SLED: Alex Murdaugh told Satterfield family to sue his estate in wrongful death case
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — State Law Enforcement Division released the warrants it served Alex Murdaugh when he was booked today at a detention center in Richland County.
Murdaugh is being charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, both related to the death settlement for Gloria Satterfield, his housekeeper who died on his property.
READ MORE: Alex Murdaugh arrested, charged over Gloria Satterfield life insurance settlement
The warrant claims Murdaugh brokered a deal with Satterfield's family to "sue himself" for an insurance settlement, then he would give the proceeds to her family for funeral expenses and monetary compensation.
Corey Fleming, a friend of Murdaugh and the Satterfield family's representative during the case, brokered settlements for more than $4 million. The Satterfield family was set to received over $2.7 million, but was never given the money.
SLED claims Fleming wrote a two checks totaling over $3 million to Murdaugh.
READ MORE: Murdaugh attorney addresses 'hysterical theories' in interview with Good Morning America
These charges were announced Thursday, but details were released Saturday.
Murdaugh's legal troubles have increased significantly in the last month following a botched $10 million life insurance fraud scheme. Murdaugh told authorities he hired a former client to shoot him in the head so his son could collect the sizeable settlement. He initially claimed it was an attempted murder, but later said it was a failed assisted suicide. Curtis Eddie Smith, the man Murdaugh claims was hired to shoot him, has said in court and in interviews that Murdaugh is setting him up.
The Murdaughs, a prominent legal family in South Carolina, fell under the spotlight over the summer when Paul and his mother Maggie Murdaugh were found shot to death outside their home in June. SLED has not announced any arrests in the case, but Alex Murdaugh's lawyer has confirmed that he is currently a person of interest.
READ MORE: Medical report: Alex Murdaugh had drugs in system at time of shooting that fractured skull
Alex Murdaugh is also facing a wrongful death suit related to Mallory Beach, the teenager who died in a boating accident while Paul Murdaugh was allegedly driving the watercraft while impaired. Charges were dropped against Paul in the months after his shooting death in June. SLED is investigating Murdaugh for possible obstruction of justice in the immediate aftermath of the boat crash.
Evidence found in the investigation into Paul and Maggie's deaths has lead SLED to also look into the death of Hampton County teenager Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a rural road in 2015. Investigators at the time were skeptical that Smith was run over, saying his injuries did not match up to a hit-and-run. The case went cold in 2015, but officers showed interest in investigating Buster Murdaugh, Alex's son.
