On Thursday, the Murdaugh Murders saga spun further off the rails when the Hampton county sheriff’s office issued a report potentially raising several major red flags in the already-bizarre shooting of Alex Murdaugh on September 4.
On top of a long list of discrepancies between accounts provided by Murdaugh’s attorney and by law enforcement, the Hampton county incident report on the shooting indicated Alex Murdaugh — the purported victim — had no “visible injuries.”
Why, then, did Murdaugh’s attorney Jim Griffin tell The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier two days ago that his client sustained “entry and exit wounds” from the bullet that struck him — and he was “lucky to be alive?”
And why didn’t the Post and Courier reference what would be a major inconsistency in its reporting today?
Hours after this report was made public, the local sheriff’s office told The (Hilton Head, S.C.) Island Packet that the “no visible injuries” part of the report was a mistake.
Hmmmm …
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Officials with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) — the agency leading the investigation into the suspicious shooting — told me they stood by their report that Murdaugh suffered “a superficial gunshot wound to the head.”
Further fueling speculation, the sheriff’s office report said Alex Murdaugh “was being flown out from a landing zone on Charleston Highway” to receive treatment for his injuries while deputies were still en route to the scene.
It seems highly unusual a helicopter would have been able to make it to the scene before deputies from the local sheriff’s office — which is located less than fifteen minutes away from where the shooting took place on Old Salkehatchie Road (near Varnville, S.C.)
(Click to view)
(Via: Hampton County Sheriff’s Office)
The report also said that Corporal Henderson was able to meet with Alex Murdaugh — who was referred to in the Hampton County report as a “victim” — before he was flown out (which does not not match up with the previous statement of the report that said deputies were en route while Alex was “being flown out).
Meanwhile, a Hampton county press release, which was issued three days after the shooting, said deputies were dispatched to the scene at 1:55 p.m. — 25 minutes after Alex Murdaugh called 911 to report the incident to law enforcement.
Why would it take local law enforcement 25 minutes to be dispatched to the scene of an “attempted murder”?
Was local law enforcement’s arrival on the scene deliberately delayed?
South Carolina media outlets also focused on statements made by local law enforcement indicating that Alex Murdaugh didn’t appear to be on drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident. However, there is no evidence from this report which would indicate how (or why) they would have reached that conclusion.
While Griffin told multiple media outlets that Alex Murdaugh was hurt in a shooting by unknown assailants while he was changing a tire, Hampton county did not include that in their report. Neither did SLED.
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Also on the list of red flags, multiple sources have told FITSNews that Alex Murdaugh left the scene of the shooting after calling 911 and was allegedly transported via car by an unknown individual to meet emergency medical service providers (and the waiting helicopter).
Why did Murdaugh leave the scene? And who drove him?
Soon after news of the shooting broke on Saturday, multiple law enforcement sources told FITSNews the story supplied by Murdaugh and his attorney was “very suspicious.”
Murdaugh called 911 to report that he’d been shot at 1:34 p.m., according to SLED. The shooting occurred approximately seven miles from Moselle — the family hunting lodge where Alex discovered the bodies of his 52-year-old wife Maggie Murdaugh and their son 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh on June 7, 2021.
Hampton deputies first responded to the scene and dispatched SLED for assistance at 2:41 p.m. As it did following the Moselle slayings, the sheriff’s office asked SLED lead the investigation.
Griffin, a prominent Columbia, S.C. defense attorney, pushed out a narrative to media after the shooting which had several holes in it. Among them:
- Griffin told reporters Murdaugh was airlifted to MUSC in Charleston, but he was actually flown to a hospital in Savannah.
- Griffin told reporters Murdaugh was changing a tire on the side of the road, but the Mercedes-Benz SUV he was driving had run-flat tires.
- Griffin told reporters Murdaugh was on his way to Charleston from Moselle, but the road he was on is out of the way from the direct route.
On Monday, an hour after FITSNews published its story about Murdaugh’s opioid addiction and issues at his law firm, a family spokesperson released a statement saying he was going into rehab and resigning from the firm — Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED).
Later, the firm claimed Murdaugh had been “pushed out” and resigned on Friday, September 3, 2021.
Adding more mystery to this strange saga, sources told FITSNews the knife used to slash Alex Murdaugh’s tires was recovered by investigators — and somehow linked to Alex Murdaugh.
Murdaugh, readers will recall, has been named as person of interest in the double homicide of his wife and son.
No arrests have been made in either case. Police have released no information regarding any potential suspect(s) or suspect vehicles.
Clearly, nothing is adding up here … but stay tuned for future updates as they become available.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR..
Mandy Matney is the news director at FITSNews. She’s an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. Want to contact Mandy? Send your tips to mandy@fitsnews.com.
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