Embattled lawyer Alex Murdaugh was behind bars in his home state of South Carolina on Saturday after the family of his former housekeeper alleged he absconded with millions of dollars in settlement cash.
Inmate records from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia list Murdaugh in custody based on allegations of obtaining property under false pretenses. Two counts are listed with bond of $10,000 each.
Murdaugh, 53, was charged Thursday in connection with the case. He was subsequently arrested in Orlando, Florida, upon his release from a drug rehabilitation center. An extradition hearing was held Friday.
A court found that the two adult sons of Murdaugh's former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, should have received more than $2.7 million in life insurance proceeds following a "slip-and-fall" at his home that ultimately killed her. Murdaugh negotiated an insurance settlement in secret, and none of the cash went to the children, the sons claim.
Murdaugh's attorney, Richard "Dick" Harpootlian, said on "Good Morning America" Friday, "Look, he’s reconciled to the fact he’s going to prison. He understands that. He’s a lawyer."
State police were investigating a claim by Murdaugh's former law firm, founded by his great-grandfather a century ago, that he may have stolen millions of dollars from it.
On June 7, Murdaugh found his wife, Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, shot to death outside their Colleton County home. The case remained unsolved. On Sept. 4, Murdaugh was shot in the head on the side of a highway.
His legal team said Murdaugh was depressed and trying to arrange his own death so his surviving son could collect a $10 million insurance policy.
Murdaugh is a member of a respected and well-known family in South Carolina that has produced multiple prosecutors and attorneys.
