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- [00:03]
A
This is Australian True Crime International with Michelle Laurie. Our guest today is Kayla Brantley. She's a crime correspondent with the Daily Mail, based in New York City. For the last couple of years, though, Kayla and her team have been focused on South Carolina and the scandalous case of the Murdoch murders. With a guilty verdict recently overturned, Kayla joins us to talk about all the shocking details. But we begin with life as a New York City crime reporter. This is Australian True Crime. We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this podcast is created, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation and a warning. This episode of the podcast contains graphic descriptions of violence. So, Kayla, you work for the Daily Mail in the States, is that correct?
- [00:53]
B
Yeah, we're based in New York. Wow.
- [00:55]
A
Ok, that sounds very glamorous to me. Being a journalist in New York. Is it?
- [01:00]
B
I mean, it's crazy. There's always something. Right now we have Taylor Swift getting married up the street at Madison Square Garden, allegedly. Last year we had the Diddy trial, which was right downtown. We have Luigi Mangione's trial coming up. That murder happened also not too far from the office. So there's always something going on. In New York, we just had the NBA Finals. So whether it's sports or entertainment or true crime, there's always something going on.
- [01:27]
A
There is always something going on. And we have a saying, certainly my mum used to use it all the time. Only in America, she would say, when we hear about, usually about a crazy crime, she goes, oh, only in America.
- [01:39]
B
Only in America. That's true.
- [01:40]
A
Yeah. But tell us about this, this murder that happened in South Carolina, my colleague,
- [01:45]
B
Rachel Sharp, she's our crime reporter. She has been on the case the entire way. And we've had her on our podcast, the Trial usa, where we actually interview her tomorrow. Cause she was just back down in South Carolina for an update on the case.
- [02:01]
A
I just read a piece by her, actually. It was great. She was talking about the. I love when people talk about the atmosphere of the courtroom and the outside. And she was saying that there were a lot of women there who were just observing. A lot of true crime fans who'd made their way to South. To Lexington, I believe is where the case is happening. To see the latest installment.
- [02:23]
B
Yeah, no, this case has really gripped the nation. There have been documentaries on it since it's happened. And this just happened in 2021. So within five years, there's been multiple documentaries. There was even a TV show with Patricia Arquette playing Alex Murdoch's wife Maggie,
- [02:41]
A
which I love, by the way. I love that show. Do you love it?
- [02:46]
B
Oh, yeah. And Patricia Arquette, she's incredible. I love anything she's done. But yeah, this has been, you know, it's been a really big case and something that is just made for Hollywood because of all the twists and turns. So it's been very interesting to follow.
- [03:01]
A
How would you describe it sort of in a nutshell? Because a lot of our listeners will be like me and you, fascinated by it. We have been following every moment, have watched all the TV shows, but some others may not be really sure what we're talking about. So it's so complicated. But how would you describe this story in a nutshell?
- [03:21]
B
Okay, I will try my best. But essentially, Alex Murdoch, he is a South Carolina attorney. He was born into this prominent legal family and he honestly appeared to have it all. He had a family, a booming business, you know, sons and a beautiful wife and very wealthy family. Then back on June 7, 2021 about, you know, a little over five years ago, everything just imploded when his wife Maggie and his 22 year old son Paul were shot dead at the dog kennels on the family's estate. That's their Mosel estate in South Carolina. This double murder, it then sparked a chain reaction that ultimately exposed and uncovered Alex Murdaugh's scandal plagued double life. Essentially after the murders, we find out that he allegedly orchestrates a bizarre botched murder for hire plot on himself. Then we uncover that there were all these mysterious deaths tied to the family that included a death of the family's maid and another teen girl who was killed in a boating accident. And then this all culminates when Alex Murdoch was convicted for the murders of his wife and son back in 2023. And just when we thought things were over back in May, that ruling was completely overturned. That conviction was overturned and he will be granted a retrial thanks to the court clerk who was found to have influenced the jury. So this is where we are at now.
- [05:04]
A
Unbeliev. Just where do you start? I suppose we can start with the other element which some people call a motive, which is that Alec Murdoch had been apparently had stolen about $19 million from his clients. And of course that would come to light if a divorce case was brought against him, which apparently Maggie was seriously considering at the time of her death.
