In 1991 he was sentenced to death and put to death by way of the electric chair. In this booking photo released on Sept. 16, 2021, by the Hampton County Detention Center, Alex Murdaugh is shown. It turned out that he had not been alone on the side of the road, as he had claimed, but was with a friend and distant cousin, Curtis Edward Smith. To her luck, her daughter and husband put out the flames. Thank you! Look left into the backwoods, scraggly pines taking up the land, and not a building in sight. Medical records showed that Mr. Murdaugh had been shot in the back of the head, but he had been able to call for help afterward. Read Next: The Most Famous Cult Leader In History: Charles Manson. Susan Smith was born in 1971, in Union, South Carolina, and had a troubled upbringing with sexual abuse and her father's suicide. The Supreme Court of South Carolina officially disbarred Alex Murdaugh from practicing law in the state based on his "admitted reprehensible misconduct. Lee Roy Martin was born in Gaffney, South Carolina in 1937. Some of the state's most notorious South Carolina serial killers who often appear on these lists include the following: Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins, Jr., who murdered at least 15 people from 1953-1982, but claims to have killed 110; William Pierce, Jr., who killed at least 9 people from 1970-1971; and Leslie Eugene Warren, also known as "The In May 2006, Inman entered Tiffany Souers off-campus apartment through an unlocked door. He told authorities he had been out at the time of the shooting and found his wife and son dead when he arrived home, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a later news release. You will receive your first email soon. Tiffany fought him but Jerry tied her hands, raped her and strangled her with a bikini top. Lee Roy Martin: On Feb. 8, 1968, Martin called the editor of theGaffney Ledgerand told him where to find the bodies of two women he strangled and dumped in the woods. Weirdly during his trials, Bell had delusions of being Jesus Christ and he never confessed why he killed those young girls. Unsolved Murdaugh Murders Expose Years of South Carolina Mysteries, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/us/alex-murdaugh-murders-south-carolina.html. Discover Walks contributors speak from all corners of the world - from Prague to Bangkok, Barcelona to Nairobi. After Kohlhepps arrest, he admitted to murdering another couple who had been reported missing and whose bodies were found in shallow graves on his property. Also on Sept. 15, the sons of a former Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, filed a lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh, Corey Fleming and others for allegedly swindling them out of receiving settlement money. Sept. 7, 2021: Law firm says Murdaugh left due to money misuse, Alex Murdaugh's former law firm, PetersMurdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, released a statement saying Murdaugh formally resigned Sept. 3 and that "he is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WMBF) Head north on Old River Road from Highway 378 toward Florence, and youll be hugging the Great Pee Dee River, winding through the flat land, lightly forested with pine trees and a few hardwoods here and there. He served in the position for two decades before he was killed in a train crash. He continues to insist he was not a collaborator, but a convenient scapegoat collateral damage from a powerful mans midlife skid out of control. Dylann Roof: He walked into a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, sat with parishioners for about 40 minutes,then opened fire, killing nine African-Americans in June 2015. "My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster," Randy said, naming Alex's other son. They were born to wreak mayhem on humankind. These people are everywhere; not just inherent to one state or another, to one continent or another. A grand jury indicted Alex Murdaugh on two counts of murder for the fatal shootings of his wife and son. To ensure that he was not suspected by the law, Allen set the victims items that include cars and their homes on fire. In 1972, he was stabbed to death in his cell. This list may not reflect recent changes. The Murder of Brenda Sue Brown Police cars parked near the crime scene fenced with barrier tape. Lawyer Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing, Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. Mr. Murdaughs lawyers said he had come up with a plan to make his suicide look like a murder because he believed it would help his older son, Buster Murdaugh, collect on his life insurance policy. That unraveling is now at the center of a sprawling saga of mysterious deaths including the unsolved killing of Mr. Murdaughs wife and younger son and allegations of multimillion-dollar swindles and abuses of trust and power. He was also convicted in the kidnapping and killing of Sharon Faye Smith, 17. The South Carolina female serial killer was found guilty and convicted on two counts of murder and sentenced to a life sentence. She never came home with her sister. She vanished from her home in Lexington County and her body was found in Saluda County. Well let you know the identity of some of the most active and famous South Carolina serial killers, and what makes them want to kill. Lawyers representing Ms. Smith said they would seek a court order approving the exhumation. That is one of the questions investigators are asking now as they examine not only the killing of Mr. Murdaughs wife and son, but at least three other deaths that preceded that tragedy. SLED said in a statement at the time that he was shot on Old Salkehatchie Road near Varnville,South Carolina. Maggie Murdaugh, as she was known as an adult, spoiled her two sons. Alex is not