This comes just months after the mysterious double-homicide of his son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, and his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, who were fatally shot in front of their Colleton County estate. There are still no suspects named in the murders.
Prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who found his son Paul Murdaugh and wife Maggie Murdaugh murdered in front of their Colleton County estate three months ago, has announced he will resign from his law firm, where he was a partner, and enter rehab after, he was shot in the head while pulled over on a rural road Saturday.
But PMPED, or Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick, the law firm for which he worked, has alleged they came to an agreement he would resign the day before he had been shot, claiming Murdaugh had misappropriated office funds in the millions, The New York Times reported.
"The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret," he said in a statement through his lawyer, according to WCSC. "I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone I've hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships."
Murdaugh, 53, had been driving down Old Salkehatchie Road near Varnville when he pulled over to change a flat tire, according to WTOC. That’s when a truck drove past Murdaugh, then circled back and fired a single shot, which hit him in the head, his lawyer said.
He dialed 911 around 1:30 p.m. that afternoon, and he was left with “a superficial gunshot wound to the head,” the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) told WTOC. He was released from the hospital Monday, the Washington Post reported.
Murdaugh’s lawyer said no weapon had been recovered at the scene, but one of the tires had been sliced, the Times reported, though the information had not been confirmed by law enforcement.
While Murdaugh, who was a partner at the law firm his great-grandfather founded more than a century ago, cited his recent shooting and the double-murder of his wife and son for his resignation, PMPED said Murdaugh’s resignation did not come out of nowhere, saying he was pushed out over claims that he had misused funds, the Times reported.
The firm said they discussed the allegations with Murdaugh Friday after having worked with a forensic accounting firm and notifying the police and the South Carolina Bar, and Murdaugh and the firm came to an agreement that he should resign, Times reported.
The firm did not say how much money had been missing, but the amount was in the millions, according to the Times.
This follows the shocking double-homicide of his 22-year-old son and wife on the evening of Monday, June 7. Law enforcement still has not named any suspects nor a motive as to why Paul and Maggie were fatally shot in front of their hunting lodge in Colleton County. Paul's uncle told ABC’s “Good Morning America" Paul received online threats ahead of his murder, but that it wasn't believed to be "a credible threat."
Paul, who was a junior at the University of South Carolina at the time of his murder, had charges pending against him for a 2019 fatal boat crash that killed his friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Paul was driving his father's 17-foot boat when it crashed into a bridge, and he was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the boat crash, according to witness testimonies. He was facing three felony counts of boating under the influence resulting in death and bodily injury related to Beach’s death at the time of his murder.
“[Paul] needs to rot in f***ing prison,” Mallory’s boyfriend Anthony said in a deposition, Island Packet reported. “He ain’t going to get in no f***ing trouble.”
The Murdaugh family is a prominent legal family in the state’s southern Lowlands. Three generations of Murdaughs have served as elected prosecutors for the state over the span of 87 years.
