NEED TO KNOW
Buster Murdaugh is the elder son of Alex Murdaugh and the late Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh
Buster’s mother, Maggie, and youthful brother, Paul, had been murdered by Alex on June 7, 2021
Alex was convicted of the double murder in March 2023, and Buster has since maintained his dad’s innocence
Buster Murdaugh and his household had been thrust into the nationwide highlight when his father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of killing his mother, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and brother, Paul Murdaugh.
On June 7, 2021, Maggie and Paul had been fatally shot close to the canine kennels on their household’s property in Islandton, S.C. Shortly after, Alex known as 911 and claimed that he had discovered his spouse and son shot to loss of life.
Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty; Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty
Across the time of the double murder, the outstanding authorized household was going through a myriad of points — together with monetary issues, Paul’s upcoming trial in reference to the boating loss of life of 19-year-old Mallory Seaside and suspicion surrounding their housekeeper Gloria Satterfield’s 2018 loss of life.
By October 2021, Alex was arrested for 22 monetary crimes and was later charged with Maggie and Paul’s murders in July 2022. Alex was convicted of the murders in March 2023, and he was given two life sentences and an extra 40 years for his monetary crimes.
Amid the trial and subsequent sentencing, Buster supported his father and even testified in help of him. After his dad was discovered responsible of the crimes, Buster continued to keep up his innocence.
The household’s story has since been tailored into the Hulu drama sequence Murdaugh: Loss of life within the Household, which premiered in October 2025.
This is all the pieces to find out about Buster and Alex Murdaugh’s relationship.
Buster is Alex and Maggie’s older youngster
Maggie Murdaugh/Fb Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh photographed.
Richard Alexander “Buster” Murdaugh, Jr., was born in April 1996 to Alex and Maggie, who obtained married three years prior, per FITSNews. Maggie and Alex welcomed their second youngster, Paul Terry Murdaugh, in April 1999.
Previous to Maggie’s loss of life, she regularly shared images on social media of the household attending occasions collectively, taking part in outside actions and having fun with time on their boat.
Buster was residing individually from Alex, Maggie and Paul on the time of the murders
Maggie Murdaugh/Fb
Buster, Paul, Alex and Maggie Murdaugh pictured on a ship in 2015.
Maggie and Paul had been shot and killed on the Murdaugh household’s 1,770-acre searching property within the quiet space of Islandton in Colleton County, S.C., on June 7, 2021. Round 10 p.m. that evening, Alex reported their deaths and claimed that he discovered his spouse and son murdered close to the canine kennels on the property, per CNN.
On the time of the double murders, Buster claimed that he was over 200 miles away at his then-girlfriend’s home, per WYFF Greenville. Throughout his father’s trial, Buster testified that he was residing in Rock Hill, S.C., when he acquired a telephone name from Alex telling him that Maggie and Paul had been killed.
Throughout his testimony, Buster claimed that he acquired a “regular” name from his dad round 9 p.m. the evening of the murders, throughout which Alex allegedly advised Buster that he was going to test on Paul and Maggie.
Nevertheless, later that evening, Alex known as Buster a second time and knowledgeable him that Paul and Maggie had been shot and killed.
“His demeanor was — I imply — he was destroyed. He was heartbroken,” Buster recalled through the 2023 trial, whereas including that his dad had “damaged down” and was crying.
Alex organized a capturing to aim to get Buster a $10 million life insurance coverage payout
Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool/Tribune Information Service/Getty
Alex Murdaugh at his trial in February 2023.
Simply three months after Paul and Maggie had been killed, Alex was shot within the head whereas making an attempt to alter a tire on the facet of a street in South Carolina, his lawyer advised PEOPLE in September 2021.
Nevertheless, only a few days later, the South Carolina Legislation Enforcement Division (SLED) alleged that Alex had employed his former shopper, Curtis Edward Smith, to kill him, so Buster may obtain an estimated $10 million life insurance coverage cost after his loss of life, per Smith’s arrest affidavit.
Authorities decided that Smith and Alex conspired collectively, and Alex even gave him a firearm and instructions. The previous lawyer later admitted to the homicide scheme and claimed that he deliberate it in worry that Buster would not get the insurance coverage cash if he died by suicide.
