Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

[Salacious Kitty]

That's bizarre. His feet definitely look misshapen.

[DanaK]

6 hours ago, Dustbunny said:

I've wondered about that as well, Paul wasn't a social drinker, he drank until he was falling down drunk, that's not normal.

Plus what was going on with his feet?

He wouldn't go see a doctor and Maggie was worried sick because he could barely walk and his feet were swollen like balloons... wth? That doesn't seem normal for a healthy 20 yr old.

I wonder if it’s due to his binge drinking?

[Joan of Argh]

10 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I wonder if it’s due to his binge drinking?

I think you could be right, I googled and this came up.

That would also explain why he was so adamantly refusing to see a doctor about it, he knew the doctor would tell him to quit drinking and then Maggie would be all over him about boozing and that’s the last thing he wanted.

 

[Joan of Argh]

Also saw this while reading the transcript of Alex being cross examined by the prosecutor, he mentions talking with Maggie about Paul’s feet and apparently he had high blood pressure too!
That kid needed a serious intervention! 

[emma675]

2 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

Also saw this while reading the transcript of Alex being cross examined by the prosecutor, he mentions talking with Maggie about Paul’s feet and apparently he had high blood pressure too!
That kid needed a serious intervention! 

Ugh, the "Paul-Paul" stuff at court drove me nuts. 

I think Paul was either self medicating a mental issue with alcohol or he had some kind of brain damage from binge drinking since he was a pre teen. His brain was still forming when he began drinking and it seems like he drank to excess often. I'm amazed any of those kids made it out unscathed, it seems like they were surrounded by alcohol and adults who looked the other way their whole lives.

[Dustbunny]

6 hours ago, emma675 said:

Ugh, the "Paul-Paul" stuff at court drove me nuts. 

I think Paul was either self medicating a mental issue with alcohol or he had some kind of brain damage from binge drinking since he was a pre teen. His brain was still forming when he began drinking and it seems like he drank to excess often. I'm amazed any of those kids made it out unscathed, it seems like they were surrounded by alcohol and adults who looked the other way their whole lives.

Same here!  🙄

Alex and his "Paul, Paul" for Paul and "Ro, Ro" for Rogan and all the other nicknames sounded ridiculous and opportunistic to me like he was putting on a show of what a loving, involved dad he was with Paul and his friends.

Alex acted like he was one of the teenagers, drinking games and partying on his boat with the kids, Alex provided a keg of beer for the kids and coolers full of hard liquor.

Paul had lots of friends, he needed a dad not another drinking buddy. 

 

[Absinthe Minded]

Not to speak poorly of the dead but Maggie was right in there providing alcohol for the teenagers as well.

Alex and Maggie were both to blame and Buster knew that Paul was using his ID to buy booze for himself and his underage friends.

All three adults in Paul's family were enabling him.

It was a recipe for disaster!

I think Alex loved doing shots and partying with bikini clad teenagers, Good job dad! 🥴

[CeeBeeGee]

On 10/2/2023 at 9:41 AM, emma675 said:

Ugh, the "Paul-Paul" stuff at court drove me nuts. 

Is that a nickname?

[Dustbunny]

35 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Is that a nickname?

It's supposedly what the family called Paul

Alex pronounced it more like "Paw,Paw"

He had nicknames for a few of them like he called Paul's friend Rogan "Row,Row"

The prosecutor insinuated that Alec had never said "Paw,Paw" before in any of the police interviews or anything else but now suddenly in court in front of the jury he was all teary eyed and talking about his boy "Paw,Paw"  

I'm sure it was a legitimate nickname that they called Paul but Alex is such a sneaky snake I think he purposely used it for emotional value in front of the jury.

[Snow Fairy]

On 9/25/2023 at 7:46 PM, MamaR said:

I wonder if Alex was planning a murder-suicide if it's true that he asked Buster to go to Moselle that night.

When I read these comments and think about it, I am actually surprised that Alex hadn't killed himself too. If he really felt like he was backed up in a corner.

But he decided he will live. Why? Probably because he is a sociopath.

I just wonder how much Buster knows.

[Salacious Kitty]

6 hours ago, Snow Fairy said:

When I read these comments and think about it, I am actually surprised that Alex hadn't killed himself too. If he really felt like he was backed up in a corner.

But he decided he will live. Why? Probably because he is a sociopath.

I just wonder how much Buster knows.

Well, there was the botched shooting with Cousin Eddie. But for whatever reason, he couldn't go through with it. Did Alec beg him to stop? We'll probably never know. 

[merylinkid]

He did call Paul "paul-paul" and he was even in Alec's phone that way.   But yeah, you could tell the times he used the nickname at trial (because he wasn't consistent) was when he was trying to distract.   

