The Murdaugh Family, courtesy of Facebook
MURDAUGH
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A prominent South Carolina lawyer who found the bodies of his wife and son three months ago plans to turn himself in to face charges in a plot to arrange his own death that ended with the shooter only grazing him in the head, his defense attorneys said.
Alex Murdaugh plans to be in Hampton County to surrender to police Thursday and have a bond hearing, lawyer Jim Griffin told news outlets.
The charges are connected to insurance fraud, Griffin said. Murdaugh asked a previous client whom he was buying drugs from to kill him with a shot to the head on Sept. 4 so his surviving son could collect a $10 million life insurance policy, authorities said.
The State Law Enforcement Division did not confirm any arrest warrants against Murdaugh late Wednesday. Prosecutors did not return a message asking about a possible bond hearing.
Murdaugh’s lawyers said he has been in drug rehab for about 10 days after his law firm fired him over missing money that could total millions of dollars.
If Murdaugh is arrested Thursday, it would culminate a tumultuous 36 hours which saw someone arrested on assisted suicide, insurance fraud and other charges for shooting him in the head, then state police open a sixth investigation into him and his family — this time over the death of a housekeeper and nanny who died in his home.