Murdaugh Family History

Summary

---

Gone South – Season 5, Episode: “Murdaugh Family History”

Host: Jed Lipinski
Guest: Valerie Bauerlein (Wall Street Journal journalist & author, Devil at His Elbow)
Release Date: February 18, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Gone South expands from its usual focus on individual crimes to explore the roots and rise of one of the South’s most notorious dynasties: the Murdaugh family of South Carolina. Through a deep dive into the Murdaughs’ history—with insights from veteran journalist Valerie Bauerlein—the episode contextualizes the scandal, corruption, and eventual downfall that led to Alex (Alec) Murdaugh’s shocking murder conviction. Rather than focusing solely on Alex himself, the hosts and guest reveal a century-long story of legal power, intimidation, and generational rot—one that reflects broader themes about unchecked power in the American South.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Murdaugh Legacy: More Than Alex (01:34–03:42)

• Valerie Bauerlein’s reporting helped reveal the Murdaughs’ story to a national audience, but she and Jed Lipinski stress the old dynasty matters as much—or more—than recent headlines.
• Quote:

  “Alec is the least interesting Murdaugh. He's the least interesting of all. It's crazy.”
  —Valerie Bauerlein (03:42)

• Alex/Alec is only the latest in a line of cunning, cruel power brokers in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

2. Hampton County: The Crucible (03:58–05:53)

• The setting is critical: “Hampton County is a major character in this story.”
• Civil War’s devastation (Sherman’s retribution and its lingering effects), followed by Reconstruction and reassertion of white rule.
• Wade Hampton (for whom the county was named) agreed to support a “white county," cementing white dominance even with a Black-majority population.

3. Origins of Power: Josiah & Randolph Murdaugh Sr. (05:53–08:25)

• Josiah P. Murdaugh, Confederate veteran turned moneylender, set the foundation for the dynasty.

• Randolph Sr. becomes the first Hampton County resident to graduate from law school; opens a civil practice, later becomes solicitor (district attorney) for the 14th Circuit.

• The law firm specializes in suing railroads due to frequent worker deaths—making early fortunes this way.

  Quote:

  “The Murdaugh law firm gained early expertise in suing the railroad.”
  —Valerie Bauerlein (07:19)

4. Turning to Corruption (07:32–11:15)

• Randolph Sr. was initially a progressive force but turned to corruption after personal and economic setbacks (his wife’s death, the boll weevil decimating local cotton).
• Citing local rumors and documented cases: conspiracy to kill suspects to avoid judicial costs, burying murder cases for political allies in return for favors.
• Shocking example: facilitating the escape of a murderer after a campaign donation.

5. Dynastic Transition: Randolph’s Dramatic Death and Its Aftermath (12:44–14:23)

• Dying of renal failure, Randolph Sr. is killed by a train after deliberately stopping his car on the tracks. Eyewitnesses testify he waved at the oncoming train (13:37–13:55).
• The subsequent inquest blames the railroad—enabling his son Buster to sue for a record settlement and cementing the family’s wealth.
• Quote:

  “That decision allowed two things to happen. First, it smoothed the transition for Randolph's 24-year-old son, Buster, to take over as Solicitor. More importantly, it enabled Buster to sue the railroad for the wrongful death of his dad.”
  —Jed Lipinski (14:07)

6. “Old Buster” Murdoch: The Godfather of the South (14:33–18:45)

• Buster becomes solicitor for 46 years, openly corrupt and ruthless.

• Known for fixing cases, dropping charges for allies, and using the law as a weapon.

• Memorable Story: Using family and court connections to squash murder charges and personally threatening those who crossed him—including a plot (foiled by drunkenness) to kill a pregnant mistress.

• Buster runs the state’s largest bootlegging operation, is indicted as “kingpin” in a federal case, but walks due to jury tampering and bribery.

  Quote:

  “If you ever need anybody killed, send them down to Hampton County.”
  —Buster Murdoch, as remembered by lawyer Joe McCullough (15:19)

  Quote:

  “Nearly all of the defendants were convicted, including sheriffs deputies, and old Buster walked.”
  —Jed Lipinski (18:26)

7. Randolph III: The Reluctant Heir (21:13–23:04)

• Groomed to take over the dynasty from birth; less flamboyant but maintained the family’s grip on the circuit and its legal system.
• Under his leadership, the Murdaughs specialized in corporate lawsuits (e.g., against Ford for SUV rollovers).
• Used legal leniency (e.g., dropping DUIs) to buy community loyalty and “stack the jury pool” with grateful locals.

