‘Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty’ Ending, Explained: Who Killed Paul and Maggie Murdaugh?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty, a new true-crime show being released on HBO Max this week. The show tells the story of the Murdaugh family, one of the most powerful families in South Carolina. The influential family basically ran their town with a fist of iron, and they were basically able to get away with things just because they were rich and powerful. However, a series of incidents pushed their luck too far, and what was once a powerful family is now seen as a cautionary tale.
The documentary series does an amazing job of presenting the facts of the case in a very entertaining way. You don’t really need previous knowledge about the family or the cases in which they were involved. The documentary knows how to deliver proper context for each one of the cases presented, and the revelations are truly terrifying. It is terrifying to think that some families in the United States of America can operate in this manner and get away with things thanks to their influence and money.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty. Read at your own risk.
Why Did The Murdaugh Become Infamous?
The docuseries begins with the introduction of the Murdaugh. They are presented as one of the most influential and oldest families in South Carolina. The Murdaugh had connections everywhere; in the police force, in the legal system, and even connections with some politicians. It seemed like the Murdaugh were completely untouchable. They were also very wealthy, and they moved through their town as if they were ruling the place, which essentially they did.
The series talks about the family in general and presents just a few examples of how they thought they were above everybody else in the Hampton area. One of these cases involves the younger son of Alex Murdaugh, his name was Paul Murdaugh. Paul was a rich kid, and everybody knew about it. His attitude toward his friends, family, and other members of the community was one of arrogance and pride. The series presents one incident that would change the town’s attitude toward the Murdaugh considerably.
The incident in question involved Paul and five of his friends. One night, they got drunk and drove their boat through the canals of the area, and they sadly crashed against one of the bridges in the area. The result of the crash was the death of one girl, Mallory, the girlfriend of Paul’s best friend, Anthony. The case became widely known throughout the region, mostly because Alex Murdaugh was moving his connections around so that Paul would not go to jail, even when it was clear that he was driving the boat.
Another case involved the death of a young man named Stephen Smith. Smith was probably gay, which is very damaging for someone living in such a prude town. However, the young man stood tall in the face of bullying and ridicule. Sadly, he was found dead on the road one night, and the circumstances seemed more than suspicious. The investigation pointed at Buster Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh’s oldest son, as being involved in the incident. Coincidentally, Buster disappeared from the town at the same time as Smith was found dead, and he has never been questioned about it.
Who Killed Paul And Maggie Murdaugh?
You could say that after those two previous incidents, things could not get worse, but they do. One of the main cases the documentary focuses on is the death of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. Paul is the youngest son of Alex Murdaugh, and Maggie is his wife. They both were killed execution-style one night, with Alex calling 911 after having found their bodies in their house. It all seemed as if somebody was on the lookout for the Murdaugh, and was trying to enact revenge on them.
This theory gained strength when someone tried to kill Alex while on the road but failed to do so. However, it was discovered that the assassination attempt was actually orchestrated by Alex, using one of his friends. It seemed like the suicide attempt was done with the objective of getting the life insurance money to Buster Murdaugh, who was now gone from the town after the Smith incident. This was only the tip of the iceberg, as further investigation revealed that Alex Murdaugh was stealing money from his clients and friends by using the family’s law firm.
Even further investigation revealed that Alex Murdaugh was probably the executioner of his wife and son. In an unexpected turn of events, the prosecution managed to charge Alex with the deaths of his wife and son, as well as multiple charges of embezzlement and other legal charges, more than 90 at this point.
Alex Murdaugh is currently in custody and awaits a trial for all these charges. Their defense lawyer still maintains that Alex is completely innocent and will try to defend him until their last breath. Even when there is very damaging evidence against Alex. The fall of the House Murdaugh has been celebrated by many people in the area, as something they had it coming. No matter how people feel about it, one thing is clear: The entire Murdaugh case is one big Greek tragedy that should serve as a cautionary tale.
