Alex Murdaugh admits he lied about housekeeper’s fatal fall
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: Newscom / Alamy/ Law and Crime Network
Alex Murdaugh has admitted to lying about his housekeeper’s fatal fall, his lawyers have revealed.
The lawyer was found guilty of two counts of murder and two weapons-related charges after his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22, were fatally shot on the family’s South Carolina estate in June 2021.
The convicted killer received his sentence last month (2 March) following a near-six week trial, and his legal team have since disclosed the truth behind what happened to housekepper Gloria Satterfield in response to the suit which involved insurance fraud claims for her death.
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Murdaugh had previously made claims about how Satterfield died back in 2018.
Satterfield, who was just 57 at the time, worked for the Murdaugh family for over two decades and allegedly died in what was referred to as a 'trip and fall accident'.
Murdaugh testified that Satterfield lost her life after being tripped up by the family dogs, which then lead her to take a fatal fall down the stairs of their South Carolina home - the same exact residence he would later later both his wife and son in just years later.
After her tragic passing, the disgraced lawyer took legal responsibility and convinced Satterfield's sons to sue him over their late mother's death after claiming he had liability as she died on his property.
He ended up taking a staggering $4.3 million in insurance payments which was intended for Satterfield’s sons, telling them that a settlement had never been reached.
In an official court document filed on Monday (1 May), the convicted double murderer admitted that he 'invented the critical facts' about her cause of death.
It confirmed: "No dogs were involved in the fall of Gloria Satterfield on February 26, 2018.
"After Ms. Satterfield’s death, [Murdaugh] invented Ms. Satterfield’s purported statement that dogs caused her to fall to force his insurers to make a settlement payment."
The insurance company in question, Nautilus, responded to Murdaugh's confession about the truth behind Satterfield's death.
"Beginning in July 2021 and continuing through the filing of this action, Nautilus became aware for the first time of facts regarding the Satterfield claims, allegations of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and allegations of criminal conduct,” the lawsuit read.
In the eight-page-long response, Murdaugh professed that he was the one who 'approached the Satterfield family after the death of Gloria Satterfield and suggested they sue him and collect from his insurance companies, including Nautilus'.
He went on to admit: "Ms. Satterfield briefly regained consciousness, during which time she stated that Murdaugh’s dogs had caused her to fall.
"This statement was heard by no one else and is contradicted by Ms. Satterfield’s later statement to hospital staff that she had no idea what made her fall."
The response continued: "After Ms. Satterfield’s death, Defendant invented Ms. Satterfield’s purported statement that dogs caused her fall to force his insurers to make a settlement payment, and he stated that she was not on the property to perform work."
Even though he has admitted to initially lying about his former housekeeper's death, Murdaugh says he 'denies the existence of any conspiracy to improperly cause Nautilus to pay a fraudulent claim'.