8. Pattern of Personal Abuse and Scandal (23:24–24:37)

• Like predecessors, Randolph III was a notorious womanizer.
• Story: A vengeful act where Randolph III allegedly calls in his wife’s obituary to the newspaper as a warning not to make trouble. Quote:

  "The rule in the family, and to this day, it still said, Murdaughs don't divorce. ... Someone had published her obituary ... she had to go on the radio and say, 'I'm not dead.' ... [they said] in fact, it was Randolph Murdaugh III that called it in as a warning."
  —Valerie Bauerlein (23:43)

9. Cracks in the Dynasty: The Boat Crash & Modern Exposure (24:37–28:11)

• In 2019, grandson Paul Murdaugh crashes the family boat (Mallory Beach’s death), immediately rallies father and grandfather to try and cover up the crime (26:02).
• Hospital security footage captures Alex and Randolph III working the ER, pressuring witnesses and police—tactics effective in their home turf but faltering as the region modernizes.
• Quote:

  "You're essentially seeing Alec Murdaugh at the height of his powers … trying to work the system like the mayor of the ER."
  —Valerie Bauerlein (26:02)

• Modern technology (video, data) exposes lies and ultimately helps convict Alex.

10. The Pattern of Dynastic Collapse (28:50–30:20)

• Bauerlein compares the Murdaugh fall to historical and corporate dynastic declines: once power is inherited, not earned, it breeds complacency, unchecked ambition, and eventual self-destruction.
• Quote:

  "If you study dynasties, one thing that commonly happens … when it's unchecked and you don't have to work for it anymore, it collapses in on itself from the inside. ... Alec wanted all the benefit and none of the work."
  —Valerie Bauerlein (28:50)

• Alex’s spectacular crimes—including the murders of his wife and son—brought the family name national infamy and ruined its local legacy.
• Quote:

  "He wanted to be the biggest Murdaugh. ... he loved his name more than his own flesh and blood, I believe. ... He got what he wished for in the worst possible way in the ruination of what had been a mighty name in that part of the world."
  —Valerie Bauerlein (29:39)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Alec is the least interesting Murdaugh. He's the least interesting of all.” —Valerie Bauerlein (03:42)
• “Randolph Murdaugh Sr. was an extraordinary man … but [personal crisis] began cutting corners.” —Valerie Bauerlein (07:48)
• On Buster Murdoch: “If you ever need anybody killed, send them down to Hampton County.” —Buster Murdoch, via Joe McCullough (15:19)
• “Buster was charismatic, but he was cruel and he wanted you to know it.” —Valerie Bauerlein (15:19)
• “You're essentially seeing Alec Murdaugh at the height of his powers ... like the mayor of the ER.” —Valerie Bauerlein (26:02)
• "They beat back every challenge, but they could not beat back modernity." —Valerie Bauerlein (27:50)
• “If you study dynasties, … unchecked power ... collapses in on itself from the inside.” —Valerie Bauerlein (28:50)
• “He wanted to be the biggest Murdaugh... he got what he wished for in the worst possible way.” —Valerie Bauerlein (29:39)

---

Important Timestamps

• 03:42 – Bauerlein’s perspective: Alec as “the least interesting” Murdoch
• 05:53–07:19 – The transition from moneylending to legal power and railroad lawsuits
• 07:48 – Randolph Sr.'s turn to corruption
• 13:37–14:23 – Randolph Sr.’s dramatic death and the aftermath
• 14:33–18:45 – Highlights of Buster Murdoch’s reign: open corruption, bootlegging, fixing murder trials
• 21:13–23:04 – Randolph III’s style, law firm strategy, and manipulation of justice
• 23:43–24:37 – Infamous “obituary incident” involving Randolph III and his wife
• 26:02–26:29 – The ER cover-up after the boat crash; the dynasty’s tactics exposed
• 27:50–28:11 – Admitting the family's defeat by “modernity”
• 28:50–29:39 – The pattern of dynastic collapse and the tragic irony of Alex Murdaugh’s ambition

---

Takeaways

• The story of Alex Murdaugh and his crimes cannot be separated from a century of family power, privilege, and lawlessness in Hampton County, South Carolina.
• Each generation of Murdaughs was marked by both legal savvy and a willingness to break the law—to protect and grow its local fiefdom.
• The dynasty persisted in large part through secrecy, intimidation, and manipulation—but was ultimately undone by modern technology and its own internal decay.
• As Bauerlein insightfully notes, Alex’s drive to be the “grandest” Murdaugh ended in the ruination of the family name he sought to elevate.

