COLUMBIA, SC – A lawyer from a prominent South Carolina legal family who found his wife and son shot dead in their home three months ago and was injured a few days ago when a bullet grazed his head as he changed a tire was taking money from his firm law, the company said Monday night.
The statement by law firm PMPED came hours after Alex Murdaugh said he resigned and entered rehab.
Law firm PMPED has said it will hire an accounting firm to completely overhaul its books. He didn’t say how much money might be running out, but said Murdaugh was no longer associated with them in any way.
“This is disappointing news for all of us. Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner. There is no room in our firm for such behavior,” the law firm said in a statement.
Hours before Murdaugh sent out his own statement, saying he regretted the decisions he made, but had given no details just two days after reporting someone shot him after his car had a flat tire along a rural road in Hampton County.
“The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. I am resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle who was exacerbated by these murders. I am immensely sorry for everyone I have hurt, including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and rehabilitate my relationships, “he read. entire Murdaugh statement.
The statement came two days after investigators said Murdaugh was able to call 911 after being injured Saturday afternoon on Salkehatchie Road in Hampton County.
“Alex resigned after being accused of embezzling the firm’s attorney fees,” said Murdaugh’s attorney Jim Griffin. “These allegations caused him to face an addiction and he voluntarily checked himself into a drug addiction rehab center after being released from the hospital today.”
The state’s law enforcement division did not immediately comment on Murdaugh’s statement or the law firm’s lack of money charges on Monday.
South Carolina State Police are also the lead agency investigating the death of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul, 22, on June 7. .
Alex Murdaugh recovered the bodies of his wife and son after family members said he left to watch over his sick mother and father.
A family lawyer said Murdaugh was shot by someone in a van who first passed him while he was changing the tire, then came back and shot him.
The family released a statement on Saturday after the shooting claiming Murdaugh needed to recover and asking for his privacy.
“The Murdaugh family suffered more than any family can imagine,” one read.
State police released few details of the June killings, even going to court to fight requests for public registration.
The Murdaughs are one of South Carolina’s foremost legal families. Alex Murdaugh was a volunteer prosecutor in the same office where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather spent over 80 years combined as top prosecutors in the area. The rest of the family are prominent civil lawyers.
The current elected prosecutor is not a member of the family, but stepped down last month after citing the progress of the case without giving further details.
When Paul Murdaugh was killed, he was awaiting trial for impaired boating causing death in a February 2019 crash that killed a 19-year-old woman. State police have since started investigating the accident to see if anyone tried to stop police from charging Paul Murdaugh.
After Murdaugh’s deaths, state police also reopened an investigation into the 2015 hit-and-run death of a 19-year-old man in Hampton County. The victim’s mother said she believed Paul Murdaugh could have been involved.
Authorities have not disclosed any information as to why these cases have been reopened.