- [05:29]
B
Yeah. So the motive that the the authorities have put forward was, was that he did this murder to try to cover up and distract from his mounting financial crimes that were about to be exposed and that, you know, he is also, while he did get convicted of murder, that's now overturned, he will never get out of prison. He has so many other cases and so many other financial crimes. And, you know, there's this mystery of this maid and this young teen that died in a boating accident that there's so much still mounted against him that no matter what, whether this conviction does go to trial and is overturned, is overturned and then goes to trial, and if he's found to be not guilty, he will never get out of prison.
- [06:17]
A
Which brings us to why attempt to have his murder convictions overturned? Because doesn't he stand to get the death penalty? If possibly, if they go to trial again and they have a different judge and a different jury and it comes out differently, he's never gonna get out of jail, but he might end up with the death penalty. Is that true?
- [06:38]
B
Yes. Yes, that is exactly right. That Alex Murdaugh does face the death penalty. That. That is on the table, and that is something that happens in South Carolina. And to get the death penalty, you have to be convicted of that and another crime along with murder. So in this case, prosecutors have said that they would seek the death penalty.
- [07:00]
A
You know, again, I just think to myself, you should have. There's a saying in Australian legal circles, don't go back for your hat if you've got a little victory, which in this case, we can say he got the victory, which was that he wasn't given the death penalty the first time around. Don't go back for your hat, mate. Just be grateful and get on with it. But he's going back. But he's.
- [07:20]
B
I like that. I like that phrase. I think I should adopt it in
- [07:23]
A
the us Feel free to pass it on to him, maybe. But he's an intriguing chap and we will get. We'll talk more about him. Obviously, there's lots of sort of people who say, look, I haven't met him. I haven't done an analysis on him myself. There's lots of forensic psychologists and people like that who diagnosed him with a number of personality disorders. But in saying that, say, look, I haven't met him myself, but this is what it seems to be to me. People are saying he's a narcissist, he's got oppositional defiance disorder and all of these things. There's definitely some interesting things going on there. And also with his sons. His sons came across to me, come across to me as very sort of privileged kids, you know, kids of a very wealthy family in a town where they're very, very well known. Paul, who is one of the victims in the shooting, as you've alluded to, he was in a boating accident. What can you tell us about that and about the young woman who died in that accident?
- [08:24]
B
Yeah, so this happened years ago. Paul was driving a boat, and a young girl, Mallory beach, she went overboard, the boat crash, and she died. And at the time of his death, Paul was actually ready to face trial for this. So he never got to go to trial when he was murdered. So this was also another thing. And this goes back to the family's power that they were kind of known for, making things go away, allegedly. And they had all of this power and legal standing in the community, that this Mallory beach incident, they kind of made it go away. And he was go. Paul, the younger son, was going to face trial, but, you know, of course he was murdered. So he never got that day in court. And the beach family never got the justice that they sought. And actually, an interesting thing that when I was speaking to a prosecutor down in South Carolina, he said that it was very ironic that Alex Murdaugh could potentially face the death penalty in the same court that his family had sentenced other people to death. Because his family, you know, he was from this legal dynasty that was extremely prominent in the South Carolina low country.
- [09:50]
A
I mean, his brothers still are, aren't they? Or at least one brother is still. Still a prominent lawyer in the community.
- [09:56]
B
Well, Buster Murdoch, he is the surviving son. He has been keeping a very low profile. You know, he did show up at the time, you know, of his father's. His father's verdict, but for the most part, he's been keeping it low profile. Buster had issues of his own, which I'm very skeptical to speak about. This was, you know, an issue with a man who had passed on the side of the road that Buster was, you know, looked at potentially. But nothing has been substantiated there. So I'm hesitant to speak on that further. But, yeah, again, these were two very privileged sons. They came from a privileged family. And right now, Buster, it seems, you know, he is the only member left of this family. His mother and his brother are dead, and his father is in prison and may get the death penalty himself.
- [10:54]
A
You have to feel for Buster, don't you? On top of, you know, the tragedies that his family has experienced, his father seems to be leaning on him a lot. There are lots of jailhouse phone calls that have been published. Yeah, he seems to be the sort of strength of the family now. After this tragedy, whether he likes it or not.
