Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.Photo: Maggie Murdaugh Facebook
The murders of two members of a prominent South Carolina family have shaken their community — and area residents are worried there’s a killer on the loose.
Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his 52-year-old mother, Maggie, wereshot and killedon their 1,770-acre property in Islandton on June 7. Paul’s father and Maggie’s husband, Alex Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina attorney, found their bodies that night.
Paul had been shot in the head and chest with a shotgun and his mother was killed with an assault rifle. Police classified the killings as “execution-style” killings
Almost two months later, there have been no arrests in the shocking double-homicide. There are no leads, suspects or motives —at least none that police are sharing. Less than 12 hours after the murders, the Colleton County Sheriff’s office issued a statement to reassure the community: “At this time, there is no danger to the public.”
For more on Murdaugh murders and other top stories, listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
But not everyone is convinced.
“It’s nonsensical,” local attorney Mark Tinsley tells PEOPLE in its latest issue. “There’s a killer out there. Maybe more than one.Somebody’sin danger.”
For more on the mystery surrounding the murders of a mother and son from a prominent South Carolina family,subscribe now to PEOPLEor pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.
At the time of his death, Paul, 22, wasawaiting trialfor charges of one count of boating under the influence (BUI) causing death and two counts of causing great bodily injury in connection with a February 2019 boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
Connor Cook, a passenger in the boat who suffered a broken jaw in the crash, recently filed a civil petition alleging investigators initially tried to steer the investigation away from Paul. In recently-released audio and video footage from the crash scene, Cook’s cousin is heard telling a police officer that Paul was driving at the time of the crash. ButFITSNews.comreports the officer wrote down in his official report that the brother said he “did not know” who was driving.
Paul pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail.
A statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) last month said that the agency “has opened an investigation into the death of Stephen Smith based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
While the 57-year-old woman’s death was classified as an accident, the Murdaugh family’s insurance company reportedly settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $500,000.
As authorities work to untangle the confusing mysteries, members of the community often share their theories with each other at grocery stores and restaurants. “It’s all anyone can talk about,” an Islandton resident tells PEOPLE. “We’ll be talking about this until we get some answers.”
source: people.com
