Where Is Buster Murdaugh From "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" Now?
Content warning: This article contains references to murder some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.
Before February 24, 2019, the Murdaughs were one of South Carolina's most distinguished families. However, after a horrible boating accident involving the family's youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, resulted in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, the family's happy facade begin to spiral.
Netflix's true crime series, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, is a three-part docuseries that examines the string of deaths associated with the prominent South Carolina family. Besides the death of Mallory, both Paul and Maggie were fatally shot in a double homicide, and teenager Stephen Smith and Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield also died under mysterious circumstances. All of these events happened in the course of six years, from 2015 to 2021.
On July 14, 2022, a little over a year since Paul and Maggie were killed, Alex was indicted for their murders. According to People, the Murdaugh patriarch was "charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime." As of this writing, his trial is currently ongoing, having begun on January 23, 2023.
(It should be noted that Alex has also been charged with several other crimes separate from the double homicide, including "insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report," as well as "misappropriating insurance settlement funds" and "two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses.")
So, while we know where Alex currently is — on trial in Colleton County, South Carolina — where is his surviving son, Buster?
Richard Alexander "Buster" Murdaugh was studying to become a lawyer like his dad, but in 2019, he was expelled from the University of South Carolina for plagiarism, according to Valerie Bauerlein from The Wall Street Journal, who investigated the murders and was interviewed for the docuseries.
Today, Buster is 26 years old and, as Fox News reported in November 2022, "is living a quiet life with his longtime girlfriend" and golden retriever in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
He is on the witness list for his dad's murder trial and has been attending the legal proceedings. He recently testified on his father's behalf. In early February 2023, the Daily Mail reported Buster was kicked to the back of the courtroom after he allegedly flipped off Mark Tinsley, Mallory Beach's family's lawyer who was part of the Netflix docuseries, while Mark was testifying. The outlet also shared Buster apparently "kicked over a water bottle in anger when security asked him to move out of the front row behind his father."
Though Buster is not on trial for the double homicide, he was part of a lawsuit made by his late brother's friend, Connor Cook.
Connor's lawsuit was against Paul Murdaugh's family members (which included Buster), as well as the store and store clerk who sold Paul, then underage, alcohol, using Buster's ID.
The Netflix series shared security footage of Paul using his older brother's ID to buy the alcohol at the store. That alcohol was then consumed by Paul and his friends, which ultimately resulted in Connor's injury — as well as Mallory Beach's death and three other kids' injuries — when Paul allegedly drove the boat while under the influence and crashed it into a piling.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, "Buster Murdaugh, the suit alleges, was negligent in sharing his license to his brother to purchase alcohol." However, in January 2023, Buster and his late mother were dropped from that lawsuit as part of a settlement, as reported by WTCO.
Buster's name was also linked to one of the other deaths examined in Murdaugh Murders: that of 19-year-old Stephen Smith in 2015. Stephen's body was found in the middle of the road and the investigation into his death suspiciously "fade[d] away," said private investigator Steve Peterson on the docuseries, after the Murdaugh name became associated with Stephen.
Rumors of a secret relationship between Buster and Stephen were mentioned on the Netflix show, and several people shared they heard rumblings that Buster was involved in Stephen's death. However, People reported in July 2022 that how Stephen died "remains a mystery to this day" and his murderer has never been brought to justice.
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