Autopsies show Paul, Maggie Murdaugh each shot multiple times, SC coroner says
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Murdaugh murders in Colleton County
Two members of a powerhouse legal family were shot and killed June 7 in Colleton County, SC. Read more of our coverage.
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This story first published June 14, 2021.
Both Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie were shot multiple times June 7 before they died, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey told The Island Packet on Monday.
Paul, 22, and Maggie, 52, were found dead outside their home in Colleton County the night of June 7. Autopsies on their bodies were completed Thursday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Harvey confirmed that the time of death for both Murdaughs was between 9 and 9:30 p.m. and that they both suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
He declined to answer further questions about the autopsy results, saying the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, which is the leading law enforcement agency on the case, would have to release any other details.
SLED spokesperson Tommy Crosby declined to discuss the case furtheron Monday, except to say SLED is “in contact” with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and that it’s “not unheard of that (the agency) would be communicating” with the solicitor.
In 2019, a day after Mallory Beach went missing in a boat crash near Parris Island, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone asked S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson to reassign the case should charges be filed because three of the boaters were related to employees of Stone’s office. Alex Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh’s father, serves as a part-time prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit, according to his attorney profile.
Four weeks after the boat crash, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office also asked to be recused from the boat crash investigation connected to the crash because of its “long-standing relationship” with a former solicitor associated with the case.
Although law enforcement officials have said little publicly, some close to the case have told reporters that Paul Murdaugh was shot with a shotgun while Maggie Murdaugh was shot with an assault rifle. The autopsy results likely would confirm or disprove that.
The double homicide investigation has gained attention locally and nationally because the Murdaughs are a powerhouse legal family in South Carolina. For three generations, the family led the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
At the time of his death, Paul Murdaugh was also facing three felony charges in a 2019 Beaufort County boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The state Attorney General’s Office, who is handling that case, said the charges against Paul Murdaugh would be dismissed because of his death but that the investigation would remain open.
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Autopsies show Paul, Maggie Murdaugh each shot multiple times, SC coroner says."
