Prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been surrounded by a series of mysterious deaths this year.
First, in June, Murdaugh’s wife and son were shot and murdered.
In September, Murdaugh himself was shot in the head, but survived. He initially blamed the shooting on an unidentified man, but later admitted to participating in a conspiracy to commit insurance fraud — together with Curtis Edward Smith, who was charged with assisted suicide.
On Thursday, Alex Murdaugh was arrested and booked into a jail in Orlando, Florida.
Read more below.
Alex Murdaugh Arrested
As reported by The New York Times, Murdaugh was taken into custody at a drug detox center in Orlando, Florida and charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses.
If convicted, the South Carolina lawyer could serve up to 10 years in prison.
According to the publication, the charges stem from a settlement Middaugh reached with the sons of Gloria Satterfield, a housekeeper who died in 2018 after falling on the steps of the Murdaugh family’s home in Islandton, South Carolina.
Gloria Satterfield's Death
Satterfield died under mysterious circumstances — several weeks after the fall, as she had a brain hemorrhage.
The coroner in Hampton County, South Carolina "raised questions about the fact that her death had been attributed to natural causes, despite the fall, and that no autopsy was conducted."
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Satterfield’s death in response to the coroner raising questions.
Per The Island Packet, many questions in the Satterfield case remain unanswered and some believe she did not die of natural causes, but was murdered.
Gloria Satterfield's Sons
After Satterfield died, Murdaugh allegedly referred her two sons — Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott — to a lawyer that was supposed to help them. However, the lawyer was actually a close friend of Murdaugh, Cory Fleming.
Fleming negotiated a $ 4.3 million settlement with Murdaugh, under which Satterfield’s sons would be paid around $ 2.8 million after legal fees.
Tony and Brian claim to have never received money. They are suing Murdaugh and claim he pocketed more than $ 3 million by ordering Fleming to send the money to him.
Betrayal
Eric S. Bland and Ronnie Richter, lawyers who represent Satterfield’s sons, said in a statement that this was a "bittersweet day" for their clients.
Members of the Satterfield family, they said, "are dealing with the betrayal of trust" and also the fact that "their loved one’s death was used as a vehicle to enrich others over the clients."
As for Fleming, he maintains that he was unaware that the money was never forwarded to Tony and Brian. Nonetheless, his law license has been suspended, per The New York Times.
]]>The Inquisitr
