Lawyer says Murdaugh to turn himself in on insurance fraud

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – A salient South Carolina lawyer who recovered the bodies of his woman and lad 3 months agone plans to crook himself successful to look charges successful a crippled to put his ain death that ended with the shooter lone grazing him successful the head, his defence attorneys said.

Alex Murdaugh plans to beryllium successful Hampton County to surrender to constabulary Thursday and person a enslaved hearing, lawyer Jim Griffin told quality outlets.

The charges are connected to security fraud, Griffin said. Murdaugh asked a erstwhile lawsuit who helium was buying drugs from to termination him with a changeable to the caput connected Sept. 4 truthful his surviving lad could cod a $10 cardinal beingness security policy, authorities said.

The State Law Enforcement Division did not corroborate immoderate apprehension warrants against Murdaugh precocious Wednesday. Prosecutors did not instrumentality a connection asking astir a imaginable enslaved hearing.

Murdaugh's lawyers said helium has been successful cause rehab for astir 10 days aft his instrumentality steadfast fired him implicit missing wealth that could full millions of dollars.

If Murdaugh is arrested Thursday, it would culminate a tumultuous 36 hours which saw idiosyncratic arrested connected assisted suicide, security fraud and different charges for shooting him successful the head, past authorities constabulary unfastened a sixth probe into him and his household — this clip implicit the decease of a housekeeper and nanny who died successful his home.

The woman's decease certificate said she died from earthy causes and it wasn't reported to the Hampton County coroner. But a wrongful decease colony for $500,000 said she was killed successful a slip-and-fall astatine Murdaugh's home.

Murdaugh’s father, gramps and great-grandfather each held the bureau of solicitor successful the country for much than 80 years and different household members were salient civilian attorneys successful the region. Murdaugh himself was an authorized unpaid authoritative supporting his father’s cases, a narration the bureau severed this period arsenic Murdaugh said helium was seeking rehabilitation for an oxycodone addiction.

It each started June 7, when Murdaugh recovered the bodies of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old lad Paul changeable aggregate times aft returning to their Colleton County location aft visiting his sick father.

Those killings stay unsolved, and Murdaugh's lawyers person said helium is adamant helium had thing to bash with their deaths.

On Sept. 3, Murdaugh was fired by the PMPED Law Firm which was founded by his gramps aft the steadfast determined helium took money.

The adjacent day, Murdaugh's lawyers said helium decided to termination himself, but person idiosyncratic other sprout him. Murdaugh gave Curtis Edward Smith a weapon and they headed to lonely Old Salkehatchie Road. Smith fired 1 changeable that lone grazed Murdaugh's head, a State Law Enforcement Division cause said successful a sworn statement.

Murdaugh was capable to telephone 911 and his archetypal communicative was idiosyncratic passing successful a pickup motortruck changeable astatine him arsenic helium checked a tyre that was debased connected pressure. His lawyers said a week aboriginal helium told them astir the security strategy and they told authorities police.

Smith, 61, was arrested precocious Tuesday and charged with assisted suicide, battle and artillery of a precocious aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, security fraud, conspiracy to perpetrate security fraud, organisation of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana. He remains successful jailhouse and it wasn't known if helium had a lawyer to talk connected his behalf.

Along with the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh and the shooting of Alex Murdaugh, the State Law Enforcement Division is besides investigating the missing money, whether anyone tried to obstruct an probe into a 2019 vessel crash for which Paul Murdaugh was yet charged and a July 2015 hit-and-run decease successful Hampton County.

The agency announced Wednesday that they are present investigating Gloria Satterfield's death. Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper asked for the authorities investigation, saying Satterfield's decease certificate lists she died of earthy causes, which is inconsistent with a trip-and-fall accidental death. She said her bureau was not informed truthful it could execute an autopsy.

Satterfield's 2 sons filed a suit Wednesday saying they haven't seen immoderate of the $500,000 wrongful decease colony that Murdaugh had friends arrange.

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

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