---

For listeners, this episode unpacks not only the Murdaugh family’s notorious fall, but the conditions—historical, social, and psychological—that made such a dynasty possible and ultimately unsustainable in the modern South.

Transcript

[ALMA Representative]

A year from today, what would your dream private practice look like? Would you spend less time chasing claims or only working with clients who value your skill set? What if you had a network to reach out to for questions or free continuing education? What if you had more time for yourself? ALMA empowers you to confidently accept insurance backed by an all in one EHR that simplifies scheduling, documentation and day to day practice operations. With a network of engaged providers and free CE resources, ALMA makes it easy for you to build the practice of your dreams on your terms. ALMA believes that when therapists get the support they need, mental health care gets better for everyone. Learn more about [e-mail] getstarted. Your dream practice is closer than you think. Get started [e-mail] get started.

[Jed Lipinski]

Hey Sal. Hank, what's going on? We haven't worked a case in years. I just bought my car at Carvana and it was so easy.

[Carvana Customer]

Too easy.

[Jed Lipinski]

Think something's up? You tell me. They got thousands of options, found a great car at a great price, and it got delivered the next day. It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank. Yeah, you're right. Case closed.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.

[Jed Lipinski]

For the last 20 years, Valerie Bauerlein has covered the south for the Wall Street Journal. During that time, she's become well acquainted with the politicians and high powered attorneys of South Carolina. Some of these folks would play starring roles in the high profile trial of Alex Murdoch, the mercurial Hampton county lawyer who in 2023 was convicted of killing his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison.

[News Anchor]

Good evening. There is breaking news from South Carolina tonight where the verdict is in and the Alec Murdoch double murder trial. The jury finding the once prominent attorney guilty on all counts in the shooting deaths of his wife and 22 year old son at the family's property in 2021.

[Jed Lipinski]

Valerie's early reporting on the Murdaughs helped bring the story to national attention. But the Murdaughs had been making headlines in South Carolina for years. In 2019, Alex's son Paul drunkenly crashed his family's boat into a bridge near Parris island, killing a young woman named Mallory Beach. The family was also suspected of killing their housekeeper, along with a young man named Stephen Smith, whose body was discovered on a desolate country Road. In 2015, when Alex was finally charged with murder, the nation's attention turned to the question of his guilt and what might have caused a prosperous South Carolina attorney to commit such an Unthinkable act, Valerie covered Alex's trial. She would later chronicle the saga in the definitive book about the Murdaughs devil at his elbow. But in the end, what captivated Valerie most wasn't Alex, who, like residents of South Carolina's low country, Valerie refers to as Alec. It was the hundred year old legal dynasty that produced him. Specifically the three deeply complicated men whose duplicity, cunning and cruelty ensured the Murdoch family's power was unquestioned. For much of the 20th century, the story of these men tended to get buried in the headlines about Alex's schemes. But in Valerie's mind, it deserves to be better known.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

As she puts it, Alec is the least interesting Murdoch. He's the least interesting of all. It's crazy.

[Jed Lipinski]

I'm Jed Lipinski. This is gone south.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Well, I think from the beginning it was clear to me that Hampton county is a major character in this story. You can't talk about the Murdaugh family without talking about the, the petri dish that cultivated them, which is this place.

[Jed Lipinski]

Hampton county sits in South Carolina's low country, roughly halfway between Savannah and Charleston. It's what's known as a burned county because General Sherman burned it to the ground during the Civil War. Sherman was furious with South Carolina soldiers whom he believed had committed war crimes.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

They're very poor soldiers and they had these crude pipe bombs that they would bury, particularly in the area that's now Hampton county, and Yankee soldiers would march over them, fall in and get blown up. And he considered that a war crime. So when Sherman crossed the Savannah river and came into what is now Hampton county, he was furious. And he came through in two flanks of 60,000 troops and burned everything in sight.

