What Netflix's Murdaugh Murders Documentary Didn't Tell You About The Story

Fake mugshots, knocked off millions, and a horrifying body count. You caught  the dramatic doc, but did you get the full story? Reckless boozehound to murder  for hire, here's what Netflix left out! The Netflix documentary, "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal," devotes itself to the 2019  boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. Three couples — Anthony Cook and Mallory Beach, Connor  Cook and Miley Altman, and Morgan Doughty and Paul Murdaugh — went out on the Murdaugh family  boat to a party. Th

ey started heading back home around midnight. But despite Paul being highly  intoxicated, he wouldn't let anyone else drive. Episode 2 opens just hours after the crash as  rescuers frantically search for Mallory. The other passengers — except for Mallory's boyfriend  Anthony who remained at the scene — were rushed to the hospital. There, while placed in  restraints, Paul's blood alcohol level was confirmed to be over three times the legal limit.  Morgan's mom Diane claimed a nurse warned her: "'

I'm not supposed to say this to you, but Paul, he's a nasty drunk and you need to get  away from him as fast as you can.'" But what wasn't mentioned was how Paul  was apparently laughing and hitting on the nurses. According to the HBO docuseries  "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty," Paul's behavior in the hospital was shocking.  He appeared unfazed by the tragedy, and was seemingly unconcerned about his missing  friend and the consequences that awaited him. The Netflix doc details the many ways

in which Alex Murdaugh  reportedly tried to get his son's friend Connor to be named as the driver of the boat, rather  than Paul. This ranges from instructing the kids not to answer questions and say they  "don't know" who was driving the boat, to claiming to legally represent them  all, to even contacting Connor's parents. "And so that night, I'm worried about finding my child and they're worried about how  they're gonna cover up Paul driving." What the series doesn't mention is  that Alex is s

aid to have recommended attorney Cory Fleming for Connor and his family. But Cory Fleming is a good friend and  former college roommate of Alex's — a connection that the Cook family was unaware  of. It would surely be a conflict of interest for someone closely tied to the Murdaughs  to represent the person Alex wanted to take the blame. Fleming would later be indicted as a  co-conspirator in Alex's many financial crimes. "He already had the plan in  motion. And we fell for it." "Mm-hmm." It was

two months after the death of Mallory  Beach when Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies; one count of driving a water  vehicle under the influence resulting in death, and two counts of boating under the  influence resulting in great bodily injury. But while the Netflix doc provides evidence of  various parties questioning why Paul hadn't been booked into jail yet, it doesn't make clear  that this actually never happened. Even after Paul's indictment, it took an additional  month before t

he charges were brought up. There are statements from his friends' parents  about how he was never handcuffed. Mallory's mother even recounts how his mugshot was taken  of him in a nice shirt. And while all of that is true, it's shocking to discover that Paul  never even set foot in the police station. He was never booked at all. And that mugshot? It  was taken against a wall outside the courtroom. Another way Paul was apparently given what's referred to as the quote  "gentleman's treatment" is

that the judge who set his bond denied the prosecution's request for Paul  to wear an alcohol monitor. Given that Paul was charged with three felonies committed while under  the influence, this was seen by many as gross neglect of duty. It was even brought up on Twitter  using the hashtag "Souths Good Ol Boy System." "He never went behind bars, he never had  handcuffs, never wore the orange suit." Not only did Paul get sent home to  wait indefinitely for a criminal trial, but he reportedly conti

nued to drink and  party like nothing ever happened. Paul's former girlfriend Morgan says she saw Snapchat  stories and other social media posts of people still partying with Paul. A monitor — which the  Netflix series never addresses — would have at the very least ensured that this underage teen  was not continuing to abuse alcohol illegally. It's not until Episode 2 of the Netflix series that the main events are discussed in detail. The  show provides the audio of the 911 call Alex made, as we

ll as Alex's timeline of his movements that  night. But it leaves out significant details. Reported problems in the Murdaughs' marriage  are noted, as are the rumors that Maggie had hired a forensic accountant and maybe even  met with a divorce attorney. But the episode doesn't reveal that Maggie wasn't living  at the Moselle house at the time. Instead, she had been staying at their beach house in  Edisto, far from Alex. So why was she at Moselle? The HBO doc "Low Country" explains that  Maggie

had been living at the beach house, but that on June 7, Alex texted her,  asking to meet up. She apparently even discussed the worrying texts with her sister,  saying Alex was, quote, "up to something." At the trial, Maggie's sister testified  that Alex's father was hospitalized and that Alex claimed his dad needed  Maggie's support. After hearing this, she agreed to meet him at the Moselle  house. She was killed that night. Netflix covers how the survivors of the 2019  boat crash were each aske

d to provide an alibi for the night of the murder, and how they  were all cleared of suspicion. But even so, the crash was continually linked to  the murders by many different sources. "Think this may very well be related  to the death of Mallory Beach. What was the motivation other than anger or revenge?" But in the "20/20" episode "Murdaugh  Family Murders," it becomes clear why people initially assumed that  these two events would be related: Alex. There's extensive footage  from Alex at the

murder scene, in which he frequently mentions the boat crash and  claims it's the reason his wife and son are dead. The episode also shows the very  first interview Alex gave to State Law Enforcement. He again brings up the  crash in connection with the murders, saying that Paul had been threatened and targeted.  Then, when Alex took the stand on February 23, 2021 his attorney played the 911 call in  which Alex named the threats regarding the crash as the motive. Appearing to  dictate the narrat

ive, he laments, "Paw Paw. I should've known." According to the Netflix doc, two weeks into  investigating the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, State Law Enforcement reopened the  case of Stephen Smith's death. Killed in 2015, 19-year-old Smith was found lying in the middle  of a road with head injuries. While Alex's oldest son, Buster Murdaugh, was mentioned in  connection with the case, it never led anywhere. Stephen's death was labeled  a hit-and-run, and the case was closed. "This is not