- [11:14]
B
Yes, absolutely. And we actually, I went to CrimeCon with Rachel Sharp, our. Our crime reporter, and we sat down with. This was in Vegas about a month ago, CrimeCon. The housekeeper, her name's Blanca, the Murdoch housekeeper was there, and we sat down for an interview with her, and what she told us. She was a. She said that Maggie Murdoch was a confidant of hers and that they had issues. The couple had issues in the past, but never anything that Maggie felt to express or anything that, you know, seemed to point to them getting a divorce. Though there have been rumors that, you know, Maggie was seeking a divorce, that apparently there had been infidelity in the past, and that was years and years ago, but the couple have got. Had gotten through that. So it is interesting when you. When you mentioned, you know, Maggie may have been filing for divorce, that is something that has been brought up. But when we spoke to the housekeeper, who, you know, Blanca, she was in the house, worked for the family for years, took care of those boys for years. She loved those boys as her own. She never pointed to anything too concerning in the marriage and in the household.
- [12:34]
A
You'd think she would know she was part of the household, part of the furniture. Now, Blanca, not to be confused with. Was it Ms. Gloria, was that the lady who died on the front steps?
- [12:44]
B
Yes.
- [12:44]
A
Tell us about that.
- [12:45]
B
Yes, this is. This is a different case. So there was a housekeeper before Blanca who allegedly fell down the step. Steps in the house. The circumstances surrounding her death are quite fuzzy. And the Murdochs said that they would pay out the family, but that they would represent the family of this housekeeper in suing them.
- [13:12]
A
They sued themselves.
- [13:15]
B
Exactly. That they would essentially sue themselves, which already is. Any legal person would tell you that you can't do something like that and that this family essentially never got their payout, that they never got their payday, and that this is one of the many things and the many financial crimes that Alex Murdock was trying to cover up.
- [13:35]
A
In the drama series, the Patricia Arquette one that we've discussed, it's portrayed this way that Alec sees it as an opportunity to make money for himself. And so he puts it to Gloria's two sons. That's. That's. They're the family members, that they should sue him because he's got insurance. He's saying to them, you should sue me. I've got insurance, and we'll get you money, and it will take care of you for the rest of your lives, and I will help you invest that money. Take care of that money. So it's all his idea. And in fact, we know in the final wrap up that they were victims of his financial crimes, weren't they? He. That's part of the 19 million.
- [14:15]
B
And like I said, because of his financial crimes, whether Alex Murdaugh goes to retrial, if he gets acquitted, he will still be in prison for the rest of his life because of these financial crimes. They were that serious that he's in his 60s, I believe now, and by, by the time he would get out, he would be well over a hundred.
- [14:38]
A
Good lord. Tell us about. So why are we having a retrial? We have one woman in particular who is. Has been the focus of this part of the case, hasn't she? That is Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Becky Hill. Tell us about Mary Becky.
- [14:54]
B
Rebecca Hill is a very interesting character. She was the court clerk, which meant that her responsibilities were to, you know, shuffle the jury in and out, to really just oversee them. But with those duties, you are not meant to speak about the case to the jury, influence them in any way. And she completely went against everything that she was meant to do. Her position as a court clerk was. She was actually elected into that role. And the jury alleged that. She basically was saying, you know, this guy is guilty, really pushing them to find him guilty. And then once he was convicted, she published a book. She published a tell all that. What they allege, what prosecutors allege, is that she wanted a guilty verdict because that would sell books, definitely benefit. And that book had. Yeah, I mean, it is a better storyline. But, you know, she has since pulled that book from the shelves.
- [15:59]
A
It's interesting because of his position in the legal system, I mean, they, they were known to each other. Alec Murdoch knew Rebecca. They'd known each other for years. They'd worked in and around each other. So in some ways it's a very sort of small town story, isn't it? Even though it's internationally fascinating.
- [16:16]
B
Oh, yeah. Everyone seems to know everyone in the low country. It's not some, you know, you're not in New York City where even though it is a big city, you're very, it seems very small sometimes. But yeah, like I said, and even though it was a small town, everyone knew the Murdochs. They were renowned in, in the community. So for Becky Hill to, you know, go so hard and so blatantly against him, you know, it was quite shocking and the fact that it was so severe that the South Carolina Supreme Court said, yeah, we are going to overturn this conviction. Her actions had to be very, very serious.
- [17:03]
A
I believe that on top of the suggestion that there was jury tampering by Rebecca, another reason that this conviction's been overturned and there'll be another trial is that the defence team says they have new evidence. They say that they have some DNA from under the fingernails of Maggie Murdoch and that hasn't been tested yet. What do you know about that?
