Murdaugh charged with taking insurance money in maid's death

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – A prominent South Carolina lawyer has been charged with stealing security settlements meant for the sons of his precocious housekeeper that a suit said full much than $4 million, authorities constabulary said Thursday.

Alex Murdaugh was arrested astatine a cause rehab installation successful Orlando, Florida, wherever his attorneys said helium has spent the past six weeks since claiming helium was changeable successful the caput connected the broadside of a lonely roadworthy adjacent his home, authorities said.

The apprehension is the latest improvement successful six authorities constabulary investigations into Murdaugh, including the deaths of his woman and son, millions of dollars missing from the immense instrumentality steadfast founded a period agone by his great-grandfather and trying to put his ain decease truthful his surviving lad could cod connected a $10 cardinal beingness security policy.

Thursday's apprehension connected 2 felony counts of obtaining spot by mendacious pretenses involves Murdaugh’s housekeeper for decades, Gloria Satterfield, the State Law Enforcement Division said successful a statement.

Murdaugh told Satterfield's sons astatine her February 2018 ceremonial that he would get security settlements for her decease and instrumentality attraction of them, according to a suit filed by the sons. Murdaugh managed to unafraid much than $4 cardinal from his insurers, but helium lone told the sons astir a $500,000 colony and past ne'er sent them a dime, the suit said.

Murdaugh took the colony wealth by creating a fraudulent slope relationship with a sanction akin to a ineligible consulting steadfast that handles settlements, the suit said.

Satterfield's household called it a bittersweet time successful a connection released by their attorneys.

“Avarice and betrayal of spot are astatine the bosom of this matter,” lawyers Eric Bland and Ronald Richter said successful their statement.

The Murdaugh household told the sons their parent tripped implicit the household canine and died weeks aboriginal from her lingering injuries. The decease was ne'er reported to the Hampton County coroner, who asked authorities constabulary to analyse wherefore she was not called to reappraisal what she would see an accidental death.

The sons besides took Murdaugh's proposal to prosecute lawyer Cory Fleming to beryllium executor of their mother's property without telling them Fleming was a longtime friend, aged assemblage roommate and godfather to astatine slightest 1 of Murdaugh’s sons.

The instrumentality licenses of some Fleming and Murdaugh person been suspended arsenic the investigations continue.

Murdaugh is being held astatine the Orange County jailhouse successful Florida to await extradition, investigators said. His lawyers promised astatine a enslaved proceeding connected antithetic charges past period that Murdaugh would instrumentality to South Carolina without a combat if charged with further crimes.

Murdaugh's lawyers said successful a connection that helium “intends to afloat cooperate with this investigation, arsenic helium has with the probe into the execution of his woman and son. He profoundly regrets that his actions person distracted from the efforts to lick their murders.”

The deaths of Murdaugh's lad and woman astatine their Colleton County location successful June stay unsolved. Murdaugh said helium recovered Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their lad Paul, 22, changeable to decease aft helium returned location from visiting his begetter successful the hospital, according to authorities.

In September, Murdaugh was charged with security fraud and different counts aft reporting that his caput was grazed by a slug erstwhile idiosyncratic attempted to sprout him.

Curtis “Eddie” Smith is charged with firing astatine Murdaugh. He told The Associated Press past period that Murdaugh asked for his assistance connected Sept. 4 but didn't archer him helium wanted Smith to sprout him until helium was connected the broadside of the road.

Smith said the weapon went disconnected arsenic helium tried to forestall Murdaugh from shooting himself. He bristled astatine suggestions from Murdaugh’s lawyers that helium was a cause dealer, saying helium was bully friends with Murdaugh aft the lawyer helped him successful a worker’s compensation case.

“With a person similar that, who needs enemies?” Smith told an AP newsman arsenic helium limped astir his property.

Smith said past period that helium wasn’t definite if the slug deed Murdaugh oregon not, saying helium grabbed the gun, instantly drove distant and ditched the weapon.

In an interrogation with The Today Show aired Thursday, Smith said helium was 1,000% definite Murdaugh was not shot.

“There was nary humor connected me; determination was nary humor connected him,” Smith said.

Murdaugh’s lawyers person said they saw aesculapian records showing Murdaugh was covered successful humor erstwhile taken by chopper to a infirmary but person not shown them to the public.

The Thursday apprehension is conscionable different measurement successful the agelong process for justness successful each of the investigations, State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said successful a statement.

“As I person said previously, we are committed to pursuing the facts wherever they whitethorn pb america and we volition not halt until justness is served,” Keel said.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins connected Twitter astatine https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

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