Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh

Who They Are

Richard Alexander Murdaugh, usually known as Alex, is Maggie’s husband and the father of Paul and Buster. He worked as a personal-injury attorney in Hampton, South Carolina.

The South Carolina Supreme Court disbarred him on July 12, 2022, citing admitted professional misconduct and harm to clients. He later pleaded guilty to financial crimes. The Department of Justice’s April 1, 2024 sentencing announcement records his 40-year federal sentence for 22 offenses.

Alex denies killing Maggie and Paul. A jury convicted him in 2023, but the South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new murder trial on May 13, 2026. His current status in this case is a defendant awaiting retrial, not a person with a final murder verdict in the continuing proceeding.

Why This Face Matters

Alex is the person charged with the killings and the appellant whose jury-interference challenge changed the case’s course. The pending murder accusations and his separate financial convictions must be stated distinctly.

The new-trial decision protects the right to an impartial jury. It does not decide his factual innocence or guilt. His lawyers and the state continue to litigate evidence and procedure before Judge Debra R. McCaslin under the June 8, 2026 assignment order.