- [17:27]
B
Yeah, so the one thing about the first trial is that a lot. There was not much DN DNA evidence. It was very circumstantial. So there was a dog kennel video that was on Paul's phone, where you heard Paul's voice, his mother's voice, and then a third voice, which, you know, when you brought the witnesses to the stand, they said, yeah, that was Alec Murdoch voice. And it was just moments before their time of death.
- [17:57]
A
Quit, Cash, quit.
- [18:00]
B
Come here. Come here, Come here. Hey, he's got a bird in his mouth. Bubba, Bubba.
- [18:15]
A
It's a guinea.
- [18:17]
B
It's a guinea chicken. Come here. Cash.
- [18:22]
A
Cash, quick.
- [18:24]
B
Alex Murdo said that he was far, far away. So there was no way to kind of explain that away. His financial crimes, the motives, those were really all the evidence against him kind of pointing him there. But what was missing was that slam dunk, case closed, DNA evidence. So now South Carolina prosecutors, they are trying to completely shut down his push for new evidence. So what the defense is saying is that there is DNA found under his wife Maggie's fingernails. And now the prosecutors are trying to absolutely shut that down, get it pushed out. Because if the defense is bringing it forward, it means that it supports Murdoch's case.
- [19:10]
A
I mean, if we go back to the video that you just mentioned, I mean, that was, I think, the damning evidence the first time around, wasn't it?
- [19:19]
B
Yeah, because even, you know, Murdoch, Murdoch, you know, got on the stand and tried to explain it away and he couldn't. There was no way to really explain it away. You know, he. That's when he said, you know, he was addicted to drugs and he had a drug problem, but there was no way to really explain, you know, why you said one thing and then said
- [19:41]
A
another, you know, well, while you were at the crime scene and phones being what they are now, they could tell that, you know, this video was taken minutes before they were killed. It also, it's damning because it demonstrates the horror, I think, of the scenario if indeed Alec Murdoch is guilty of these crimes, and if he did murder his wife and son, the scenario it paints is just for the victims. We're Talking about the family members, the three of them wandering down to the dog kennels because Paul was babysitting, sitting a dog for a friend, and the friend wanted a video. And, you know, we've all done that. We've all said, oh, send me a photo of my dog, whatever. You know, when someone else is looking after them. So they go down and they're taking a video of this lovely dog, and they're all. They're chatting in the background about the dogs. It's such a relaxed, domestic situation. And then allegedly, minutes after that, Paul is shot by his father. And he would have been looking at his father when these shots were fired. And he's shot a couple of times, isn't he? And then Maggie, forensic evidence suggests, saw it, tried to get to Paul, and then again, would have been looking at her husband as he shot her several times.
- [21:04]
B
I mean, it's the unimaginable. And this is why I say it makes, you know, Great Britain for Hollywood, because you really can't make this up. And it's just something that is just so grisly. And the nature of the murders to kill the two people closest to you. I mean, there have been many insights into, you know, who Alex Murdaugh was. You know, is he a narcissist? Is he mentally ill? Yes. He claims he was addicted to drugs. But to go that far, there truly has to be something. And you can just only imagine the horror of Paul, who would never expect that from his father, Maggie, who, you know, according to evidence, had to witness her son get killed by his father, and then he turns the gun on her. It's just unimaginable.
- [22:03]
A
It really is. It's so heartless. If that is indeed what happened, it's heartless. And Paul is never really portrayed the young man as a likable character, but, I mean, this is beyond what anybody deserves, isn't it?
- [22:16]
B
Oh, Yeah. I mean, 22 years old, you know, you're still young, you're still figuring out, I'm sure, you know, maybe he would have grown to be a very respectable guy. Who knows? But.
- [22:25]
A
And he was very close to his parents, as you said. It's an incredible betrayal because there they are having this relaxed night at home. And he loved his dad very, very much. There's no argument about that. Talk to us about the body cam footage and all of that kind, because that's also, I think, part of what makes this case so infamous, part of why we're still fascinated by this case is what happened when police arrived on the Scene.
