Alex Murdaugh Arrested, Charged with Insurance Fraud and Filing a False Police Report

Alex Murdaugh.Photo: Hampton County Detention Center/AP/Shutterstock Alex Murdaughhas been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged botched suicide-for-hire plot he hatched to claim a $10 million life insurance payout for his son, authorities announced. On Thursday, agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Murdaugh, 53, of Islandton, “in connection to a shooting incident on Sept. 4 in which he conspired with Curtis Edward Smith to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance,” the state’s highest law enforcement agency said in a news release.

Alex Murdaugh Claims Son 'Paul Paul's' Killer Was Angry About Fatal 2019 Boat Crash: 'The Most Vile Threats'

WhenAlex Murdaugh took the standon Thursday in his own defense, he immediately denied killing his wife and son, then suggested that their killer could have been seeking revenge on his son, Paul. On June 7, 2021,Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and her son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were shot to death at their residence in Islandton, S.C., near the dog kennels on their sprawling property. Now Murdaugh — Paul’s father and Maggie’s husband — is accused of murdering them.

Alex Murdaugh Cried and Said, 'I Did Him So Bad' When Shown Photos of Slain Son: Police Testimony

Days afterMaggieandPaul Murdaughwereshot to deathon their South Carolina property, authorities brought inAlex Murdaughfor questioning. They suspected the once-prominent attorney had shot and killed the pair on June 7, 2021, prosecutors have said. They believed that he had murdered his family and then changed clothes and visited his mother to establish an alibi, say prosecutors. Murdaugh sat down with Jeff Croft, an agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. During the police interview, he got emotional, according to Croft’s testimony.

Alex Murdaugh Cries in Court When Body Cam Footage Shows Victims, But Cop Says No 'Visible Tears' at Time

Alex Murdaugh.Photo: Tracy Glantz/The State via ZUMA Alex Murdaughreportedly wiped away tears in a South Carolina courtroom yesterday when footage from a responding officer’s body camera showing his slain wife and son was shown during his murder trial on Thursday. However, that responding officer testified that Murdaugh didn’t cry at the crime scene at the time. The officer said Murdaugh didn’t seem upset andthere were no “visible tears,” CNN reports.

Alex Murdaugh Cries on the Stand During Testimony: 'I Did Not Shoot My Wife and Son'

Alex Murdaughis finally having his day in court. The disgraced South Carolina attorney took the stand on Thursday morning to address the allegations that he shot and killed his wife,Maggie, and son,Paulin June of 2021. As the testimony continued, Murdaugh’s voice began to shake as he blinked back tears. “I could never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them,” he testified. “Not ever.” “You couldn’t be around Paul Paul without having fun,” Murdaugh said between tears.