A man allegedly tried to arrange for a hitman to end his life so his son would receive a $10 million life insurance payout, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

As reported by NBC News, personal injury attorney Alex Murdaugh, 53, managed to survive the shooting near his home on September 4 after only sustaining a superficial wound to the head.

The South Carolina lawyer is believed to have told 911 that he was targeted while changing a flat tire.

The incident took place months after the dead bodies of his wife Margaret and adult son Paul were discovered near dog kennels on the family's hunting property in Colleton County, west of Charleston over the summer.

The deaths of the mother and son were classified by state investigators as a double homicide, with the case still not having been solved.

The widower's attorney, Richard Harpootlian, told the TODAY show on Wednesday that Murdaugh had been trying to resist taking opioids, which he had become reliant on while mourning the tragedy.

Harpootlian also said that Murdaugh had asked a man to help kill him as part of a "fake car breakdown" as he believed his insurance policy had a suicide clause.

The plan was an "attempt on his part to do something to protect his child," Murdaugh's attorney said.

In a statement, Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, another of Murdaugh's attorneys, said it had become "clear Alex believed that ending his life was his only option. Today, he knows that’s not true."

"For the last 20 years, there have been many people feeding his addiction to opioids. During that time, these individuals took advantage of his addiction and his ability to pay substantial funds for illegal drugs," the statement read. "One of those individuals took advantage of his mental illness and agreed to take Alex's life, by shooting him in the head."

Earlier this week, 61-year-old Curtis Edward Smith was arrested on charges of assisted suicide, assault, and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

Murdaugh had reportedly given Smith a gun and asked him to end his life.

Harpootlian has also insisted that Murdaugh had nothing to do with the homicide of his wife and son.

"He is totally distraught," the attorney said. "He did not murder them."

Thus far, Murdaugh has not been charged by police, but Harpootlian expects he will be arrested soon.

A little while after the failed shooting arranged by Murdaugh, he said in a statement that he left his job at a law firm so that he could start treatment at a rehab facility. He said he "made a lot of decisions that I truly regret" and that the killings of his loved ones have caused him immense pain.

However, the law firm said that Murdaugh only left the business after it was allegedly discovered that he had misappropriated funds. As a result, his law license was indefinitely suspended.

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The man who Alex Murdaugh says shot him in the head in an alleged botched hitman-suicide has spoken out following the disgraced lawyer's guilty verdict.

On Friday (March 3), Judge Clifton Newman handed 54-year-old Murdaugh two life sentences after a 12-person jury found the former attorney guilty of the murders of Murdaugh's 52-year-old wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul.

Maggie and Paul's bodies were found back in June 2021 on the grounds of the family's 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina.

Despite Alex Murdaugh repeatedly denying causing his family any harm, Judge Newman bluntly told him during the trial: "It might not have been you. It might have been the monster that you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills.

"Maybe you become another person. I have seen that before. The person standing before me was not the person who committed the crime, though it is the same individual."

Following the guilty verdict, Curtis "Cousin Eddie" Smith – a former law firm client, distant cousin, and alleged drug dealer of Murdaugh – has released a statement via his attorney.

Per the Daily Mail, Smith is accused of shooting Murdaugh in the head three months after Murdaugh killed his wife and son.

The alleged hit is believed to be part of a life insurance scam that would see Murdaugh's other son, Buster, receive $11 million. Murdaugh has admitted to asking Smith to kill him - with the former legal scion being shot in the head as part of a botched "drive-by".

Murdaugh called 911 shortly after the "drive-by", claiming to have been ambushed while changing a tire on his vehicle. He was later treated in hospital for what police described as a "superficial gunshot wound to the head".

Alex Murdaugh. Credit: Zuma Press / Alamy

Smith - who is currently in custody on charges that include owning a firearm and lying to officials - has denied Murdaugh's claims, saying that he intervened when a suicidal Murdaugh attempted to shoot himself.

