The story of Buster Murdaugh, once overshadowed by darkness, is beginning to emerge. Behind the headlines and the unanswered questions lies a life just waiting to be explored. Netflix’s true crime docu-series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, reopened a can of worms. The story of the Murdaughs is centered on a wealthy South Carolina family. Altogether, it explores the multiple incidents that the family of litigators have been linked to, including a boating accident in which somebody died. There are also the events that preceded the deaths of matriarch Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and her son Paul Murdaugh in the summer of 2021.
In the wake of all this, Buster Murdaugh, the first son of the Murdaugh family, has been catapulted into the spotlight following an unimaginable event that shook the small community of Hampton County. But there is more to Buster than tragedy. Known for his relentless dedication to his family’s law firm and a love for the outdoors, this complex individual defies easy categorization. So, let’s take a deeper look into his life after the gruesome events that made headlines.
The Events Leading Up To The Tragedy
The Murdaugh family, known for their wealth and influence in the tight-knit community, had always been the subject of both admiration and speculation. Alex Murdaugh, the patriarch of the family, was a prominent lawyer who had built a successful practice over the years. His wife was equally a respected member of various charitable organizations, and their two children, Paul and Buster Murdaugh, were well-liked in the community.
However, behind the façade of success and respectability, the family had a few kinks that needed to be ironed out. For one, Paul Murdaugh was connected to a 2019 boat crash that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old woman. Shortly before his death, he was awaiting trial in that regard. He pleaded guilty but was released on a $50,000 bond with the trial date yet to be set. In a nutshell, theirs was quite a layered family.
Overview of The Murdaugh Murders
In the summer of 2021, South Carolina personal injury attorney Alex Murdaugh was accused of murdering his son and wife at their hunting estate. According to the police, their bodies were found right next to the dog kennels at the family’s home near Islandton, South Carolina. The Murdaugh family patriarch was the one who stumbled across the bodies and said that he was out while the shootings occurred. While all fingers pointed at him, his family maintained the notion that he couldn’t have possibly been involved.
Who Is Buster Murdaugh?
Richard Alex Murdaugh, AKA Buster, used to work at his father’s law firm while attending law school at the University of South Carolina. However, this was before the double murder that shook the foundation of his family. Apparently, he was actually kicked out due to plagiarism but his family ‘donated’ the sum of $60,000 so he could be readmitted. Nevertheless, the whirlwind of his father’s trial and the controversy surrounding his family put his education on the back bench.
Throughout his father’s trial, Buster maintained that he didn’t believe his father took his mother and brother’s life. When recalling how he learned about the grim news from his father he said his dad asked, “Are you sitting down? ” he added, “He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot… He was heartbroken, I walked in the door and saw him, gave him a hug. He was destroyed.”
Buster Murdaugh: Where Is He Now?
Following the entire ordeal, Buster lives with his girlfriend, lawyer Brooklynn White, in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Altogether, there’s no clear indication of what it is that he does for a living. Earlier on in 2023, February to be precise, he testified in his father’s trial on his father’s behalf and was physically and mentally shaken by the outcome of events.
On March 2, 2023, the Murdaugh family patriarch was found guilty of both murders. Then, the very next day, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison. On hearing the news, Buster put on a brave face for the cameras but later broke down and “was crying uncontrollably” until his uncles got him into a car.
Season 2 of Murdaugh Murders has him admitting that he still believes that his father is innocent of the murders. However, he also admitted that he was not without his faults, classifying him as a psychopath. In his own words, “I’m not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole, but I certainly think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation and the lies and the carrying out of that and I think that’s a fair assessment“.
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