[Jed Lipinski]

Sherman also tore up the railroads, Hampton County's economic lifeline, which further devastated the area. After the Civil war came reconstruction, 12 turbulent years during which black political power surged in South Carolina. The legislature flipped to a black majority. But when federal troops withdrew in 1877, the state's biracial Republican coalition fell apart and the Confederate Old guard saw an opportunity.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

And they went to Wade Hampton, who was formerly a, you know, Confederate general. He was the largest slaveholder in the south and he was now governor of South Carolina. Very powerful person. And the white Old Guard, many of whom had been soldiers under him, wrote to Wade Hampton and said, we want to establish white rule. We want an expressly white county. And he said, okay, you can have your white county and your new courthouse, which is the center of everything, as long as you name it after me.

[Jed Lipinski]

And like that, Hampton county was born. It wasn't literally a white county. Blacks still outnumbered whites by around 6 to 1. But the founders intentions were to establish white rule. For decades, county politics and public life would be white controlled. One of the first people to move to Hampton county was Josiah P. Murdoch, whose great great grandson Alex was recently convicted of murder. Josiah had fought with Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, the Virginia village where lee surrendered in April 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. He became the money lender in town. His son, Randolph Sr. Would become the progenitor of the modern Murdoch dynasty. Randolph was the first Hampton county resident to graduate from law school. He opened a civil practice across the street from the Hampton County Courthouse. A few years later. In 1920, he was elected solicitor, another word for district attorney, overseeing a five county region known as the 14th Circuit. As Valerie writes, Randolph Sr. Operated the levers of power in both civil and criminal courts. Still, Hampton county was a desolate place. And in the early 1900s there was no one to sue because no one had any money. Nobody except for the railroads. Suing the railroads soon became the Murdoch firm's stock in trade.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

And they quickly figured out that railroads were very dangerous to work on at that time. There were many people that got killed working on the railroads in the early 1900s. And the Murdoch law firm gained early expertise in suing the railroad.

[Jed Lipinski]

In researching her book, Valerie tried to pin down exactly when Randolph Murdaugh turned corrupt, establishing a pattern that ensuing generations would repeat. According to Valerie, it took a few years because Randolph didn't start out that way.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Randolph Murdaugh Sr. Was an extraordinary man. As a young man in a poor area, he was involved in all of these sort of really progressive kind of causes for the time, trying to bring economic viability to convince farmers to plant other types of crops. But the Depression came early to that part of South Carolina because farmers did not diversify their crops. They grew cotton. And when the boll weevil came through in 1918, 1919, it devastated everything. And Randolph Murdoch Sr. Had been one of the founders of the local bank. And when the economy failed, the banks failed and he lost everything he had.

[Jed Lipinski]

Around the same time, Randolph's wife died after giving birth to their second son. This left Randolph with a three year old and an infant. He had no money, but a lot of power and responsibility and he began cutting corners. One rumor has it that he conspired with the sheriff to kill a black man accused of murder because in doing so they could avoid the cost of jailing and trying him. According to the rumor they took the man fishing on the Savannah river and caused him to fall into the water where he was eaten by alligators. Another case was better documented.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

In this one case, there was a very wealthy man, the wealthiest man in town, who had a brand new shiny Packard. And there was a stretch of road that he just was dying to drive. It had just been paved. And the road supervisor was not from there. He was from the upstate. He was from 100 miles away. And he wouldn't let this wealthy guy drive on it. And he got mad and so he went home, got a gun, came back, shot the road supervisor, and then went back home and had a gin and tonic to wait for the law to show up.

[Jed Lipinski]

The man was eventually charged, but his defense lawyer, a sitting state senator, was Randolph's office mate. Shortly after the murder, the man made a large campaign donation which was stored in the safe the senator shared with Randolph. After that, the charges went away. But perhaps Randolph's most defining act of corruption coincided with his own death. When the seasons start to change, a well built wardrobe really matters. You want pieces that layer well, feel comfortable and don't fall apart after a few wears. And that's exactly why I love Quince. Quince has all the everyday essentials I rely on, like organic cotton sweaters, polos that work for both casual and nicer plans, and lightweight jackets that keep me warm without overheating. Everything feels easy to wear, but still polished. What I like most is that Quint's cuts out the middlemen. They work directly with top factories, so you're getting premium materials and thoughtful design without paying inflated brand prices. Plus, they only partner with factories that meet high standards for craftsmanship and ethical production. And I'll say this, the cashmere sweater I have from Quint's is ridiculously soft and didn't cost a fortune. Refresh your wardrobe with quint's. Go to quince.comonesouth for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quincy.com gonesouth free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com gonesouth.