a wreck. This is a murder." But what the HBO doc reveals is that the only  reason the coroner called it a hit-and-run is because Smith's body was found in the road.  State police are said to have found the death suspicious for various reasons; the complete  lack of glass or debris at the crime scene, the odd position of the body, and the lack  of injury anywhere else on his person. The Netflix show fails to mention that the  coroner seemingly ignored all this evidence. Yes, there's an indicatio

n that the  investigation was rushed or covered up on behalf of the Murdaughs. But  the HBO version actually backs this up with a statement from Stephen Smith's  mother. Sandy Smith says that the morning Stephen's body was found, Alex's oldest  brother offered to represent the family. "Before the sheriff came in,  Randy Murdaugh was calling." On September 4, 2021, three months after the murders of Maggie and Paul,  Alex Murdaugh called 911 again. This time, he said he'd been shot in the head by

an unknown man who  stopped to help him change his tire. The Netflix miniseries addresses the particulars of this  case, but it leaves out some crucial information. Alex's injury is listed in the police report  as a superficial gunshot wound to the head, which would seem to corroborate Alex's story. But  a guest on "20/20" said that the medical report revealed the wounds weren't from a gunshot at  all. Instead, they were likely due to a fall. Another item left out of the Netflix  series is how t

here were 10 shell casings found at the scene, which  doesn't add up to Alex's story at all. It was soon revealed that Alex had  asked his cousin, Curtis "Eddie" Smith, to shoot him. Smith confirmed to "20/20" that the  request was made, but that he never hurt Alex. "He said, 'I need you to kill me.' I  said, 'Yeah, that ain't happening.' And I figured I was gonna try to scare some sense into him, and I shot the gun up in the air." On September 6, 2021, Alex Murdaugh announced that he was resign

ing  from his law firm and entering rehab. He would later reveal an opioid addiction. But the  firm swiftly contradicted this story. The law firm was founded in 1910 by Randolph  Murdaugh Sr., Alex's great-grandfather. Netflix mentions the trip to rehab briefly,  but "20/20" goes into much more detail. "If anyone wants to see the face of what  opioid addiction does, you're looking at it." Mere hours after Alex's statement about  entering rehab, the firm released its own statement saying that Mur

daugh  didn't resign as he claims. Instead, he was asked to leave on September 3rd  — the day before his bizarre roadside shooting — because he had misappropriated  funds from clients and the firm alike. According to "20/20," Alex was briefly  removed from rehab to be charged in the shooting hoax. He was then charged with  the theft of the Satterfield settlement. The day Alex left rehab, he was charged  with the murders of his wife and son. What the Netflix doc doesn't get into is just how many

financial crimes Alex  Murdaugh has been accused of. The memo from the law firm stating he had been misappropriating  funds opened the door to dozens of incidents where Alex defrauded his clients or embezzled money from  his firm. All in, it totalled millions of dollars. A whopping 99 charges have been filed  related to these findings. But the crimes also seemingly provide a motive for the  deaths of Paul and Maggie. Paul's boating accident in 2019 had yet to go to trial,  but a civil case again

st him on behalf of the Beach family was progressing. A hearing  was scheduled for June 10 — just three days after Paul and Maggie were murdered. That  hearing was to request an accounting of the family's financial records, which  Alex presumably didn't want to release. Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley  told "20/20" that after the murders, the hearing was indefinitely canceled.  And if Maggie was also filing for divorce, then Alex's finances would have been  scrutinized in that scenario, as we

ll. One of the most egregious of Alex Murdaugh's financial crimes is the one perpetrated  against the family of his former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. The Netflix series  covers Satterfield's long relationship with the Murdaughs, as well as her death in 2018.  Satterfield reportedly fell and hit her head on brick steps at the home. But the inconsistency  in the accounting of the incident was troubling. Alex claimed to be at the scene, talking  to Gloria, claiming she told him the dogs tripp

ed her. But during the 911 call,  Paul and Maggie's voices are evident, but Alex's is not. Witness statements also  reveal that Alex wasn't there at the time of the fall and that Gloria  never regained consciousness. "He said I want to make sure  the boys are taken care of." The Netflix doc also touches on the plan  Alex devised to sue himself in order to collect from the insurance company for Gloria's  sons — and his ultimate betrayal in taking the entire $4.3 million for himself. But what it 

leaves out is the ending to this tragic tale, possibly because filming had wrapped.  Thankfully, the Satterfield sons were awarded over $7.5 million in settlements  from Murdaugh and his co-conspirators. Netflix had their series in the can before the trial of Alex  Murdaugh began. And some damning evidence from the courtroom is missing from the doc.  As noted by "20/20," one of the most powerful exhibits shown to the jury was a timeline.  The prosecution's report included GPS data, steps data, a

nd second-by-second records  of all calls and texts between the parties. Alex placed his 911 call just 19 seconds  after he arrived at the dog kennels. As the prosecution pointed out, this wouldn't have been  enough time to check the pulses of his wife and son — whose bodies were 30 feet apart — before  he called for help, as he initially claimed. Other evidence came from Paul Murdaugh's  phone. One video showed Alex in different clothes than he was wearing when  police arrived. And in a second

video Paul had taken of a dog at the  kennels just minutes before his death, Maggie and Alex can be heard talking in  the background, voiding Alex's alibi. "The State versus Richard Alexander Murdaugh, defendant, indictment for  murder, verdict: guilty." Jurors needed only 45 minutes to convict  Alex Murdaugh on both counts. The next day, he was sentenced to two life sentences  without the possibility of parole.