Sons of Murdaugh's Late Housekeeper to Judge: Jail Him

They want him behind bars until the money they allege he embezzled is repaid
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 29, 2021 10:46 AM CDT
Lawyer Says Murdaugh's Suicide-Plan Story Is Bogus
Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing on Thursday in Varnville, SC.   (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

New developments in two of the legal woes dogging Alex Murdaugh: First, the lawyer for the man who Murdaugh says he arranged to have shoot him in the head as part of a failed suicide scheme says that story is bogus. Jarrett Bouchette, the lawyer for 61-year-old Curtis Edward Smith, says in an interview with the Island Packet that Murdaugh did call Smith on Sept. 4 and asked him to meet him with his truck, which Smith assumed meant Murdaugh needed his help with an odd job. When he arrived at the meeting point on Old Salkehatchie Road in South Carolina's Hampton County, Smith says he found a "suicidal" Murdaugh with a gun, and that it did fire as Smith tried to wrestle it away, according to Bouchette.

Bouchette says Smith left in a state of shock and got rid of the gun, "which, given the emotional reaction that he had, I think that's certainly understandable." Bouchette added that Smith "didn't say one way or another, but as far as I'm aware he did not see any injury" to Murdaugh's head as he left. He accused Murdaugh of making Smith out to be "the fall guy" and noted cops apparently based their comments solely on interviews with Murdaugh. In the second development, the children of Murdaugh's late housekeeper of two decades want him kept in jail until they get the money they say is due to them.

CNN reports Gloria Satterfield's 2018 death was described as the result of a "trip and fall accident" while she was at Murdaugh's home. Sons Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott on Monday filed a motion for an order requiring Murdaugh be arrested and detained "until such time as the Defendant returns to the Petitioners the property that he has fraudulently embezzled from them." Per their filing, they allege that following their mother's funeral, "Murdaugh told the Satterfield family ... that Gloria's fall was his fault and that he would take Gloria's sons to an attorney for the purpose of making a legal claim against Murdaugh."

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They say that part did happen, except they weren't told the attorney Murdaugh engaged on their behalf, Corey Fleming, was Murdaugh's former college roommate. Satterfield's sons allege a series of twists and turns followed—among them following their lawyer's advice that Tony give up his role as the personal representative for their mother's estate, and that the VP of a bank assume the job—whose purpose they were blind to. They allege the end result was that Fleming, Murdaugh, and the bank VP secured a $2,765,000 insurance payout without their knowledge that Murdaugh was able to have fraudulently deposited in a dummy account he set up, reports WCSC. The AP reports Murdaugh was granted a $20,000 bond and is currently in an out-of-state rehab facility. (More Alex Murdaugh stories.)

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