Paul Terry Murdaugh
College Student (University of South Carolina)
Indicted for felony boating under the influence (BUI) causing death in 2019, he was shot and killed at his family's Moselle estate on June 7, 2021, before standing trial.
OVERVIEW & LEGAL HISTORY SUMMARY
Paul Terry Murdaugh was the younger son of the prominent Murdaugh family, which held judicial influence in South Carolina's Lowcountry for generations, and a student at the University of South Carolina. Following a tragic February 2019 boating accident that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, he was out on bond facing three felony charges for boating under the influence (BUI causing death/injury). Before his trial could take place, on the night of June 7, 2021, he was shot and killed at close range alongside his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, by his father, Alex Murdaugh, at the family's Moselle estate.
EVENT TIMELINE
[2019-02-24] While operating a boat while intoxicated in Beaufort County, Paul Murdaugh crashed into a bridge piling, resulting in 19-year-old Mallory Beach falling into the river and losing her life.
[2019-04-18] Nearly two months after the crash, Paul Murdaugh was formally indicted by a Beaufort County Grand Jury on one count of BUI causing death and two counts of BUI causing great bodily injury.
[2019-05-06] Paul Murdaugh was released on a personal recognizance bond under standard conditions during his bond hearing in Beaufort County court and signed a extradition waiver.
[2021-06-07 / 18:42:54] Following his work at John Marvin's tractor shop, Paul Murdaugh arrived at the family estate located at 4147 Moselle Road, where the homicides took place.
[2021-06-07 / 20:44:55] Paul Murdaugh recorded a video at the dog kennels showing a friend's dog; the voices of his father Alex and mother Maggie in the background of this video became the prosecution's strongest evidence placing Alex at the crime scene.
[2021-06-07 / 20:49:01] Paul Murdaugh's phone locked for the last time; no outgoing activity occurred on the device after this timestamp, which was established as the initial time of death.
[2021-06-07 / 22:06:14] Alex Murdaugh called 911, claiming he had found the bodies of Maggie and Paul—who had been shot twice with a shotgun—at the Moselle dog kennels.
[2021-08-06] Following Paul Murdaugh's death in the double homicide, all criminal charges against him regarding the Mallory Beach boat crash were formally dismissed by official court order in Beaufort County.
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RELATED LEGAL CASES (2)
The State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh
It is a world-renowned murder trial concerning Alex Murdaugh, a former member of a prominent and influential legal dynasty that held judicial power in South Carolina's Lowcountry region for nearly a century, who brutally murdered his wife Maggie and son Paul at the dog kennels of their Moselle estate. The prosecution alleged that Murdaugh planned these murders to buy time and cover up his imminent multi-million-dollar financial frauds. Sentenced to life in prison in March 2023, Murdaugh's conviction was unanimously overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13, 2026, on the grounds that court clerk Rebecca Hill compromised his right to a fair trial by making biased statements to the jurors. The conviction was completely vacated, and the state prosecution plans to retry the case.
State of South Carolina v. Paul T. Murdaugh
A criminal prosecution brought against Paul Terry Murdaugh for causing the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach after crashing his family's boat into a bridge piling while heavily intoxicated in Beaufort County on February 24, 2019. Paul Murdaugh was facing charges of BUI causing death and BUI causing great bodily injury. During the investigation, allegations surfaced that the Murdaugh family attempted to leverage their power to influence other teenagers at the hospital into stating Paul was not operating the boat. Prior to the trial, Paul Murdaugh was shot and killed at his family's estate on June 7, 2021, leading to the official dismissal of the criminal case against him.