Alec was the frat boy who never grew up.   Hence all his screw ups, he didn't know how to be an adult.   Its why he didn't inherit the solicitor position from his dad, they knew he would screw up that power hold.   Its odd it didn't go to his older brother either.

Eddie said he refused to shoot Alec.   The "wound" is consistent with a fight over the gun but not a gun shot.   It diefnitely did not require being airlifted to the hospital.   I hope no one else was in need of that chopper while they were wasting time on Alec.

[Snow Fairy]

19 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Well, there was the botched shooting with Cousin Eddie. But for whatever reason, he couldn't go through with it. Did Alec beg him to stop? We'll probably never know. 

This whole story is really weird. Did he really plan to die then? 

I thought that was a distraction and a possible plan to frame Eddie for all the crimes

Edited October 14, 2023 by Snow Fairy

[emma675]

11 hours ago, Snow Fairy said:

I thought that was a distraction and a possible plan to frame Eddie for all the crimes.

I think it was. Eddie helped Alex launder all of the money he stole (knowingly or unknowingly, depending on if you believe Eddie or not) so I think Alex thought he could get him to do whatever he wanted. But Eddie balked at helping him "commit suicide" (I don't think Alex ever planned to die) and Alex had to scramble to come up with a new distraction, hence the "I was shot by a stranger on the side of the road while trying to change a flat" story. I think it was determined that Alex's head wound was caused by falling on the ground and hitting a stone or gravel.

ETA: Lifetime is airing a two part Murdaugh Murders: The Movie tonight and tomorrow starring Bill Pullman as Alex. I can't decide if it looks hilariously awful or just awful, but I'm recording it. 

Edited October 15, 2023 by emma675

[Dustbunny]

4 hours ago, emma675 said:

ETA: Lifetime is airing a two part Murdaugh Murders: The Movie tonight and tomorrow starring Bill Pullman as Alec. I can't decide if it looks hilariously awful or just awful, but I'm recording it. 

I'm recording it, can't wait to watch it later tonight. 👍

The trailers seem a bit awful but so is Alec 

[merylinkid]

21 hours ago, emma675 said:

I was shot by a stranger on the side of the road while trying to change a flat" story.

And gave the cops a description that almost exactly matched one of the kids in the boat crash.    All part of his "this has something to do with the boat crash."  

Not watching the lifetime movie.   

[emma675]

Oh lord, the Lifetime movie was even worse than I could have imagined. Even a person who had only basic knowledge of the Murdaugh trial could have spotted the glaring errors. They completely ignored Buster's existence, Alex was shown as popping handfuls of oxy and then acting completely normal and not high (or dead, lol) at all, Maggie was a saint who only wanted to protect her baby, etc. It was so bad.

Bill Pullman, who I usually like, was really over the top with the accent, mannerisms, and facial expressions. 

[Salacious Kitty]

10 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Oh lord, the Lifetime movie was even worse than I could have imagined. Even a person who had only basic knowledge of the Murdaugh trial could have spotted the glaring errors. They completely ignored Buster's existence, Alex was shown as popping handfuls of oxy and then acting completely normal and not high (or dead, lol) at all, Maggie was a saint who only wanted to protect her baby, etc. It was so bad.

Bill Pullman, who I usually like, was really over the top with the accent, mannerisms, and facial expressions. 

Yeah, I kept yelling, "Where's Buster?" It was bad for all the reasons you noted, and more. Paul was a caricature, a drunken lout with no redeeming qualities. They suggested that Paul killed Gloria Satterfield. 

[Dustbunny]

I agree with both of you plus wtf was going on with Alec visiting the young woman in the trailer for sex?

As horrible as Alec is I don't recall ever hearing about him having a woman on the side, then they had the scene with Maggie tending to all the scratches on his back from the sexual encounter. 

They said Maggie was shot 4 times but in court we learned she was shot 5 times.

The whole movie was crazy and full of nonsense, I know they put up a warning that said they'd taken dramatic license but come on, making up entire situations and people that were never mentioned in the court case is a step too far. IMO

[Salacious Kitty]

Gah, I forgot about the rough sex. Where on earth did that come from? Just something to make Alec even more vile? 

[emma675]

On reddit, they said it was rumored Alex had attended parties where escorts were present and he may have had an affair years before the murders, but there wasn't any evidence he had a regular woman on the side. It's wild how Lifetime thought that imaginary storyline would make Alex seem even worse when there were dozens of true facts they ignored that could have done that. 

[Dustbunny]

5 minutes ago, emma675 said:

On reddit, they said it was rumored Alex had attended parties where escorts were present and he may have had an affair years before the murders, but there wasn't any evidence he had a regular woman on the side. It's wild how Lifetime thought that imaginary storyline would make Alex seem even worse when there were dozens of true facts they ignored that could have done that. 

exactly, they completely skimmed over or totally ignored so many important details and then spent time on complete speculation and nonsense.