- [22:52]
B
So Alex Murdaugh, he's the one who called 911. And you hear him say on the phone, you know, very frantic, saying that his wife and his son have been shot. Then the officers arrive. Body cam, it records the crime scene moments after Maggie and Paul were found dead. It shows Alex Murdaugh walking around the property. You know, he's breathing heavily, he appears very emotional. He's talking to the officers, but at no point there is an officer. I believe he was the sergeant. He testified that, you know, Murdoch, he did appear upset, but he never actually saw him crying when he first arrived. So that was speculation. They noticed that there was not much blood on Murdoch, though. He said that he had checked his son and his wife for signs of life. So, you know, of course, appeared that he was, you know, very shaken. Of course, his son and his wife have died, but he was telling deputies non stop, you know, my son was in a boat wreck. We've been getting threats and kind of trying to push the narrative of, you know, we've been getting threats to, I guess, try to point that away from him, you know. And then later we find out that he told the officers that he was visiting his mother, that he hadn't seen them in a while or like, you know, a few hours before this happened, you know, and then eventually we get that famous kennel video that places him right at the scene just minutes before the murders.
- [24:33]
A
And the murder weapon's never been recovered, has it?
- [24:36]
B
No.
- [24:36]
A
Although they had lots of guns on the property.
- [24:39]
B
They did, yeah, they had lots of guns on the property. You know, they went out hunting for sport. But the murder weapon. Yeah, I don't believe that has been recovered, no.
- [24:50]
A
So what's, what's happening with the new trial? Have they set a date yet?
- [24:54]
B
Yeah. So now we will get a new trial. April 5, 2027. It's looking like Alec Murdaugh, he will be on trial yet again. You know, not everything will be admissible the second time. You know, the judge will have to look and see which pieces of evidence he will allow to come forward. A lot in the first trial was very character based, character based witnesses. So we will see if that will also be brought in. Of course, you know, you have his financial crimes, the death of the maid, the death of Mallory Beach. It still remains to be seen whether these will all be admissible in this new trial. But for now, Alex Murdaugh has a little less than a year to prepare with his team and for his sake, hopefully bring new evidence that will exonerate him.
- [25:47]
A
Will that be a jury trial as well?
- [25:49]
B
I can imagine it will be a jury trial only because it was a jury trial the first time.
- [25:55]
A
But imagine trying to tell a jury to forget everything they know about this case.
- [26:00]
B
I mean. I mean, jury selection will be difficult, and I can imagine that it was extremely difficult the first time around because, again, this is a prominent family and this has been in the news as much as it has, but from what I suspect, I would think it would be a jury trial. But, you know, if they want to avoid anything like what happened this time, jury selection will be difficult. So I could also see the judge saying, no, I will just decide this.
- [26:28]
A
Well, I know you'll keep us updated. Tell us about your podcast, please. Not, not just about this case, but about true crime in general. Where can we hear it? What's going on?
- [26:37]
B
Yeah, so I host a weekly podcast called the Trial usa. This is the US Branch of our wider trial podcast where we tackle trials per season. So last year, we did the trial of Diddy. That was the first season of our U.S. version of the trial. And now we do weekly updates until. Right now we are looking toward the trial of Luigi Mangione. So we will say that. And that may be in the fall. We're looking at Luigi.
- [27:15]
A
What a fascinating case. Just really because of our reactions to it, isn't it? It's such a. It's a psycho drama, the way we're reacting to this young man allegedly shooting a healthcare executive in the street.
- [27:28]
B
Yeah. I mean, because that. That one is a little, you know, it. It is very nuanced in the sense that this man who allegedly shot the CEO in cold blood on video has so many supporters. So it's. It's more so just about, I feel, the culture around us, healthcare and the healthcare system, because, you know, for an alleged murderer to have this much savor. I don't think we as a culture have seen something like this since maybe Ted Bundy, you know, where he had so many fans swooning over him. You know, of course, Luigi, he is a handsome man. So that, you know, also helps his case there.
- [28:11]
A
But he's a handsome man. And as you said, his victim is a very unpopular genre of human. Yes. So we don't even know much about this individual, but his job title makes him unpopular. And then Luigi is handsome and got a sort of a Robin Hood quality about him.
- [28:27]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [28:28]
A
Can we catch up with you about that one specifically soon, when it gets going, please?
- [28:32]
B
Of course, of course. I would love to be back.
- [28:36]
A
Thank you. To our guest, Kayla Brantley, and you can keep up with Kayla's work by subscribing to the Daily Mail's podcast, the Trial usa. If you need support after listening to this podcast, you can call Lifeline on 131114 or contact 1-800-Respect on 1-800-737-732 or 1-800Respect.orgau. Indigenous Australians can contact 13 Yarn on 139276 or 13yarn.orgau.