Untangling Fact vs. Fiction in Murdaugh: Death in the Family

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When it comes to Murdaugh: Death in the Family, you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

The new true crime series on Hulu tells the unbelievable story of the Murdaugh family, a once-powerful family from South Carolina. Their reputation has been destroyed by accusations of fraud, corruption, and murder.

The Murdaugh family’s troubles began with a 2019 boat crash that took the life of Mallory Beach and culminated in Alex Murdaugh receiving a life sentence for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. However, investigations into Alex’s finances and other unexplained deaths connected to the family revealed a much more complex story.

According to Erin Lee Carr, co-creator of Death in the Family, this is an exceptionally shocking and disturbing case of unchecked power and privilege. She told the Los Angeles Times that it’s a story with strong relevance to current events.

At the center of the show is Maggie, a woman unable to speak who is played by Patricia Arquette. Arquette portrays her as a loving wife and mother who is beginning to realize her husband has been deceiving her with a complex network of lies.

Arquette shared with People that what struck her most about the story was the complex family patriarch – a likable and captivating man who was also a compulsive liar, unfaithful, and controlling. She found it particularly compelling to watch Maggie slowly come to the realization that she didn’t truly know her husband at all.

She explained that the family was facing a lot of difficult challenges, including struggles with addiction, substance abuse, and infidelity. She described it as a series of painful and upsetting issues building on top of each other.

Okay, so I’m completely obsessed with Mandy Matney’s Murdaugh Murders Podcast, and honestly, it’s amazing to see how much incredible, documented craziness Carr and Michael D. Fuller were able to use for their eight-part series. They really had a goldmine of information to work with, thanks to Mandy!

However, the show wasn’t entirely factual, like many true crime dramas. These shows often add fictional details to depict what people did in private, since official records and cameras can’t capture everything.

Carr explained to MovieWeb that while there’s factual truth, there’s also the ‘story truth’ – the emotional and relatable details that will resonate with those deeply familiar with the Murdaugh case.

As a lifestyle expert who’s been following the Murdaugh case, I’ve noticed a lot of viewers are curious about what’s actually true in the Netflix docuseries, Murdaugh: Death in the Family. So, I’ve been breaking down the key moments – figuring out what really happened versus what the filmmakers might have added or changed to make the story more compelling. I’m separating fact from fiction to give you a clearer picture of this complicated case.

Maggie Murdaugh, played by Patricia Arquette in the series Murdaugh: Death in the Family, is a central figure, but her inner thoughts during her family’s struggles remain a mystery.

So, the series’ creators had to improvise.

According to co-creator Erin Lee Carr, when developing the character of Maggie, they imagined she was a woman with a full life – she owned a business, had married young, and attracted attention from other men. Alex Murdaugh simply claimed her as his wife. This allowed the filmmakers to explore a fictionalized version of Maggie’s relationship with her sister and hint at possible issues within her marriage, adding depth to the story.

In the early morning of February 24, 2019, Paul Murdaugh was driving a boat while intoxicated after a night out. The boat crashed into the Archers Creek Bridge with several passengers on board: Morgan Doughty, Mallory Beach, Anthony Cook, Connor Cook, and Miley Altman.

Mallory was thrown overboard and died, while the others were injured.

Two months after being charged with a boating-related crime that resulted in one death and two serious injuries, Paul Murdaugh was tragically killed alongside his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, by his father, Alex Murdaugh, at their home in Islandton, South Carolina. He was awaiting trial on the felony charges at the time.

Hulu’s documentary, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, shows Alex Murdaugh (played by Jason Clarke) and his father, Randolph Murdaugh III (Gerald McRaney), visiting their children in the hospital and seemingly urging them not to talk to the police – a claim supported by several sources.

Alex later claimed in court documents that he didn’t try to influence Connor. However, in the 2023 Netflix documentary Murdaugh Murders, Connor stated that Paul’s father approached him at the hospital, told him to stay quiet, and promised to handle everything.

Paul had just begun speaking with the police when his grandfather, Randolph, arrived and immediately declared, “I am now his lawyer, and he will not be making any statements.”

In the documentary Murdaugh: Death in the Family, Alex, his son Buster Murdaugh (played by Will Harrison), and Paul (played by Johnny Berchtold) travel to the Bahamas. While there, Paul, still upset about recent events, gets into a drunken altercation with two British tourists.

Records detailing the Murdaughs’ activities immediately following the crash don’t show any evidence of them taking a vacation.

Paul and his then-girlfriend, Morgan, met two British tourists in the Bahamas in 2017 and became friends with them. These friends told Fox News in 2023 that they didn’t learn about the later events surrounding the Murdaugh family – including the boat accident – until after they watched the Netflix documentary.

Max Burton shared that after he posted an old video from a trip in August 2019 and tagged Alex Murdaugh and his friend, Murdaugh sent him a direct message on Instagram asking him to remove it. Murdaugh wrote that he and the woman were no longer together and weren’t supposed to be in contact.

One of the most noticeable fictional moments in Death in the Family is when Gloria Satterfield (played by Kathleen Wilhoite) comforts Paul after the boat crash, telling him everything will be okay. This is unrealistic because Gloria had actually died a year before the accident took place.

She passed away on February 26, 2018, after being hospitalized for four weeks. According to her son, Alex, she fell while at the Murdaugh family home on Moselle Road. Alex told police that she tripped over the dogs and fell down the outdoor steps.

Series co-creator Michael D. Fuller explained on the official companion podcast for Murdaugh: Death in the Family that they decided to keep the character Gloria alive. They felt it was important for the story to show her relationship with the family, especially Paul, and to explore how that connection unfolds as the show progresses.

Okay, so you will NOT believe this in Death in the Family! It’s based on Mandy Matney’s amazing Murdaugh Murders podcast, and there’s this scene… the journalist, brilliantly played by Brittany Snow, is at the hospital after the boat crash. And she sees Alex Murdaugh. It’s this intense moment, she just locks eyes with him and it’s SO chilling! I literally gasped. It’s like she knows something, and it’s just…powerful.

Though her podcast didn’t start until 2021, Mandy did see Alex as early as 2019, but it was in court.

Mandy described a tense encounter with Alex Murdaugh in court back in 2019. Speaking on a podcast, she said she made eye contact with him during a hearing for Paul Murdaugh, and he seemed like he was going to walk towards her before the proceedings began.

She remembered another tense encounter with Alex happening during his court proceedings. She said she was attempting to exit the building when he unexpectedly appeared, being escorted out in handcuffs.

The book Death in the Family illustrates how Alex Murdaugh used his influence to get what he wanted. For example, it describes him introducing a state environmental official to the governor at a party held at the Murdaugh family’s home, demonstrating his ability to connect people in power.

In the series, Alex is applying for a permit to start a jellyfish harvesting company, and is offering potential research funding for the state’s environmental agency (SCDHEC) to gain approval.

Alex attempted to launch a jellyfish business, but it failed in 2014 because of problems with permits and the environment. This was five years before the boat accident, and there’s no evidence he ever asked then-Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, for help.

According to Fuller, the character was heavily involved in real estate and various other businesses. They included this aspect in the story because it ‘felt like something you’d see happening in the South,’ adding to the overall atmosphere.

Randolph III, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as the 14th Circuit Solicitor, received South Carolina’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Palmetto, on September 20, 2018.

The ceremony was held outside the Hampton County Courthouse, and Randolph was surrounded by his large family, including Alex and Maggie.

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2025-10-25 17:18