[Katie Ring]

Hi, I'm Katie Ring and welcome to Crime House 24 7. Throughout the day, we bring you up to the minute crime coverage as stories break with daytime episodes hosted by Vanessa Richardson, keeping you informed on the cases unfolding right now. And at night, I take you deeper with night watch episodes and examining the facts, the evidence, the people at the center of today's biggest cases. New episodes of Crime House 24.7drop every weekday. Listen to and follow Crime House 24.7available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Carvana Customer]

Confronting high credit card debt can feel scary. But the good news is if you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, financial relief options are now available. National Debt Relief is currently offering debt relief designed to reduce what you owe and put you on the fast track to becoming debt free. If you qualify for debt relief, you may be able to pay back less than what you owe and save thousands of dollars. Just visit nationaldebtrelief.com Imagine only paying one low monthly program payment you can afford and saving money as you become debt free. National Debt Relief has already helped bring debt relief to over 550,000 US consumers, earning thousands of five star reviews and an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. You are stronger than your credit card debt. Let today be the day you start turning things around. Take the first step and visit nationaldebtrelief.com to see what debt relief you may qualify for. That's nationaldebtrelief.com.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

So Randolph Murdoch Senior in 1940, he's 53 years old. He is dying an inexorable, miserable death of renal failure. And there's no dialysis, right? He also had heart disease and had had a number of heart attacks. So he was home from a poker game around one in the morning along the highway that runs parallel to the railroad and he stops short, a couple miles short of where he lives and turns onto and up over the train tracks and stops and there's a train coming and the conductor testifies. Later we had the big light on him. It was the moon was out, it was a clear night. We're blowing the whistle trying to get him off and he doesn't move. And instead, right as the train is coming, approaching him as fast as it possibly could in his black Model T Ford, Randolph leans out the window and waves.

[Jed Lipinski]

The train hit Randolph Sr. At full speed. It knocked him 100 yards down the train tracks, killing him instantly. The next morning, a group of men from the area held what's known as a coroner's inquest to decide who was at fault. The men knew Randolph well and they.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Hear testimony from the good doctor, from the engineer. He had to see us coming. We saw him wave. This makes no sense. And they saw the body. They looked at everything and they decided that it was the railroad's fault.

[Jed Lipinski]

That decision allowed two things to happen. First, it smoothed the transition for Randolph's 24 year old son, Buster to take over his Solicitor. More importantly, it enabled Buster to sue the railroad for the wrongful death of his dad.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

The railroad had been sued often by the Murdaughs many, many times. And they settled almost immediately for a record setting sum which re established the family dynasty.

[Jed Lipinski]

Buster Murdoch became solicitor for South Carolina's 14th Circuit in 1940. He would hold the position until 1986, a 46 year reign that, as Valerie Bowerlein points out, stretched from FDR to Ronald Reagan. If his father laid the groundwork for the Murdoch family fortune, Buster secured it often by whatever means necessary.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

I think of old Buster almost as like the Godfather too. Like if Ellick is the godfather in kind of the modern day. If you go back, the predecessor was even more malevolent and brilliant and scheming. And that's old Buster to me. And he never made any pretense of being anything but what he was. He was charismatic, but he was cruel and he wanted you to know it.

[Jed Lipinski]

Buster considered the Hampton County Courthouse his second home. He was known as a brash entertainer in the courtroom, but like his father, he showed little hesitation in breaking the law. He repeatedly dropped charges against well connected white men accused of murder, especially when the victims were black. Years later, a fellow lawyer in Columbia named Joe McCullough got Buster's son out of a DUI. According to McCullough, Buster thanked him by saying, if you ever need anybody killed, send them down to Hampton County. Buster was also a philanderer. One of his mistresses was the wife of a wealthy northern industrialist who'd bought a cheap plantation near Hampton County.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

He takes up with her for a number of years and she gets pregnant and he's not happy about it. He sends one of his fixers, of which he had many, and the fixer waits underneath her front porch for her to come home to kill her. But he's sipping whiskey underneath the front porch and passes out and doesn't do it. So he was a person that was not afraid to throw his power around. He also was pretty open about his willingness to use the law and law enforcement to do his bidding and make some money. And the way that that makes itself most evident is in bootlegging.

