The recently released crime docuseries “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” on Netflix follows the true story of the infamous Murdaugh family in South Carolina’s low country region. The Murdaugh family had three generations who were successful attorneys in the 14th Circuit District, also famously known as “Murdaugh Country.” Yet, after receiving widespread fame as the topmost rich and famous legal family in South Carolina, the family has a bad reputation for corruption and murderous tendencies. The mystery began with the youngest son of Alex Murdaugh, Paul’s drunken accident, and the disappearance of one of his friends, Mallory, a 19-year-old girl who was in Murdaugh’s boat. Unfortunately, there are still more fatalities, so this is just the beginning. As Mallory’s relatives and friends gathered in the documentary to give their testimony against the Murdaughs, we are going to learn what transpired with them. Let’s look into it.
Mallory, a 19-year-old girl who disappeared in February 2019 while on a boat ride in Archers Creek, is the first victim involved in the Murdaugh family scandal, and episode 1 opens with her tragedy. Mallory Beach was reported missing on Sunday at 2:00 a.m. Mallory’s disappearance caused a commotion in the neighborhood as her friends and family prayed for her return. But it turned out that Mallory had been thrown into the river and drowned after Paul Murdaugh’s boat collided with a bridge close to Parris Island. We were introduced to Mallory’s boyfriend, Anthony Cook, who recalled his memories of Mallory. Even Anthony’s father was friendly with Mallory’s father. We are shown old video footage of Mallory, either as a baby or as a young girl who once aspired to be a veterinarian. As they grew older, Mallory and Anthony started to feel a connection. From a very young age, Miley became Mallory’s best friend, and subsequently, Morgan Doughty entered their lives. The three became inseparable. When Anthony and Mallory began dating, Connor, Anthony’s cousin, began dating Miley. Yet at this time, Morgan started dating Paul, who was Anthony and Connor’s close friend. Thus, they had a close group of friends who they used to hang out with frequently.
Paul Murdaugh, the 20-year-old brat of Alex Murdaugh and his wife Maggie, is first introduced to us. He was a young man who loved to passionately convey his feelings for the girl he loved. Although Paul frequently surprised Morgan with flowers and gifts, which gave the impression that he was a lovely man, the main issue that plagued their relationship was Paul’s out-of-control drinking. Paul became a nasty animal with a drinking problem who lost all sense of time and place and viciously acted out on his loved ones.
At times, he made Morgan feel bad and even abused her. Morgan was unable to break away from the relationship because she loved him profoundly. She had ignored her friends’ pleas for her not to return to him. Paul Murdaugh’s drinking was not just a way for him to kill time; it may also have been a way for him to escape the contempt he felt from his family. His mother wasn’t even particularly close to him, as compared to his housekeeper Gloria. While nearly every member of his family for the last three generations had worked as a successful solicitor in Hampton County, Paul is more appropriately referred to as the family’s “black sheep.” He had a regal mentality and wasn’t very friendly with his other pals.
While Anthony enjoyed Paul’s company and his wild activities like hunting and fishing, he was unaware that Paul’s callousness would ultimately lead to the death of his girlfriend. Even before the accident on February 24th, Morgan and Paul had been in an accident earlier due to Paul’s drunk driving, but even after the accident, Morgan had wanted to call 911, but Paul wouldn’t let her, instead calling his grandfather Randolph and asking if his parents could come to rescue them. There were many guns and rifles scattered around Paul’s truck, so Alex and Maggie went there and, before even picking up their son, rescued the guns that had surprised Morgan. Morgan and Paul eventually split up, but Paul kept texting her to invite her to the oyster roast.
Mallory took Anthony to the oyster roast on February 23rd, and the other members of the circle were also present. But after the roast party, drunk and wasted, Paul insisted on driving his boat down Archers Creek. Despite his friends’ protests, Paul insisted that it was his boat and that only he would drive. After getting aboard the boat, Paul drove erratically until his drunken driving caused the boat to crash into a bridge where Mallory was tossed into the river. Others in the circle suffered severe injuries but lived, but they were unable to locate Mallory. Connor dialed 911 while suffering from a severe mouth injury. About 16 minutes later, the rescue crew and ambulance arrived. Paul blamed Connor for the event and informed his granddad about it over the phone. Anthony was deeply shaken and unsure about whether to tell Mallory’s family or not. He called his mother, who arrived at the scene right away.
Paul Murdaugh was an extremely callous individual, or, to put it another way, a spoiled brat. Alcohol abuse almost turned him into a monster, murdering every bit of his humanity. Paul had to be punished as a result. But did Paul, whose father was South Carolina’s most well-known and high-ranking attorney, Alex Murdaugh, receive any punishment at all? Or did his father’s large sums of cash overshadow Paul’s immoral act? Let’s explore it in the upcoming episode.