SLED subsequently charged Smith with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a excessive aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance coverage fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance coverage fraud, per the Atlanta Journal-Structure. In the meantime, Alex was additionally charged with insurance coverage fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance coverage fraud and submitting a false police report.
Alex tried to get Buster readmitted to legislation college after he was kicked out for plagiarism
Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune Information Service/Getty
Alex Murdaugh on the Richland County Courthouse in January 2024.
Buster graduated from Wofford Faculty in 2018 and was following in his household’s footsteps by learning on the College of South Carolina College of Legislation, per The State. Nevertheless, his plans obtained sidetracked in the summertime of 2019 when he was kicked out of the college for low grades and violating the honors code by allegedly plagiarizing.
Whereas Alex was behind bars and awaiting his trials within the fall of 2021, he paid outstanding lawyer Butch Bowers $60,000 to assist get his son again into legislation college, in response to jailhouse information obtained by the outlet. Along with paying Bowers, Alex additionally made a number of calls to Buster, throughout which he inspired him to work with Bowers and the college’s dean.
“It is advisable to prepare for this legislation college, now, okay,” Alex advised his son from behind bars in November 2021, in response to calls obtained by the Submit and Courier. “I imply, you’ve obtained to essentially buckle down. You’ve obtained to deal with it like a job. You’re going to must learn these circumstances two and thrice in case you don’t totally perceive them. As a result of you understand there’s not going to be one other probability.”
By September 2022, Alex had been readmitted to the legislation college however had put it “on maintain for now,” Alex’s lawyer, Jim Griffin, advised the newspaper.
“He had an acceptance letter and was supposed to begin in January 2022 for the spring semester,” Griffin stated. “Nevertheless it was mutually agreed that delaying readmission to legislation college could be greatest for him and for the legislation college.”
As of November 2025, it is unclear if Buster returned to legislation college or if he’s employed.
Buster has maintained his dad’s innocence
Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune Information Service/Getty
Buster Murdaugh at his dad’s trial in February 2023.
In February 2023, Buster took the stand at Alex’s trial to testify about his demeanor as a father and the way shut their household allegedly was. He additionally spoke concerning the second Alex knowledgeable him of the murders.
“My father coached each Little League group I performed on,” Buster stated, per The State, whereas describing their household as “close-knit.”
Along with talking to his character, Buster additionally obtained emotional whereas speaking concerning the evening his dad known as him concerning the murders and the way “destroyed” he appeared.
After Alex was convicted of the double murder, his older son continued standing by him. Buster spoke concerning the ordeal in an August 2023 interview with Fox Nation, throughout which he doubled down on his claims of his dad’s innocence.
“I don’t suppose that he could possibly be affiliated with endangering my mom and brother,” Buster stated on the time. “We now have been right here for some time now and that’s been my stance.”
Buster additional shared that he “completely” thinks there may be nonetheless a killer on the market who obtained away with homicide.
“I believe I set myself as much as be protected however sure, once I go to mattress at evening I’ve a worry that there’s anyone that’s nonetheless on the market,” he stated.
Nevertheless, Buster did admit that Alex had some traits that resembled these of a “psychopath.”
“I’m not ready to sit down right here and say that it encompasses him as a complete, however actually, I believe there are traits the place you take a look at the manipulation and the lies and the finishing up of that and such, and I believe that’s a good evaluation,” Buster stated.
He has spoken to his dad since Alex’s arrest
Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune Information Service/Getty
Buster Murdaugh at his dad’s trial in March 2023.
Within the 4 years for the reason that Murdaugh household began making headlines, Buster has lived a reasonably non-public life whereas Alex has been serving his sentence at an undisclosed maximum-security jail in South Carolina.
It isn’t clear if Alex and Buster have stored in contact over time, however they exchanged a 42-second telephone name whereas Alex was behind bars on Might 16, 2023.
In the course of the telephone name, Alex greeted Buster by calling him “buddy,” in response to the audio obtained by FITSNews.
“Hey, I don’t have a complete lot of time,” Buster replied. “I simply boarded a ferry to get again to the Hilton Head Island from Daufuskie [Island].”
The 2 struggled to know what the opposite was saying, so Alex determined to finish the decision by telling his son, “Love you” and “So happy with you.”
“All proper. Love you too,” Buster stated and thanked his dad for expressing his pleasure.
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