Now, following Murdaugh's guilty verdict, Smith has said in a statement that he should be cleared of any wrongdoing over the deaths of Maggie and Paul.

The statement released by Smith's legal team read: "It should now be clear that our client had nothing to do with the tragic deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

"For almost a year and a half, speculation, innuendo, half-truths, and outright falsehoods have permeated the public discussion of this case and our client, however, neither the investigation conducted by law enforcement, which included extensive forensic and technological analysis nor the testimony and evidence put forward by the defense team for Mr. Murdaugh revealed any evidence that Mr. Smith was in any way involved."

Eddie Smith. Credit: Colleton County Courthouse

"Murdaugh was the sole party responsible for the deaths of his wife and son," the statement continues, adding that Smith was never called as a witness because he had no knowledge of the tragic deaths.

Smtih’s attorneys, T. Jarrett Bouchette and Aimee Zmroczek, add: "Furthermore, despite months of filings and courtroom statements seeming to imply that Mr. Smith was either the ‘real killer’ or knew who was, when the time came to present evidence, Mr. Murdaugh’s defense team never attempted to call Mr. Smith to testify despite the fact that he was available to do so."

"In fact, when the issue of his testimony being presented by the state was raised, it was strenuously objected to by the defense," the statement continues, "Ultimately the jury determined that Mr. Murdaugh was the sole party responsible for the deaths of his wife and son. As has happened so many times in this case, the initial representations by Mr. Murdaugh have proven to be unsubstantiated."

Bouchette and Zmroczek add: "Mr. Smith is a good and decent man who was, like so many others, manipulated and taken advantage of by Mr. Murdaugh and we look forward to the opportunity to present his story at trial."

Following his guilty Verdict, Murdaugh debuted a newly shaved head after he was transported to South Carolina's Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center.

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Alex Murdaugh has been handed two life sentences after he was found guilty of the murders of his wife and son at the end of an explosive six-week trial.

On Thursday, the disgraced lawyer was convicted of the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, following a televised trial that gripped the nation.

The mother and son were found dead near the dog kennels at their 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina. The two victims had been fatally shot, with Murdaugh refusing responsibility for killing them throughout his trial.

During sentencing on Friday morning, the judge told Murdaugh, per Sky News: "You have turned from lawyer to witness, and now have an opportunity to make your final appeal as an ex-lawyer". The former attorney repeated again that he "would never under any circumstances" harm his wife and son.

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the double murder of his wife and son. Credit: Newscom / Alamy

Speaking to the jury during his trial, Murdaugh insisted: "I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul, ever, under any circumstances," per The Telegraph.

Continuing to profess his innocence when questioned by prosecutors, Murdaugh said: "You have charged me with murdering my wife and my son, and I have sat here for these weeks listening to this financial stuff that I did wrong, that I’m embarrassed by.

"I’m happy to talk with you about that as much as you would like to talk about. I’m required to talk about it as much as you want to talk about it. But the fact is I cannot specifically remember sitting down for the details you’re asking for.

"But what I can tell you is that in all of these financial situations, I stole money that was not my money, I misled people I shouldn’t have misled, and I did wrong. I can tell you that."

Credit: Zuma Press / Alamy

During the explosive trial, the prosecution claimed that Murdaugh ended the lives of his wife and son to take any attention away from his financial crimes - a claim that the defendant's legal team denied.

When Murdaugh vehemently refuted yet again during his sentencing on Friday that he is guilty of the heinous crimes, the judge said: "It might not have been you but the monster you become when you take [a large amount of] opioid pills."

Around the time Murdaugh murdered his wife and son, the family was facing legal action from the family of a 19-year-old woman named Mallory Beach. Beach died after 22-year-old Paul crashed a boat into a bridge more than three years ago while he was drunk.

Attorneys argued that a pre-trial hearing for the case, which was scheduled to take place just three days after the killings, would have exposed Murdaugh's criminal financial misconduct. They said this was Murdaugh's motive for killing his two family members.

