True-crime filmmakers Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason. Their Emmy-nominated Hulu documentary series, Fyre Fraud, looked into the 2017 music festival, and their 2021 documentary series, LulaRich, looked into a billion-dollar pyramid scheme.
So when they began working on a three-part Netflix docuseries about Alex Murdaugh’s amazing alleged crime saga in South Carolina, where his family of prosecutors and lawyers have had great weight for over 100 years, they were uniquely suited to negotiate unusual headlines.
Murdaugh Murders will premiere in the fall of 2021, according to the producers. Alex contacted 911 months earlier to report the horrific murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, for which he is on trial. Alex denies killing his wife and son. Alex was murdered after his family law firm fired him for embezzling millions of dollars.
(Alex’s lawyer says most of the money went on painkillers.) A former customer shot Alex’s head. He denies shooting him. Alex told the man to kill him for his son’s insurance. (Murdaugh apologized and went to rehab.)
Furst says, “Things were at peak craziness,” and he and Nason didn’t want to track the “absurd” news cycle. Instead, they interviewed acquaintances of Paul Murdaugh and focused the docuseries on a 2019 boat disaster that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injured numerous others. Paul died on bail for drunkenly crashing the ship. Alex is sued for Beach’s wrongful death.
The documentary illustrates the Murdaugh family’s entitlement and distortion of justice after the disaster. Paul’s phone wasn’t seized or handcuffed after the crash. In the docuseries, crash witnesses say Alex spent hours arranging their tales and blaming his son.
“When [Beach] died, the Murdaughs’ behavior was so horrible, and the lack of empathy, compassion, and accountability was so clear, that it was a ‘enough is enough’ moment for that community,” says Furst.
We told the story via these young people who find themselves at a turning point in history—not only for their generation, but for three generations prior in which this family has been permitted to get away with murder, literally and figuratively.”
Gen-Z Murdaugh friends and their families address Maggie and Paul’s murders, Stephen Smith’s 2015 death, and Gloria Satterfield’s 2018 death. Investigating Smith and Satterfield’s deaths. Alex acknowledged owed Satterfield’s sons $4.3 million in wrongful-death damages. Paul’s ex-girlfriend Morgan Doughty alleges physical and verbal abuse.
The filmmakers contacted archives, reporters, and Beach’s family lawyer, Mark Tinsley. Tinsley’s diligent probe into Alex’s money discovered a vast corruption scheme. Furst and Nason found too many skeletons in Alex’s closet for their three-episode docuseries.
Furst thinks this story is rich. “We know of further crimes—corruption outside Hampton, South Carolina. State-federal.” The creators want enough views for more series regarding such crimes.
Netflix offers 200+ million people and 70+ languages. We hope a tidal surge reveals the story. Furst says, “We’re waiting on the story.” Dune-like. The director of Dune recognized the interdependence of the first and second sections.
Furst and Nason invited Alex’s agents to the docuseries. “That was a category five shit storm for the Murdaugh family,” Furst says. “With weekly indictments, I don’t think they could really debate participating in a documentary.” Alex faces 99 accusations, including two murder counts, for defrauding clients of $8.8 million. Furst feels “innocent people want to talk about it.” When guilty, one must watch what they say.”
Alex’s grandfather’s portrait hangs in the courtroom while Nason watches Court TV coverage of Alex’s trial. The trial court ordered its removal.
“Considering he’s part of a rich, Southern, white family who has been in power for over 100 years, you aren’t surprised that Alex Murdaugh is getting white-glove, fair-justice treatment in our legal system right now,” Nason says, teasing upcoming episodes.
But viewers may not realise that this family didn’t give many people fair trials for years. Amazing. What karma caused that?”
