On June 7, 2021, prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh gunned down his wife Maggie and their son Paul at their family estate. The shocking case—including Alex’s trial, dubbed the biggest of the century in the Palmetto State—turned their family into a household name.
But as journalist Mandy Matney uncovered, the secrets of the Murdaugh family ran much deeper than anyone knew.
The new miniseries Murdaugh: Death in the Family, premiering on Hulu Wednesday, October 15, examines the family’s checkered past and its fatal climax. Based on Matney’s hit Murdaugh Murders Podcast, the new retelling stars Patricia Arquette as Maggie and is expected to shed new light on the matriarch’s relationships with her husband and sons, Buster and Paul.
Though Alex Murdaugh has maintained he didn’t shoot his wife and son, a jury found Murdaugh guilty of their murders in March 2023. He received two consecutive life prison sentences and was later convicted of defrauding former clients out of millions of dollars.
Meanwhile, the clues suggest that behind the scenes, Maggie could sense their family was breaking apart.
Maggie was a homemaker who spoiled her two sons
Maggie, who met Alex Murdaugh (played by in Death in the Family by Jason Clarke) while attending the University of South Carolina and married him in August 1993, was a full-time homemaker and known as a devoted mother who spoiled their two sons.
Maggie “lived for her kids” and attended all of their school functions, Bubba Mixson, whose son attended school with Buster Murdaugh, told The New York Post. “She was such a sweet person. She never met a stranger. I can’t say enough good about her. and I mean that.”
According to her obituary, Maggie enjoyed spending summers at the family’s house in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, and boating with Buster and Paul. She also helped care for the family’s Moselle estate house in Islandton, South Carolina, where her husband and children often took hunting trips.
However, she became entwined in a family scandal. In February 2019, Paul was involved in a boating accident resulting in the death of 19-year-old passenger Mallory Beach. Authorities discovered that Paul used his mother’s credit card and brother’s identification to illegally purchase alcohol, and his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
He was charged with felony boating under the influence, but never stood trial before his murder at the Moselle property.
A housekeeper testified that Maggie worried about the family’s finances
According to her sister, Marian Proctor, Maggie “had a comfortable life” and rarely worried about her family’s financial situation.
“Maggie was happy,” Proctor testified during Alex’s murder trial. “It wasn’t a lavish life, but it was a comfortable life. Money, just, it was never an issue for her that she knew about.”
However, a former housekeeper suggested otherwise. While on the witness stand, Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson said she had a private conversation with Maggie, with the latter expressing concern amid a wrongful death lawsuit related to the boating accident.
“She was worried because the lawsuit was presented, saying they wanted $30 million,” Turrubiate-Simpson said. “Maggie was crying, saying, ‘We don’t have that kind of money, B. ... If I could give them everything we’ve got and make this go away I would do it in a heartbeat. I’ll start over.’”
Following Alex’s July 2022 indictment and subsequent arrest, prosecutors argued the lawsuit drove Alex to kill Maggie and Paul out of fear it would reveal his financial crimes.
In 2023, Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering in federal court and reached a plea deal in state court for similar crimes. It was alleged he stole more than $12 million from clients while working as an attorney.
Maggie may have seen a divorce lawyer weeks before her murder
In addition to the family’s legal saga, the limited series will explore Maggie’s relationship with Alex. Those close to the pair have suggested their marriage was on rocky ground.
In September 2021—prior to Alex’s identification as a suspect and arrest in the case—Maggie consulted with a divorce lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina, six weeks before the crimes, according to a law enforcement source, People reported. Others familiar with the case similarly told The New York Post the pair were living separately at the time of the crimes, with Maggie at the Edisto Beach house.
A spokesperson for Alex quickly refuted the People report and asserted text messages between the couple “portray a very loving relationship.”
Later during Alex’s trial, Proctor said Maggie suspected her husband of an affair 15 years earlier and temporarily made him leave their house. Murdaugh’s attorney denied the tryst, and a judge blocked further questioning about the allegation after determining the information could confuse jurors.
While we’ll never know the full truth, these alleged encounters hint at secrets within the Murdaugh family—something showrunners could use for dramatic effect.
Watch Murdaugh: Death in the Family on Hulu
Oscar winner Arquette told Entertainment Weekly the series offers an examination of both the family unit and intimate partner betrayal.
“I was really trying to examine the growing awareness and the sadness that comes from being with a pathological personality and the codependency, and kind of examine that trap I think a lot of people find themselves in,” Arquette explained. “Oftentimes with these victims, they really get a short end of the stick in the storytelling because the pathological person does so many giant kind of nightmarish things, so it was really nice to read material where they did want to focus on that impact on her.”
The first three episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family premiere Wednesday, October 15, on Hulu, with new episodes debuting weekly over the following five weeks. The series stars Arquette as Maggie Murdaugh, Jason Clarke as Alex Murdaugh, and Brittany Snow as Mandy Matney.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