According to Murdaugh, the "only reason someone could be mad at" Paul enough to murder him was the fatal boat crash.

To which Prosecutor Creighton Waters responded during the trial: "So what you’re telling this jury is that it's a random vigilante?"

The widower did not provide a reason why anyone would want to kill his wife.

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Disgraced former lawyer Alex Murdaugh will appeal his conviction for murdering his wife and son, multiple sources have confirmed.

The 54-year-old was last week sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting his son Paul, 22, and wife Maggie, 52, on their rural South Carolina property in June 2021. Murdaugh, 54, claimed that he had been visiting his parents at their home at the time his wife and son were slain, but his story ended up changing several times.

Maggie and Paul were found dead near the dog kennels at their 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina. The two victims had been fatally shot, with Murdaugh refusing responsibility for killing them throughout his trial. He even routinely suggested that a third party had been responsible for the deaths, as some sort of revenge for a 2019 boat crash that Paul was involved in, which sadly resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

During his sentencing on Friday morning, the judge told Murdaugh, per Sky News: "You have turned from lawyer to witness, and now have an opportunity to make your final appeal as an ex-lawyer". The former attorney repeated again that he "would never under any circumstances" harm his wife and son.

Alex Murdaugh is set to appeal his guilty verdict. Credit: Zuma Press / Alamy

Speaking to the jury during his trial, Murdaugh insisted: "I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul, ever, under any circumstances," per The Telegraph.

The prosecution argued throughout the six-week trial that Murdaugh had killed Maggie and Paul to distract growing attention from his financial crimes. In fact, a pre-trial hearing for the 2019 boat crash - which would have exposed his financial crimes - had been scheduled for three days after the murders.

Now, Murdaugh's defense team announced on Thursday (March 9) that they would be appealing his conviction, something that was expected as his attorneys indicated that they would be doing so within 10 days of the verdict.

Dick Harpootlian - one of Murdaugh's attorneys - tweeted: "Today [Jim Griffin, another Murdaugh defense attorney] and I filed our notice of appeal for Alex Murdaugh. This is the next step in the legal process to fight for Alex's constitutional right to a fair trial."

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After the announcement received some backlash on Twitter, Harpootlian added in a separate tweet: "No amount of vitriol or misguided attacks will stop us from pursuing due process for Alex to the fullest extent of the law."

Following Murdaugh's highly-publicized trial, one of the jurors, Craig Moyer, appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the case, telling the outlet about the jury's relatively short deliberation and the key piece of evidence that convinced him of Murdaugh's guilt.

Speaking about a cellphone video that placed Murdaugh at the scene of his wife and son's deaths just minutes beforehand, Moyer revealed: "I was certain it was [Murdaugh's] voice." The video was reportedly recorded by son Paul Murdaugh at the family's dog kennels. In the background, a voice can be heard that Moyer believes belonged to Alex Murdaugh.

Elsewhere in the interview, Moyer said that despite believing Murdaugh to be a "good liar", the disgraced lawyer wasn't "good enough".

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Richard "Alex" Murdaugh has been found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife and son after a six-week televised trial.

Two years ago, the disgraced lawyer's 52-year-old wife Maggie, and 22-year-old son Paul were found dead on the grounds of the wealthy family’s 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina.

According to The Independent, the youngest son was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he was standing in the feed room of the dog kennels, with the second shot blowing his brain almost completely out of his skull.

After killing his son, prosecutors said that Murdaugh then seized a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and discharged it at his wife as she attempted to run away from her husband. She was shot five times, including twice in the head after she had dropped to her knees.

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the double murder of his wife and son. Credit: Newscom / Alamy

The 54-year-old - who was the scion of an elite legal family - was initially a person of interest for more than a year but claimed he had an alibi, however, a grand jury sought sufficient evidence last July to indict him for the 2021 murders of his wife and son, per TMZ.

