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Ruthless text messages reveal how Alex Murdaugh lied to his ex-housekeeper’s son about paying $4 million wrongful death, before pocketing every penny, after she fell down the stairs at the hunting lodge .
- The disgraced lawyer, 54, promised Tony Satterfield and his brother Bryan, a vulnerable adult, that he would ‘look after’ them after the death of their mother Gloria.
- But Murdaugh pocketed more than $4.3 million from insurance companies.
- Satterfield said he only found out about the robberies after the murders of Paul and Maggie.
Ruthless text messages have revealed how Alex Murdaugh lied to his former housekeeper’s son about a $4 million wrongful death payment, after she died in a fall on his property.
The disgraced lawyer, 54, promised Tony Satterfield and his brother Bryan, a vulnerable adult, that he would ‘look after’ them after their mother Gloria died following the fall in February 2018.
Satterfield said at the double murder trial that Murdaugh agreed to get $100,000 each to cover Gloria’s medical expenses. But he then stole over $4.3 million from two insurance policies without giving them a dime.
Tony testified Thursday about the texts and calls he exchanged with Murdaugh in April 2021, telling him he was “finally getting some movement” on the case, while already pocketing two recovery payments.
Tony Satterfield answers questions during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial at the Colleton County courthouse on Thursday.
Tony Satterfield testified Thursday about text messages and calls exchanged with Alex in April 2021, telling him he was “finally getting some movement” on the case, while he had already received two recovery payments.
‘When the defendant approached you at the time of your mother’s funeral and said that he would help you and file a claim on your behalf, why did you agree?’ asked prosecutor Creighton Waters.
“Because I trusted him,” Satterfield said.
Satterfield testified that he was only made aware of the deals in June 2021, after the murders.
“Have you ever received a penny from Alex Murdaugh?” Waters he asked.
“No,” Satterfield replied.
Murdaugh’s wife and son were killed on the family’s sprawling hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina on June 7, 2021. Paul, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun and Maggie, 52, was shot five times with a rifle.
The state argues that he killed the couple to distract attention from the millions he had stolen from his company and the mounting debts he could no longer pay.
Although Gloria Satterfield was killed in an accident, her death was never reported to the Hampton County Coroner.
Agents with the State Law Enforcement Division exhumed his body about a year after the deaths of Murdaugh’s son and wife, but never announced any findings or reopened the investigation into his death.
The Murdaugh family told the children that their mother tripped over the family dog. Gloria died in the hospital about four weeks later from a head injury. She was never able to recount the events of that day.
However, the children’s lawyer, Eric Bland, has stated that they do not suspect foul play at work. Bland later secured $4.3 million for Gloria’s children after suing Murdaugh.
Gloria Satterfield is said to have died after falling at the Murdaugh home in 2018. She was the family’s housekeeper and nanny for 25 years.
Murdaugh told Satterfield’s children at his February 2018 funeral that he would obtain insurance settlements on his death and take care of them, according to the lawsuit filed by the children.
Prosecutors said today that they expect to finish presenting their case next Wednesday.
It follows a week of high drama at the trial.
The courtroom was evacuated on Wednesday after a bomb threat was made in the judge’s room and Buster Murdaugh was kicked to the back of the courthouse after allegedly giving the middle finger at Tinsley during his statement on Monday. .
Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of the murders.
He faces nearly 100 other criminal charges unrelated to the murders, ranging from robbery to running a money and drug laundering ring, tax evasion and fraud for trying to arrange his own death in a roadside shooting in September 2021 so that his surviving son could receive $10 million. in life insurance.