“He was crying uncontrollably”: Source says Buster Murdaugh collapsed outside court after Alex Murdaugh’s conviction

After Alex Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, his other son, Buster Murdaugh, was seen collapsing outside the court. According to a source present during the trial, he seemed fine until the cameras went off. However, as soon as he stepped off the court, he "was crying uncontrollably." Later on, his two uncles got him safely into the car.

On March 2, 2023, former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 26-year-old Buster was a constant presence in the South Carolina courtroom during the entire trial that began in January 2023.

The jury took less than three hours to come to the conclusion that Alex Murdaugh had killed his wife and son in June 2022. On Friday, March 3, the former attorney was booked in at South Carolina’s Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center.

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Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son Buster Murdaugh reportedly broke down after his father was declared guilty of killing the rest of his family

Buster Murdaugh broke down when the court declared his father guilty of killing his mother and brother back in June 2021. An unnamed source, who was present at the scene during the conviction, revealed:

“Buster held up pretty well until the cameras were off him - but then he collapsed. He was crying uncontrollably. The uncles [Alex’s brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, and Randy Murdaugh] finally got him into a car.”

Buster Murdaugh was someone who stayed with Alex throughout the entire proceedings. The 54-year-old convict was heard saying “I love you” to his son while he was being handcuffed. Alex Murdaugh was observed having a stoic expression throughout the entire trial.

After the alleged breakdown outside the courthouse, Buster Murdaugh was reportedly taken to a property on Chechessee Creek, which is supposedly called “Buster’s Island.” A Hampton resident, who has known the Murdaugh family for a long time, said:

“There is not a lot of warmth for Alex or Buster in Hampton these days. I think [Buster] will stick with his uncles and stay out on Hilton Head. I don’t see him coming back here.”

Alex Murdaugh’s siblings were not present to hear the verdict. This left Buster and Alex’s sister Lynn as the only family members to be present in court while he was held guilty and was sentenced to two life sentences. Buster was one of the people who testified in favor of Alex Murdaugh in the dramatic murder trial.

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Buster has been linked to the 2015 death of one of his friends, Stephen Smith

Professionally, Buster was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps but was kicked out of law school on charges of plagiarism.

While Alex was being taken away, a protestor shouted:

“Buster is next! Justice for Stephen Smith!”

This was concerning the death of one of Buster Murdaugh’s friends in 2015, which is still unsolved. Police initially ruled his death a hit-and-run case. Later on, they discovered blunt force trauma wounds on the victim's head. Since then, many have linked Buster Murdaugh to Stephen Smith’s death. This is an ongoing investigation, which is carried out by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Sandy Smith, Stephen’s mother had always believed that Buster Murdaugh had something to do with her son’s death. Addressing Alex Murdaugh’s guilty verdict, she said:

“That jury done excellently. They see through the lies and a Murdaugh is finally brought down. Now that this case is back over, they can get on Stephen’s case full-time.”

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Alex Murdaugh’s conviction was the nail in the coffin that broke 26-year-old Buster, who stayed calm throughout the trial, even during his testimony.