[Jed Lipinski]

Even after national Prohibition ended in 1933, bootlegging remained a big thing in the rural south, mainly because taxes on liquor were so high, the equivalent today of $120 per gallon. It so happens that in addition to his roles as solicitor and senior partner in the Murdoch law firm, Buster ran the biggest bootlegging operation in South Carolina. He had a dozen cops on the payroll, mostly in nearby Colleton county, where the tree cover made it easier to hide stills. Buster's bootlegging operation was something of an open secret in Hampton county, but in 1956, it was finally busted by the feds. Buster was charged with 30 other defendants, though he was named as the kingpin.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

And old Buster was the mastermind of the whole ring. Part of the evidence was that he had taken a cash bribe from one of his deputies. In the hallway of the Colleton County Courthouse, which is where we were for the Alec Murdoch trial, in that very hallway, he took a bribe.

[Jed Lipinski]

Local newspapers called it the trial of the century, and it didn't look good for Buster. The case was heard in federal court, where the Murdoch name had no sway. And while few witnesses were willing to testify, some were. One was the wife of a man who'd worked in Buster's ring. The woman claimed Buster and his goons had tricked her husband into paying twice what he owed for protection and that his deputies had stolen their life savings. Since her husband was illiterate, she'd kept the books, which laid out in detail who was paying her husband and when. When the feds approached, she handed them over. Buster knew the books were damning evidence. He sent one of his fixers to bribe her into silence, but she refused. During the trial, Buster, she holed up in a fancy Charleston hotel, protected by U.S. marshals.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

She was so upset about the way they treated her husband that she ended up testifying against old Buster and testifying that he did run the ring. And in the end, it didn't matter. Nearly all of the defendants were convicted, including sheriffs deputies, and old Buster walked.

[Jed Lipinski]

The federal judge was appalled. Evidence would later suggest that Buster had bribed and intimidated multiple witnesses and that he'd even managed to get to a juror. How he did this is a long story. But in short, he tapped one of his nephews who'd known the juror in school to lean on him. The juror happened to be named jury foreman. During deliberations, he insisted on Buster's innocence swaying the rest of his peers.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

The Attorney General of the United States sent out a bulletin nationwide to all of his offices about the travesty of this case and the jury tampering that was involved. Because the evidence showed that old Buster had arranged to buy off one of the federal jurors.

[Jed Lipinski]

Buster was unrepentant. He'd had to temporarily resign from his office as prosecutor while standing trial. But after the verdict, he immediately resumed his post and stayed there for the next 30 years, no one ever ran against him. Buster was 71 when he finally relinquished the job in 1986. That Buster's son, Randolph III would take over as solicitor was a foregone conclusion. Under him, the dynasty would endure into the 21st century. But the Murdoch family's power thrived in the shadows, and it would soon be exposed to the light.

[Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere Narrator]

Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Trying to find something real in all.

[Lifelock Representative]

The noise you always do.

[Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere Narrator]

The artist, you know the story. You don't see Golden Globes nominee Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen. Critics are saying it's a career defining performance.

[Jed Lipinski]

Let's burn this place down, Johnny Springsteen.

[Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere Narrator]

Deliver Me From Nowhere now streaming on Hulu and hulu on Disney Radiopegee 13.

[Tempur Pedic Advertiser]

Do you suffer from aches and pains? Meet our Tempur Pedic Gadap mattress, featuring the most advanced, infinitely adaptable Tempur material to ease your pressure points in a way no other mattress can and help make those aches and pains a thing of the past. During the Tempur Pedic President's Day sale, save up to $500 on select adjustable mattress sets. Shop now at Tempur pedic.com select adjustable mattress sets only lesser savings.

[Jed Lipinski]

Randolph III idolized his father, Buster. He claimed that following in his footsteps as solicitor was all he ever wanted. But the truth is, Randolph didn't really have a choice. As Valerie writes, his conscription into the family business had been ordained from his first breath. When he was nine years old, his father made him listen to a grisly murder confession so that he could serve as a witness at trial. Randolph III wasn't a huge personality like his father and grandfather. He was more easygoing.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Randolph Murdoch III was more recognizably human. He didn't aspire to be epic or grand, they would say. Ah, I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but I like him still.