Now, the disbarred attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a theatrical six weeks inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

According to the outlet, Murdaugh seemed impassive as the guilty verdicts were read out to the courtroom with his and Maggie’s only surviving son Buster, 26, watching on from the gallery.

Buster - who has testified in his father's defense - also did not convey much emotion the moment that Murdaugh was convicted of slaying his mother and brother in a horrendous attack on the family estate.

The shamed man's legal team attempted to make a motion for a mistrial, which was denied by Judge Clifton Newman who said: "The evidence of guilt is overwhelming," as cited by the publication.

"You all responded and gave due consideration to the evidence. I will make no comment now as to the extent of the overwhelming nature of the evidence, but certainly, the verdict that you have reached is supported," he went on.

"The circumstantial evidence, direct evidence, all of the evidence pointed to one conclusion, and that’s the conclusion that you all reached," Newman added.

Alex Murdaugh's attorneys had appealed for a mistrial which was denied by the judge. Credit: Zuma Press / Alamy

Murdaugh had pleaded not guilty, telling the jury: "I did not kill Maggie, and I did not kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul, ever, under any circumstances," per The Telegraph.

But, throughout the trial, he confessed to having lied about his whereabouts that night and to an array of financial crimes. The case prosecutors portrayed him as a serial liar.

The former South Carolina attorney will return for sentencing at 9:30 AM on Friday (March 3) morning, where victim impact statements will be read out.

He faces a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison on each murder count. In addition to this, the weapons charge carries a five-year sentence, which can be served together or consecutively with the murder charges.

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A man serving in the 12-person jury in the Alex Murdaugh double homicide trial has revealed how they were so quick to find him guilty, after the former lawyer received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Murdaugh, 54, is part of a powerful and influential family in Hampton County, South Carolina, and served as a lawyer for the majority of the local community as part of a law firm his great-grandfather founded. Over the past few years, however, the family has been embroiled in several scandals that involve a range of alleged financial crimes and murder cover-ups.

In June 2021, Murdaugh's wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were found dead near some dog kennels on the family's sprawling Southern estate. They were shot at close range but no weapon has been recovered. Murdaugh has consistently denied any responsibility for the deaths, telling authorities varying accounts of how he was either visiting his parents or asleep at home on the couch.

Craig Moyer - a carpenter who has been involved in the jury for the past six weeks - revealed to ABC's Good Morning America that just one piece of evidence sealed the 54-year-old former lawyer's fate.

According to Moyer, the swift verdict was down to the existence of a Snapchat video that Paul recorded just minutes before being brutally murdered, in which Murdaugh's voice is heard in the background.

"I was certain it was [Murdaugh's] voice," he said, adding: "Everybody else could hear [Murdaugh's voice] too."

In a risky move, Murdaugh had taken the witness stand in his own defense - something that Moyer stated came off ungenuine and rehearsed. "He knew what he wanted to say. I mean he is a lawyer," he said. "I didn't see any true remorse or any compassion or anything."

Throughout the trial, Murdaugh admitted to lying to investigators about his whereabouts on the night of the murders, with CBS News reporting that he blamed his constant lies on a previous addiction to painkillers and opioids. "I'm not quite sure how I let myself get where I got. I battled that addiction for so many years. I was spending so much money on pills," Murdaugh had said.

Moments before the highly-publicized sentencing, Judge Clifton Newman said (via CNN): "Amazingly to have you come and testify that it was just another ordinary day. 'My wife and son and I were out just enjoying life.' Not credible. Not believable. You can convince yourself about it but obviously you have the inability to convince anyone else about that."

"I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the night times when you're attempting to go to sleep. I'm sure they come and visit you, I'm sure," Judge Newman told Murdaugh during the trial.

"Every night," Murdaugh responded.

The father-of-two reportedly faces up to 700 years in prison for various other crimes - including innumerable financial crimes - that he admitted to throughout the trial.

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