Oxygen Insider Exclusive!

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up for Free to View
Crime News Breaking News

Alex Murdaugh To Enter Rehab, Days After Suffering 'Superficial' Gunshot Wound To The Head

“The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life,” Alex Murdaugh said in a statement, referencing the June murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. “I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.”

By Jill Sederstrom
True Crime Buzz: A Timeline Of What To Know Ahead Of Oxygen’s Murdaugh Special

Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina attorney whose wife and son were murdered at the family’s home earlier this year, has announced he has resigned from the family’s law firm and entered drug rehab just days after suffering a “superficial” gunshot wound to the head.

“The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life,” he said in a statement obtained by The Island Packet. “I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.”

Murdaugh went on to say that he had resigned from the law firm started in 1910 by his great-grandfather, now known as Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth Detrick.

“I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt, including my family, friends and colleagues,” he said, adding that he was asking for prayers that he’d be able to “rehabilitate myself and my relationships.”

Alex called 911 at 1:34 p.m. on Saturday after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said he suffered a “superficial gunshot wound to the head,” the paper reports.

Murdaugh Family Funeral Ap

Media reports at the time said Murdaugh had been changing a tire along Old Salkehatchie Road in Hampton County when the 53-year-old was shot by unidentified suspects; however, law enforcement authorities have not confirmed that account, according to the Bluffton Today.

The day before the shooting, Murdaugh had allegedly been pushed out of his law firm over claims that he had misappropriated money from the law office, The New York Times reports.

In a statement to the news outlet, leaders of the firm confirmed that Alex resigned on Friday after they had discovered that he had allegedly been misappropriating money from the firm.

They’ve hired a forensic accountant to investigate, notified police and reached out to the South Carolina Bar as the investigation into the missing money continues.  

Although the firm did not disclose how much money was missing, an anonymous source with the law office told The Times that it was believed to be in the millions.

Alex’s attorney, Jim Griffin, also confirmed that he had resigned after being accused of misappropriating money at the firm.

The Murdaugh family, considered a prominent legal force in the community, both as prosecutors and litigators, have had their share of struggles in recent years.

Alex discovered the bodies of his wife Maggie and the couple’s 22-year-old son Paul at their Colleton County estate on June 7. Paul had been shot in the head and upper body with a shot gun. His mother, Maggie, 52, was killed with what appeared to be an assault rifle.  

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division continues to investigate the murders; however, no arrests have been made or suspects have been named in the baffling mystery.

The Murdaugh family has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a suspect in the case.

At the time of his death, Paul had been awaiting trial on felony charges of boating under the influence in connection with a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Investigators have said they are also looking into the unsolved 2015 death of Stephen Smith, whose body was found along a rural road in South Carolina. Authorities have not said how they believe Smith’s case could be connected.

You can watch "Alex Mudaugh. Death. Deception. Power." here or on Peacock starting January 6.