A lawyer forAlex Murdaughadmittedon theTodayshowthat Murdaugh paid a man to kill him in a botched plot for his son to claim a $10 million life insurance policy.
According to attorney Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh’s addiction to opioids and his depression following theJune murders of his wife and sondrove him to concoct the scheme.
Murdaugh “clearly knew what he’s done was wrong,” Harpootlian toldToday. Harpootlian added that at the time of the Sept. 4 shooting, Murdaugh was in “a massive depression” and was in withdrawal from opioids.
Murdaugh, 53, was shot on a rural road. At the time, he told police the shooting happened after he stopped to change a tire. Police described his bullet wound as “superficial.” On Tuesday, after the arrest of the man Murdaugh allegedly paid to shoot him, police described the shooting as a botched “assisted suicide.”
Alex Murdaugh.Facebook
Harpootlian toldTodayhis client wanted his son to claim life insurance monies, but “believed that $10 million policy had a suicide exclusion.”
“Suicide exclusions are only good for two years, and he didn’t realize that. So he arranged to have this guy shoot him,” Harpootlian added.
“It was an attempt on his part to do something to protect his child,” Harpootlian continued. “He didn’t want law enforcement spending time on this fake crime instead of focusing on solving the murders of Maggie and Paul.”
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No charges against Murdaugh have been announced, but police say additional charges involving the case are expected to come as the investigation continues.
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Smith was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana, according to SLED. He is currently being held at the Colleton County Detention Center.
As of now it is unclear if Smith has obtained legal representation. Attorneys for Murdaugh have not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the recent allegations concerning the shooting.
From left, Buster Murdaugh, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh.Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook
SLED is alsoinvestigating allegationsthat Murdaugh stole funds from the prestigious law firm his great-grandfather started more than 100 years ago. Prior to his shooting, members of the Hampton law firm, Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, confronted Murdaugh about missing money, which could exceed $1 million, before notifying law enforcement and the South Carolina Bar Association.
Jim Griffin, another attorney for Murdaugh, told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that “Alex resigned from the firm after being accused of diverting lawyer fees. These allegations prompted him to confront his dependency and he voluntarily checked into an in-patient substance abuse rehab facility after being discharged from the hospital Monday.”
Murdaugh’s shooting also came less than three months after his wife Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and son Paul Murdaugh weremurderedon the grounds of the family’s 1,770-acre hunting lodge.
source: people.com
