Paul Murdaugh and his mother were found dead late Monday from gunshots on property near Islandton in what authorities have deemed a double-homicide. Murdaugh and his mother were brutally shot dead between 9 and 9:30 P.M. outside of their family's South Carolina sprawling estate. Law enforcement officials are investigating the murderers and so far they have not named a suspect or arrested anyone in the double homicide case.
Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey said the lifeless bodies of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul Murdaugh, 22, with several gunshots, were discovered near a dog kennel. Sources close to the investigation revealed the shooting event was "brutal". How many times the mother and son were shot could not be determined. Autopsies have been completed by the Colleton County Coroner's Office Thursday morning. However, the results have not been announced yet.
The murder of the Murdaughs has gained national attention as people wonder who killed the mother and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, who at the time of the murder was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing the death of a 19-year-old Mallory Beach in a crash on February 24, 2019. The woman's body was found seven days after the crash.
Was Paul Murdaugh the Killer's Intended Target?
The family of 2019 boat crash victim Mallory Beach released a statement extending their condolences to the Murdaugh family. The release stated, "Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss."
According to the authorities, Murdaugh's father and Maggie's husband, Alex Murdaugh, discovered the bodies in their property. He was not home at the time of the shootings.
The murder investigation of the Murdaughs is still in its initial stages. Colleton County deputies turned the investigation over to the State Law Enforcement Division because of a "conflict of interest" with the family, according to reports.
On Tuesday, a South Carolina Attorney General spokesman said that upon acquiring an official certificate of death of Paul Murdaugh or any acceptable proof, the 2019 charges against Murdaugh would be dismissed, according to reports.
Murdaugh's Funeral
Hundreds of people attended to celebrate the life of Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie Murdaugh at the Hampton Cemetery on Holly Street. A family member of the Murdaughs described the two as "well-lived and well-loved" during the funeral service.