[Jed Lipinski]

Randolph III upheld the Murdoch family traditional. Under his leadership, the Murdoch family law firm continued to thrive by suing the railroads and other big corporations. They made a small Fortune in the 90s and 2000s by suing Ford, arguing that the Ford Explorer's design caused deadly rollovers on South Carolina highways. Companies were terrified of moving to Hampton county lest they get sued by the Murdaugh firm. Walmart tried in the 2000s before realizing their mistake.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

They bought a huge parcel of land owned by the Murdaughs right in the middle of the town. But when they realized, oh my gosh, what would happen if you had a slip and fall at any Walmart in South Carolina, you could bring it in Hampton County. They sold the land back to the town for a dollar and got out of town. And to this day, there's no big box store in Hampton county.

[Jed Lipinski]

During Randolph III's reign, the 14th Circuit had the lowest rate of DUI convictions in South Carolina. Not because they had fewer drunk driving arrests, but because Randolph typically dropped the charges as a way of endearing himself to potential jurors.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Because if you forgive somebody a dui, you make it go away, they remember for life. If they get on your jury and they remember, oh, they did a solid for me. They did solid for my family. Guess what? And it's widely known and actually a fact that $100,000 case anywhere else in the state is a million dollar case in Hampton County.

[Jed Lipinski]

Perhaps the most famous story about Randolph III involves his wife, Libby. Like his forebears and like his son Alex, Randolph was a womanizer. He created a local scandal by shacking up with a girlfriend in Hilton Head for weeks, leaving his wife at home with their four young kids, and the.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Rule in the family, and to this day, it still said, murdochs don't divorce. But she was upset, and she felt like he'd abandoned her. And she was making a lot of noise. One day she wakes up and she gets a call and she's like, what's going on? And in the state newspaper, which at the time was the largest newspaper in South Carolina, someone had published her obituary. And she was like, but I'm not dead. Someone had called in her obituary with all of her accolades, and she had to go on the local radio station, and she had to go in there and be like, thank y' all for sending flowers. But, you know, there's some sort of misunderstanding. What could the misunderstanding possibly be? Well, the family and Maggie Murdaugh would go on to tell Paul's girlfriend that in fact, it was Randolph Murdaugh III that called it in as a warning. Okay, I hear you. Here's what happens if you keep this up. And I think that it shows that he was nice until he wasn't. He had a breaking point, too.

[Jed Lipinski]

Randolph III died in June of 2021, just three days after his son Alex, whose name is pronounced Alec by people in South Carolina's Lowcountry. He was a peripheral figure in the media's coverage of the Murdoch saga, but he makes a cameo in a critical scene, one that represents both the endurance of the Murdaugh family's power and the seeds of its downfall. The scene took place two years before Randolph's death on February 14, 2019. Around 2am that morning, his grandson Paul crashed the family's boat into Archer's Creek Bridge in Beaufort county, injuring some of his friends and throwing Mallory beach into the water. Her body would be recovered days later. Paul's blood alcohol level that night was over three times the legal limit, but he was lucid enough to do damage control. Minutes after crashing the boat, he'd grabbed a friend's phone and called his grandfather, Randolph iii. Randolph called Alex. Soon the two of them were speeding down the highway to the Beaufort county emergency room to make sure Paul wouldn't be charged with murder. Their movements inside the hospital were captured by security cameras. Just describe for me what you see on the camera, specifically what you see Randolph III and Alex doing in the emergency room. What were they trying to accomplish in there?

[Valerie Bauerlein]

What you're essentially seeing is Alec Murdoch at the height of his powers. 6 foot 4, 220, 230 pounds. His physical size is a weapon that he uses. And you watch him on that footage, going door to door, walking into his son's room and then coming back out, chit chatting with the guard. Just trying to kind of work the system like the mayor of the er, trying to get everybody on the same page, including law enforcement.