without fault but he is just one of many whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction," the lawyers' statement continued. ", Oct. 15, 2021: Lawyer said Murdaugh had drugs in his system day he was shot. Lavinia Fisher (1793-February 18, 1820) Linda Newbrough Is it in bad taste to boast the fact that South Carolina was home to the first female serial killer? Mr. Smith had been a classmate of Alex Murdaughs older son, Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr., who goes by Buster. Earlier on Sept. 16, Curtis Edward Smith appeared in front of a Hampton County Judge for a bond hearing on charges where he agreed to a public defender and had his bond set at $55,000 for the attempted assisted suicide of Alex Murdaugh. One of his defense lawyers said, We have executed a sick, delusional, psychotic man.. Because she was trying to gain the love of a rich gentleman who didn't want children. charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. "So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you. Sept. 8, 2021: Brother "shocked" by Murdaugh allegations; Alex Murdaugh's law license suspended, Alex Murdaugh's older brother Randy Murdaugh, who is also still employed by the firm, released a statement saying he was "shocked" to learn of his brother's "settling of money," as well as "drug addiction.". He was sentenced to consecutive life sentences. Martin, known as the Gaffney Strangler, was convicted for four murders and was sentenced to four life terms. Dallen tied a Radio Shack employee Jonathan Lemuel Lara to a chair and stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver in the back room on June 26, 1999. Valenti also was charged with strangling and burying 16-year-old Mary Earline Bunch in February 1974 and with attacking five other young women. The. For the last 20 years, there have been many people feeding his addiction to opioids. Later on, on December 22, 1999, Dallen killed a 30-year-old flower shop clerk, Karen Moore Hayden by slitting her throat and leaving her face down in a back storage room and on December 1999 he killed Sandi Roberts Ott and her ex-husband Timoth Ott in Easley. Her death is also listed as natural on her death certificate, which is at odds with an accidental fall. Get more stories delivered right to your email. South Carolina is seeing an increase in murders and violence in the state over the last few years. Bell kept the dark secrets of why he committed murder. Henry was finally caught March 13, 1994, and subsequently sentenced to nine death sentences. The jury deliberated for less than three hours. He was also linked to slayings in Colorado and disappearances of young women in Washington, Colorado and other Western states. We sell limited edition hand drawn serial killer shirts and horror apparel. ", Oct. 14, 2021: Murdaugh arrested, charged in connection to settlement funds from housekeeper's death. Mr. Murdaugh had been in jail since October 2021, when he was first charged with stealing from a former client. RELATED: Exclusive: Sincerely, Susan: Union mother convicted of murder 20 years ago defends herself, VIDEO: Corresponding with convicted killer Susan Smith. The four people that he killed include his employees friend at a Texas Roadhouse, a homeless man in Colombia whom he shot but the man survived the gunshot and the other two he killed during a gas station robbery. Millions of dollars in stolen funds. ABC News' Eva Pilgrim, Alexandra Faul, William Gretsky, Janice McDonald, Jen Leong and Mike Repplier contributed to this report. Williams, a freelance news photographer, was sentenced to two life terms. Smith was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County in 2015 and investigators believed he was hit by a vehicle but no suspects were ever apprehended, a local ABC affiliate in North Carolina, WTVD, reported. The Most Famous Cult Leader In History: Charles Manson, 11 Currently Active Serial Killers: Unsolved Cases in 2023, The Best True Crime And Serial Killer Documentaries Worth Binge Watching In 2022, The World's Most Famous Serial Killers And Murderers, Night Stalker: The Life And Death Of Richard Ramirez, Ed Gein: The Gruesome True Story that Inspired The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. June 7, 2021: Margaret and Paul Murdaugh are found dead. Mr. Murdaugh had been at home with his wife and son earlier on the day that they died, but phone records indicate that he left to visit his mother around 9 p.m. Prosecutors accused him of killing his wife and son in a failed attempt to conceal his own financial crimes. You cant talk to anybody in South Carolina who isnt talking about this case and is not just astonished by whats going on.. After only four days he shot Hazel Linder and her daughter, Gena Linder Parker. After being caught by an escaped customer who went to the police, she argued that they couldn't hang a married woman. All rights reserved. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really A male driver in a blue pickup asked him if he had car troubles, as soon as Alex replied, he was shot. He was later questioned about another crime in which he pleaded not guilty. A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation.". March 3, 2023: Sentenced to life in prison. While in prison Allen still tried to kill a correctional officer during his escape attempt. Susan was then sentenced to life in prison and was permitted for parole on November 4, 2024. Connor Cook, a lifelong friend of Pauls who had also been on the boat, filed another lawsuit last month, accusing Mr. Murdaugh and others of trying to frame him for the boat crash. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The bridge to Parris Island, S.C., that witnesses said Paul Murdaugh crashed his familys boat into in 2019, killing one of his passengers, Mallory Beach.