The Dark True Story Behind Murdaugh: Death in the Family

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I’m really looking forward to watching the new Hulu drama, *Murdaugh: Death in the Family*, which comes out on October 15th. It’s based on the shocking true story of Alex Murdaugh, a prominent lawyer in South Carolina, and how he was convicted in 2023 for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. It’s a crazy case!

This series explores the events surrounding the Murdaugh family leading up to the 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh on their property. Alex Murdaugh was later convicted of these killings, as well as related weapons charges. Simultaneously, Paul Murdaugh was facing criminal charges due to a 2019 boat crash in South Carolina that resulted in the death of Mallory Beach. While Paul’s case was being investigated, journalists began scrutinizing the powerful Murdaugh family and their law firm, uncovering evidence that Alex had been stealing from his clients and the firm itself.

The first three episodes, available October 15th, focus on the deadly boat accident. Each week after, the series will show the unraveling of the Murdaugh family’s life, leading to the creators’ depiction of how Alex Murdaugh (played by Jason Clarke) may have killed his wife (Patricia Arquette) and son (Johnny Berchtold) at their kennels in Islandton, South Carolina.

The new drama series is inspired by the Murdaugh Murders Podcast, which was co-created by journalist Mandy Matney. She also helped produce the show for Hulu. TIME spoke with Matney and the show’s creator, Michael D. Fuller, to discuss the known facts and remaining mysteries surrounding the case.

The driver in the boat crash

The show portrays Paul as the family rebel. His brother playfully suggests Paul is going to law school simply to keep him from getting into mischief. Paul did have a reputation for heavy drinking, and friends jokingly nicknamed him ‘Timmy’ when he was drunk, because his personality would change so drastically.

Although Paul died before going to court, Natalie Matney thinks he was driving the boat when it crashed in 2019. She formed this belief after talking to people who were on the boat with him. One passenger even showed her a video from that night, which showed everyone drinking and Paul at the helm.

According to Matney, the man was far more intoxicated and aggressive than anyone else on the boat. He also stated that, based on conversations with others who’ve been on the boat, Paul was always the one who operated it. Matney believes any uncertainty about who was driving at the time stemmed from pressure exerted by Alex Murdaugh.

Throughout the series, much like in reality, Alex Murdaugh attempted to blame another young man, Connor, for the events on the boat. Connor’s father had a history with Alex Murdaugh – they were former football teammates – and Alex had previously relied on his father, Randolph Murdaugh, to help him out of a legal issue. This pattern of the Murdaugh family doing favors – sometimes unsolicited – was a way to secure loyalty. As described by Fuller, it wasn’t about threats or force, but rather a subtle form of social pressure and obligation.

The smoking gun that led to Alex Murdaugh’s conviction

The Netflix documentary *Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal* revealed that police accessed Paul’s phone after his death by using his birthday as the passcode. They discovered a video Paul took shortly before the murder, filmed at the family farm’s kennel, and Alex Murdaugh’s voice can be heard in the background. This contradicts Alex’s claim that he was with his mother at the time.

As Matney puts it, “In a lot of ways, Paul solved his own murder because of that .”

GPS data from Alex Murdaugh’s car also placed him at the crime scene. The information showed he slowed down near where Maggie’s phone was discovered, then drove away quickly.

Why Alex Murdaugh would kill his wife and son

In addition to stealing from his family’s law firm, Alex Murdaugh struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. Some believe this impaired his judgment around the time of his wife and son’s murders. The documentary *Murdaugh: Death in the Family* shows him frequently using drugs, concealing pills, and falling asleep while intoxicated.

According to Matney, he was heavily using drugs and alcohol, which worsened his existing issues and caused him to become increasingly unstable.

Fuller believes Murdaugh appeared to have completely lost touch with reality. According to Fuller, Murdaugh’s plan was to create a diversion by portraying himself as a victim, and he tragically killed his wife and son as part of that plan.

According to Matney, the motive behind the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh is well-understood, though the actual weapons used in the killings remain a mystery. The Murdaugh family owned many guns due to their love of hunting, and evidence at the scene suggests two separate firearms were used in the shooting.

Matney questions whether Alex Murdaugh acted alone, wondering if anyone assisted him. He specifically asks if Murdaugh had help tampering with the crime scene, potentially from investigators within the agencies looking into the case, given Murdaugh’s extensive network of connections.

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2025-10-15 23:06