[Jed Lipinski]

At the time, there's evidence that the Murdaugh family still controlled law enforcement in the 14th Circuit. Paul had been raving drunk at the scene of the boat crash, but no one gave him a field sobriety test dash and body cam footage of him barely exist. One of the officers on the scene even gave him his phone back instead of entering it into evidence. Why? Because he was a Murdoch.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

So at the scene, you still have the law enforcement officers who have had these decades long relationships with the Murdaughs. They were the lead prosecutors. They're largely responsible for the creation of the Department of Natural Resources in South Carolina. I mean, that was such an important relationship. But that breaks apart once you get to the er, Because Beaufort county, where this takes place, is the only part of the Murdaughs world that's changing. It's growing and modernity is catching up with them.

[Jed Lipinski]

In Beaufort county, which the Murdaughs reigned over for a century, the Murdoch name no longer meant much anymore. Moreover, the Murdoch dynasty had always thrived on secrecy. But in the error, cameras were everywhere. And they don't just capture Alex, they capture Randolph III going room to room, staring down the charge nurse and telling Paul and his friends what to say. And not say the kind of things that for generations had happened in the shadows.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

There are many forces that tried to blunt the Murdoch's power for 100 years. I mean, the judicial department, the Attorney General of the United States came at the grandfather in the 50s, the IRS, you know, other political families tried to challenge the Murdaughs over the years, and they beat back every challenge, but they could not beat back modernity.

[Jed Lipinski]

It was modern technology that led to Alex's conviction. A video on his son's phone caught Alex on their family's estate just minutes before the murders. Data taken from his SUV show him speeding away in an effort to create an alibi before speeding back and calling 911. But while modernity played a role in the Murdoch dynasty's downfall, it wasn't the only or even the primary factor. In reporting her book, Valerie read about other dynasties throughout history. The Ming dynasty, the Ford family, the Royal family. They all followed a pattern, one she observed in the Murdochs, too.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Alec Murdoch is the fourth generation of this family, and Paul and Buster, his sons, are the fifth. If you study dynasties, one thing that commonly happens to power, when it's unchecked and you don't have to work for it anymore, it collapses in on itself from the inside. And I really believe that's what happened with Alec. Alec wanted all the benefit and none of the work.

[Jed Lipinski]

The details of Alex's downfall are well known. The opioid addiction, the infidelity, the bad real estate deals, all of which set the stage for his larger crimes. Fleecing personal injury clients, stealing millions from his family's law firm, and ultimately killing his wife and son. And yet, as Valerie points out, Alex wanted his own reputation to eclipse that of the Murdoch men who came before him.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

He wanted to be grandest of all. He wanted to be the biggest Murdoch. And he loved his name more than anything. He loved his name more than his own flesh and blood, I believe. And the irony to me, the richness to me in this whole story is that in an effort to be the biggest, the grandest, the one who would put the Murdoch name really on the stage is he got what he wished for in the worst possible way in the ruination of what had been a mighty name in that part of the world.

[Jed Lipinski]

If you have information, story tips or feedback you'd like to share with the Gone south team, please email [e-mail] that's gone southpodcastmail.com for bonus content, you can follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. OnSouth podcast. You can also sign up for our newsletter on substack at. Gone south with Jed Lipinski Gone South Is an Odyssey original podcast. It's created, written and narrated by me, Jed Lipinski. Our executive producers are Leo Rees, Dennis, Maddy Sprung Keyser, and Lloyd Lockridge. Our story editor is Katie Mingle. Gone south is edited, mixed and mastered by Chris Basil. Production support for from Ian Mont and Sean Cherry. Special thanks to Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Kurt Courtney and Hilary Schuff. Thank you for listening to Gone South.

[ALMA Representative]

Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from Winnie Contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh sorry. Namaste.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Jed Lipinski]

1-800-Contacts. Lifelock. How can I help?

[Valerie Bauerlein]

The IRS said I filed my return, but I haven't.

[Lifelock Representative]

One in four tax paying Americans has paid the price of identity fraud.

[ALMA Representative]

What do I do?

[Jed Lipinski]

My refund though.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

I'm freaking out.

[Jed Lipinski]

Don't worry, I can fix this.

[Lifelock Representative]

Lifelock fixes identity theft guaranteed and gets your money back with up to $3 million in coverage.

[Valerie Bauerlein]

I'm so relieved.

[Jed Lipinski]

No problem. I'll be with you every step of the way.

[Lifelock Representative]

One in four was a fraud paying American. Not anymore. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast terms apply.