The real story is one of the most sensational murder mysteries I'm aware of but they didn't think it was  exciting enough and decided to add in a lot of garbage that IMO detracted from the tragic, devastating truth of Alec annihilating his family.

[merylinkid]

On the subject of the sex worker -- the woman whose name they used is real.  She  was a sex worker at one point.   She is now married with a family and successfully runs a business.   This was the case at the time of the events in the married.   She had left sex work behind long ago.   She has a lawyer.   

Amazes me, they changed Eric Bland's name to Drayton.   Made him a wimpy southern boy.   While in real life Eric is from Philly and works out.   Those of us who have followed the case have been cracking up over Drayton's lack of biceps.

They also changed Jeanne Seckinger who confronted Alex the day of the murders regarding the missing legal fees to a man.

But the sex worker -- real name.   

[bilgistic]

On 9/28/2023 at 4:06 PM, Joan of Argh said:

The new movie with Bill Pullman as Alec

 

No one asked for this.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

No one has been able -- to date -- trace the money he stole.   It's unclear what became of it.

They lived an extremely expensive lifestyle - three expensive homes, fancy jewelry, really nice cars, lavish vacations, guns, country club memberships, clothes charitable donations (which allowed Maggie to be a doyenne of South Carolina society), college and law school tuition for one son and I think private school for both of them, tons of staff (housekeepers, someone who tended to the dogs at Moselle, at a minimum)... It goes quickly even without accounting for the bribes and the drugs.

[Rlb8031]

On 10/1/2023 at 11:22 PM, Dustbunny said:

I've wondered about that as well, Paul wasn't a social drinker, he drank until he was falling down drunk, that's not normal.

Plus what was going on with his feet?

He wouldn't go see a doctor and Maggie was worried sick because he could barely walk and his feet were swollen like balloons... wth? That doesn't seem normal for a healthy 20 yr old.

The swollen feet are a symptom of alcoholism or more directly of alcohol related liver disease. Foot pain with swelling is part of alcoholic neuropathy.

[CeeBeeGee]

Just finished watching season 2 of Murdaugh Murders. A couple of thoughts:

*I 100% believed that Alex killed them both. That said--he did a hell of a job selling his grief the night of the murders, that wailing. He's a scary-good actor. It's a good thing SLED followed the evidence and interviewed all the right people.

*Cousin Eddie gives me the creeps. He seems a little too enthralled with his new fame, for someone who was helping Alec launder money.

*That story Morgan recounted, about Maggie telling her about Alex's parents, Randolph and Libby--about how Libby had wanted to leave and Randolph published her obituary??!! That is unbelievable. Alex wasn't an aberration--the whole family is messed up. And the really tragic conclusion is that is exactly what happened to Maggie. She didn't realize she was predicting her own fate. Jesus.

[Rlb8031]

9 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

*That story Morgan recounted, about Maggie telling her about Alex's parents, Randolph and Libby--about how Libby had wanted to leave and Randolph published her obituary??!! That is unbelievable. Alex wasn't an aberration--the whole family is messed up. And the really tragic conclusion is that is exactly what happened to Maggie. She didn't realize she was predicting her own fate. Jesus.

And this is why this story really indites not only the Murdaughs, but the entire community. Randolph and Libby went to a church, had neighbors, had extended family and no one said anything about her obituary appearing in the paper? No one said that this man, and this family are bad news? There was a similar discussion on True Sunlight where they talked about the fact that while people talked generally about the importance and prominence of the family, no one said Alec was a good man, or was upstanding. People knew exactly what this family was and what they were capable of. That young man said it the night of the boat crash - Paul was a Murdaugh and good luck with holding them accountable for anything.

[Elizzikra]

2 hours ago, Rlb8031 said:

People knew exactly what this family was and what they were capable of. That young man said it the night of the boat crash - Paul was a Murdaugh and good luck with holding them accountable for anything.

People knew but were still happy to take their money and attend their parties and drink their booze. They had plenty of people willing - eager, even - to socialize with them and enjoy their hospitality. Even after the accident it seemed like plenty of people were willing to overlook the family’s obvious character flaws as long as the party kept going.

[emma675]

23 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I 100% believed that Alex killed them both. That said--he did a hell of a job selling his grief the night of the murders, that wailing. He's a scary-good actor. It's a good thing SLED followed the evidence and interviewed all the right people.

And I thought he did a terrible job faking his grief. He seemed like someone who googled "how should I act when I murdered a family member and I want to appear innocent" and tried to follow along, lol. At the crime scene he was so over the top and histrionic it was off-putting to me. 

But agreed that SLED actually followed the evidence and figured out Alec did it. 

