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Murdaugh: Death in the Family begins with the 2019 boat crash that rocked South Carolina's Lowcountry and revealed the seedy side of a prominent legal dynasty. On February 24, 2019, 19-year-old Paul Murdaugh, son of high-profile attorney Alex Murdaugh, was charged with driving the family's speedboat while drunk.
The bridge piling high-speed crash threw all six passengers into the frigid Beaufort River, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach when she was thrown overboard and drowned. A night that started with underage drinking became a nightmare that would unravel generations of power, privilege, and corruption around the Murdaugh name.
The case not only destroyed two families but also ignited a national outcry over justice and accountability in a neighborhood for decades dominated by the power of one family. Beach's murder triggered criminal charges against Paul and a wrongful death suit that unraveled further family secrets, such as Alex's financial crimes and the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
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Hulu’s latest scripted limited series, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, is an eight-part drama that premiered its first three episodes on October 15, 2025.
Murdaugh: Death in the Family: The night of the crash
On the evening of February 23, 2019, Paul Murdaugh and four others, Mallory Beach, Anthony Cook, Connor Cook, and Miley Altman, sat down to an oyster roast on Paukie Island off Beaufort, South Carolina. They climbed aboard the Murdaugh family's 14-foot center-console speedboat and pushed off from their private river property called Murdaugh Island.
Earlier in the day, security footage from Parker's Kitchen in Ridgeland showed Paul, employing his brother Buster's identification to purchase beer and Fireball whiskey with his mom Maggie's credit card while he was underage. The liquor cooler was loaded onto the boat, which would lead to the evening events, as per People.
As the evening wore on, about midnight, the group pulled into a Beaufort waterfront. Paul and his friend Connor Cook had gone to a local bar, where they got two rounds of drinks and a video of Paul being unstable on his feet. They rejoined the rest of the group around 1 am and headed towards Hilton Head Island. CNN reported that passengers described Paul as extremely drunk, slurring words, and operating the boat recklessly despite their pleas for him to slow down.
A fight between Paul and his girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, intensified the situation on board. Terrified, Mallory Beach messaged her friends that she was worried. At 1:15 am, the boat sped toward the Archer's Creek Bridge off Parris Island. Going more than 30 mph, it collided with a piling at approximately 2:20 am, the impact throwing all five into the 52-degree dark water.
Connor Cook called 911 from the water, describing the crash. First responders were quick on the scene, extracting the four survivors, including those with injuries such as broken bones and hypothermia, and taking them to Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Paul, unwilling to cooperate at the scene, was also treated, as per CNN.
The water's darkness and flow precluded Mallory's immediate recovery, prompting an immediate search. Blood tests later revealed Paul's blood alcohol content as 0.24%, three times the legal limit, fuelling an investigation into his involvement, according to CNN.
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The search for Mallory Beach and the initial response in Murdaugh: Death in the Family
The crash's chaos extended into a grueling search for the missing passenger. As rescuers pulled the four survivors from the Beaufort River, Mallory Beach remained unseen in the swift, debris-filled current. Divers, boats, and helicopters combed the area starting February 24, 2019, but the murky water and outgoing tide complicated efforts.
Anthony Cook, Mallory's boyfriend and a survivor, grew agitated at the hospital upon seeing Paul, who appeared unremorseful. According to CNN, Alex Murdaugh arrived soon after and spoke with the families at the scene, later being overheard on a phone call saying,
"She’s gone. Don’t worry."
For eight days, volunteers and authorities expanded the hunt downstream, covering miles of the river toward the Broad River Boat Landing. On March 3, 2019, divers found Mallory's body about five miles from the crash site. The Beaufort County coroner ruled her death a homicide, caused by drowning compounded by blunt force trauma from the impact, as People reported.
Autopsy details revealed injuries consistent with being thrown from the boat, underscoring the collision's violence. In the immediate hours, investigators interviewed survivors, who unanimously identified Paul as the driver. One passenger initially named another, but recanted, citing confusion. Evidence included the boat's damage, alcohol containers, and Paul's hospital blood draw, according to CNN.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol led the probe, focusing on boating under the influence laws. Parker's Kitchen faced scrutiny for the alcohol sale, though no immediate charges followed. Devastated, the Beach family held vigils and leaned on the community for support. Mallory, known for her love of animals and bright spirit, was remembered through fundraisers.
This period marked the shift from rescue to reckoning, as grief fueled demands for justice in a case tied to local power structures, as per People. Authorities noted the Murdaughs' historical influence in Hampton County courts, setting a tense backdrop for what came next.
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Criminal charges against Paul Murdaugh
By April 2019, the investigation resulted in the arrest of Paul on three felony charges: boating while intoxicated, leading to death, and two counts of causing great bodily harm. The prosecution relied on witness statements from survivors, video, and toxicology reports indicating Paul's high blood alcohol level. Paul pleaded not guilty, and his defense raised questions regarding the identity of the driver and alcohol consumption, as per People.
The charges had potential penalties of up to 30 years upon conviction. The case brought attention to South Carolina's boating regulations, a counterpart to DUI laws but adapted for waterways. Witnesses said Paul drove aggressively after the bar stop, disregarding safety appeals.
Federal authorities investigated possible obstruction by Alex, including witness influences; however, no charges were filed. According to CNN, Paul's past incidents, such as a 2017 assault charge, came to light, casting a pattern of entitlement.
On June 7, 2021, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed by Alex Murdaugh. Investigations into the incident continued throughout 2021. Paul's death brought an end to the criminal trial, as the charges were dropped after his death. Prosecutors later attributed the pressure on the boat case to Alex's motivations in the killings for fear that he would be exposed for his embezzlement under oath.
No other criminal activity stemmed from the accident, although it heightened the focus on underage drinking access and enforcement in rural settings. The open criminal element left survivors looking for closure in civil terms, prioritizing accountability outside of the courtroom, as per People.
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Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Civil lawsuits and the path to settlements
The Beach family filed a wrongful death suit in March 2019 against Paul, Alex, Buster, and entities like Parker's Kitchen, alleging negligent alcohol provision and boat access. Survivors pursued injury claims, totaling demands up to $65 million initially. South Carolina's joint liability laws allowed targeting deeper pockets, focusing on dram shop violations for selling to minors, as the New York Times reported.
In July 2023, Parker's Kitchen and owner Greg Parker settled for $15 million with the Beach family and survivors, averting trial and stressing deterrence for alcohol sales. Undisclosed deals followed with the bar and oyster hosts. Alex's boat insurer, Progressive, paid $500,000 in October 2024, closing the policy limit after Alex was removed as a defendant due to asset exhaustion.
As per AP News, Buster settled separately, with nearly half of Alex's seized funds allocated to victims by February 2024. These resolutions gave the Beach family more than $15 million in financial relief, but the lack of a trial limited public insight into the case’s details. The suits revealed family efforts to shift blame, like hospital statements, and Alex's financial strains from the litigation.
By 2025, all claims will likely be resolved without further updates. Renee Beach, Mallory's mother, honored her daughter's memory through advocacy, noting the settlements as steps toward prevention, according to the AP News. The civil outcomes underscored how such cases can expose systemic issues, influencing policy on impaired recreation and youth safety in coastal communities.
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