HAMPTON, SC — After more than two years of legal battles, the court-seized assets of convicted murderer and fraudster Richard "Alex" Murdaugh have finally been distributed to the disbarred attorney's victims and former clients — but not everyone was served a slice of that meager pie.
Faced with a heaping helping of civil suits — a dozen at one point — and scores of criminal indictments in both state and federal courts, in late 2021 the jailed Murdaugh saw his properties and bank accounts seized and placed under the control of state-court-appointed co-receivers, who were tasked with locating his assets and liquidating them for future payouts to victims and plaintiffs.
A "special referee" was appointed by the courts in the fall of 2023 to distribute those assets, and after more than two years this legal process is coming to a close, but not every victim or plaintiff will get paid.
How much money did Alex Murdaugh have left?
Murdaugh was accused of stealing more than $10 million from multiple victims in several South Carolina Lowcountry counties. But much of that money was reportedly spent on Murdaugh's mountains of debt, lavish lifestyle, and, by his admission, allegedly to fund his drug habit.
After the sale of Murdaugh's Moselle estate, Edisto beach house, and other real estate, along with the sale of his personal properties and equipment, the sale of timber, and the liquidation of Murdaugh's 401k fund, the courts scraped together only $2,160,639.79. Another $261,525 was added to that total by selling Murdaugh's boats, his Beaufort County islands, and additional timber.
After legal fees and other costs, there was $1,762,967.04 remaining in the Potential Final Receivership Fund.
Where does that money now go?
Some of Murdaugh's victims to be paid, others not
On Sept. 19, 2023, S.C. Circuit Judge Daniel Hall approved an order appointing Greenville attorney L. Walter Tollison III as special referee over Murdaugh's receivership.
After Murdaugh's funds were taken, tallied and totaled, victims, plaintiffs and creditors were allowed to file their claims with the Hampton County Court of Common Pleas.
After an unsuccessful mediation attempt with multiple parties, special referee Tollison, using criteria that included the actual harm or loss to the claimant and other factors and how much money was recovered from other sources, filed a Feb. 5 order dispensing the funds by his judgment.
Of the $1.7 million, the funds are to be distributed in the following percentages, ranging from an estimated $511,260 at the high end to $14,103 on the low end:
- Renee Beach, as PR of the Estate of (fatal Murdaugh boat crash victim) Mallory Beach - 29 percent
- Financial victim and former Murdaugh client Arthur Badger, individually and as PR of the Estate of Donna Badger - 24 percent
- Murdaugh's former law partner John E. Parker, a creditor - 15 percent
- Murdaugh's former law firm, PMPED - 14 percent
- Boat crash survivor Morgan Doughty - 11 percent
- Boat crash survivor Miley Altman - 5 percent
- Financial victim and former Murdaugh client Manuel Santis-Cristiani - 1 percent
- Henry Henderson, a creditor - .8 percent
- Financial victim and former Murdaugh client Randy Drawdy .2 percent
Below is a court exhibit detailing those assets and expenses:
On Jan 26, PMPED (now Parker Law Group), filed an amended claim with the courts stating that any money it received would go to Murdaugh's former clients and victims. According to the filing, these included Christopher Anderson, Angel Gary (individually and as PersonalRepresentative of the Estate of Blondell Gary), Johnny Bush, Natarsha Thomas, Pamela Pinckney(individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Hakeem Pinckney), Jamian Risher,and Malik Williams.
Among the claimants who did not receive any of these funds were Murdaugh's older brother, Randolph Murdaugh IV, financial victims Michael "Tony" Satterfield and Brian Harriott, who had already received more than $7 million in settlements awarded to the Estate of Gloria Satterfield, and conservatorship victims Alania Spohn and Hannah Plyer.
Does Alex Murdagh have money hidden away somewhere?
Alex Murdaugh was involved in a massive money laundering and drug distribution scheme that spanned a decade and multiple S.C. counties. It is estimated he stole more than $10 million during that crime spree, and according to court testimony attempted to hide his assets from pending litigation.
One question is commonly asked by those following the Murdaugh crime saga: Does Murdaugh have assets or cash hidden away somewhere, such as in overseas bank accounts?
At least one attorney close to the case thinks so.
Mark Tinsley, the attorney for the Beach Estate that recently earned $15 million in a wrongful death settlement, expressed his opinion during a Nov. 28, 2023, sentencing hearing in which Murdaugh was given 27 years in prison in addition to his double life sentences for murdering his wife and son in 2021.
"That money is still out there, and he still knows where it is," Tinsley told the court. "He didn't spend it all on drugs. If he wants to be accountable... he ought to tell these people where their money went."
In a follow-up media interview, Tinsley added, "Well, there's a lot of money somewhere... we just haven't found it yet."
