigators contended from the beginning the accident scene looked staged and Smith's head trauma was inconsistent with being hit by a vehicle.
At the time, there were multiple reports of one or both of Alex Murdaugh's sons, Buster and Paul, potentially being involved in Smith's death, according to investigative reports provided by Highway Patrol. Investigators were not able to confirm that at the time, and the circumstances of Smith's death were never resolved.
Read the full new statement from regarding Alex Murdaugh from the PMPED law firm below.
A MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY
The lawyers and employees of PMPED live and work in Hampton, Jasper, Colleton and Beaufort counties. Most of us grew up in the area, attended local schools, worship at area churches and continue involvement with local civic organizations and charities.
We are proud of our communities and are distressed by the tragic situation involving our former partner, Alex Murdaugh. The negative attention that this has brought to the community and to our firm is regrettable.
PMPED is a robust firm with skilled, experienced attorneys who represent our clients with a fierce commitment to obtaining justice. We were shocked and dismayed to learn that Alex violated our principles and code of ethics. He lied and he stole from us. No member of PMPED was aware of Alex’s scheme. When we learned he betrayed our trust, we requested his resignation immediately. We have yet to speak to anyone who was aware of his addiction to opioids.
While Alex’s situation is tragic, be assured the firm is strong and focused on representing its many clients. We provide legal services locally and statewide. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards in handling our clients’ cases. Despite the widespread recent publicity, we continue to work to represent our clients with the same diligence and professionalism as prior to the discovery of Alex’s misdeeds. The funds taken by Alex will not affect current or future PMPED operations. No client of PMPED will suffer a financial loss as a result of Alex’s misconduct.
We have read the media reports about the lawsuit and settlement resulting from the death of Gloria Satterfield. If these reports are accurate, we are stunned at what occurred. It’s important for everyone to know that PMPED did not represent Alex in that case. His insurance company hired counsel to represent him.
Like many of you, we have lots of questions about Alex and what has recently come to light. We don’t know the answers, but we will continue assisting law enforcement and other authorities in efforts to find the truth.
PMPED is committed to our clients and community. You can count on us to operate our firm in an honorable and transparent fashion.