Murder Family Update: Patriarch Faces Charges Related to Dead Housekeeper's Money

Alex Murdaugh — where do we begin. In June, the South Carolina lawyer’s wife and son were murdered in a case that is still unsolved, and in which Murdaugh is a person of interest. In September, after embezzling millions of dollars from his law firm and as a result being asked to resign, Murdaugh admitted to hiring a former client to kill him, in order to ensure his surviving son could collect a $10 million insurance payout. Around the same time, an investigation was reopened into the mysterious death of the Murdaugh family housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. Satterfield died while working at the Murdaugh house, and her sons claimed they had not received any money related to her wrongful death settlement.

But Murdaugh has now been arrested and is facing criminal charges in connection with Gloria Satterfield’s missing multi-million-dollar settlement. The former lawyer was taken into custody Thursday morning on two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, and \he will appear for a bond hearing Friday.

Attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, representing Alex Murdaugh, released a statement on Thursday regarding their client’s arrest. “We have not seen the warrants but have been informed that he is charged with two counts of obtaining goods under false pretenses relating to the settlement proceeds from the estate of Gloria Satterfield,” Harpootlian and Griffin said. “Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son. He deeply regrets that his actions have distracted from the efforts to solve their murders.”

“Today is merely one more step in a long process for justice for the many victims in these investigations,” South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said in a statement. “I want to commend the hard work and dedication that our agents have shown over the last four months. They will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of those who were victimized by Alex Murdaugh and others. As I have said previously, we are committed to following the facts wherever they may lead us and we will not stop until justice is served.”