Anybody heard anything new about the court clerk Becky Hill? Thank goodness Alec's bid to get a new trial was denied, but I'm still flabbergasted at her stupidity, greed, and hunger for fame. 

[Salacious Kitty]

6 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

People knew but were still happy to take their money and attend their parties and drink their booze. They had plenty of people willing - eager, even - to socialize with them and enjoy their hospitality. Even after the accident it seemed like plenty of people were willing to overlook the family’s obvious character flaws as long as the party kept going.

I can't remember, was that boat the Murdaugh's, or one of the other kids? I just remember that Paul insisted on driving, even though he was plastered. 

Not sure what's going on with Becky. I need to pay more attention to EDB.

[Elizzikra]

32 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I can't remember, was that boat the Murdaugh's, or one of the other kids? I just remember that Paul insisted on driving, even though he was plastered. 

Not sure what's going on with Becky. I need to pay more attention to EDB.

It belonged to the Murdaughs but I can’t remember if it belonged to Alex or Gramps. Being plastered didn’t seem to ever stop Paul from driving anything. Especially considering how young he was, that kid was a bad alcoholic. If his daddy hadn’t killed him I think his alcoholism would have sooner rather than later.

On 10/18/2023 at 5:05 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

Yeah, I kept yelling, "Where's Buster?" It was bad for all the reasons you noted, and more. Paul was a caricature, a drunken lout with no redeeming qualities. They suggested that Paul killed Gloria Satterfield. 

I think they intentionally left out Buster because he is still alive and they are avoiding lawsuits.

[Salacious Kitty]

Agreed. And even worse, he had free access to guns. 

[Joan of Argh]

54 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Anybody heard anything new about the court clerk Becky Hill? Thank goodness Alec's bid to get a new trial was denied, but I'm still flabbergasted at her stupidity, greed, and hunger for fame. 

Well that judge ruled against alex getting a new trial but it’s still going to the court of appeals so hopefully they’ll rule against a new trial too.

[Salacious Kitty]

Griffin was the one who screwed up at the hearing. He opened up a line for more questions. Had he stopped, he would have won. 

[lovinbob]

The auction of the Murdaugh family possessions was so disgusting to me. The woman who was labeled a "Murdaugh enthusiast"? That is just twisted. 

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, lovinbob said:

The auction of the Murdaugh family possessions was so disgusting to me. The woman who was labeled a "Murdaugh enthusiast"? That is just twisted. 

They did seem to have good (or at least, expensive) taste in stuff and to the degree that any money made went to pay debtors and people from whom Alex had stolen money, I guess the auction was fine. I buy a lot of things from consignment and estate sales but I still don’t think that I’d want anything worn by the Murdaughs. Bad karma.

[lovinbob]

totally in favor of the auction. But the idea that there were people who wanted stuff specifically because it was from this case? Gross.

[merylinkid]

On 2/13/2024 at 11:59 PM, Joan of Argh said:

Well that judge ruled against alex getting a new trial but it’s still going to the court of appeals so hopefully they’ll rule against a new trial too.

He has little or no chance of prevailing on appeal.   First off, there is great deference to the trial court.   The appellate court also does not work with "innocent until proven guilty."   Finally most of the "errors" like allowing the financial stuff in was the defense's own fault -- they opened the door to it.

Of course, they will also appeal the denial of a new trial.   But the SC Supreme Court picked Justice Toal for a reason.   She's a former Supreme Court justice herself.   She knew at the time she ruled how the appeals court would view everything she did.   They chose her to make the ruling appeal proof.   I do not think that has sunk into Dick and Jim's ego filled heads.  

I still don't get why Dick and Jim are so invested in him being proven innocent.  This is beyond even protecting the good ol boy network.   This is like personal.   Which is bad for a defense attorney to do.   

[emma675]

Becky Hill has resigned and her attorney says it has nothing to do with the investigations into her conduct with the jury. 🙄 CNN story

[Salacious Kitty]

Sure Jan. 🙄

[BetterButter]

 

[merylinkid]

Bill  Pullman did an interview with Deadline about how he got into character to play Alex Murdaugh:

https://deadline.com/2024/04/bill-pullman-murdaugh-murders-sociopath-1235884095/

Sure the accent was atrocious but I think he got the characterization right.

[Salacious Kitty]

Six days to prepare? No wonder the finished product was so awful. 

[Tdoc72]

On 4/14/2024 at 10:24 AM, merylinkid said:

Bill  Pullman did an interview with Deadline about how he got into character to play Alex Murdaugh:

https://deadline.com/2024/04/bill-pullman-murdaugh-murders-sociopath-1235884095/

Sure the accent was atrocious but I think he got the characterization right.

I think he did a good job with the stuff he could watch, like police interviews and the trial. I thought he was worse with the stuff he had to guess on.