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In the wake of the March 2 guilty verdict of Alex Murdaugh, speculations are rising concerning the fate of his oldest son, Buster Murdaugh, and whether or not he will inherit anything from his father's waning legal empire.
On Thursday, Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife, Maggie, and his younger son, Paul. He has also been implicated in an assisted suicide scheme, as South Carolina authorities believe that the disgraced lawyer attempted to arrange his own murder to secure insurance money for Buster Murdaugh.
As per South Carolina reporters, while Alex Murdaugh ultimately failed in his insurance fraud scheme to secure money for Buster, the younger Murdaugh has received at least $530,000 from the sale of Maggie Murdaugh's estate.
Buster Murdaugh's name was removed from the Mallory Beach lawsuit
According to Yahoo, Buster Murdaugh is currently residing with his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, on South Carolina's Hilton Head Island. In September 2021, Alex Murdaugh gave his oldest son the power to sell and dispose of his assets. As reported by WCIV, when a judge ordered that the family's assets be frozen, Buster claimed that he had no money to pay for basic amenities such as food, utilities, and medical insurance.
While it is unknown whether or not Buster Murdoch currently has any source of income, he reportedly used his share of the sale from the family home to pay off a settlement from a separate lawsuit.
The case, in which Buster was briefly implicated, concerned the death of Mallory Beach, a Murdaugh family friend who lost her life during a boat crash. Beach's family claimed that the now deceased Paul Murdaugh had drunkenly been operating the boat, while Buster Murdaugh and his parents were accused of helping the then-underaged teen procure alcohol.
After the settlement, Buster Murdaugh's name was removed from the Mallory Beach lawsuit, however, his legal concerns may be far from over. According to the Netflix Documentary The Murdaugh Murders, he has also been implicated in the death of Stephen Smith, a former friend whose body was found in Hampton County in 2015.
WCBD reported that at the time of Smith's death, authorities stated that he passed due to blunt force trauma, most likely caused by a hit-and-run incident. ABC stated that after interviewing witnesses, investigators claimed Buster had been romantically linked to Smith. The Greenville News noted allegations and rumors among Hampton County residents that the death of Smith may have been an attempt to cover up the alleged relationship between Smith and the Murdaugh scion.
While the case went cold then, in June 2021, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reopened the murder case. As of February 2023, no suspects have been confirmed.
