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The young man from one of South Carolina’s most prominent families who was shot dead alongside his mother had been getting a series of threats before the double slaying, his uncles revealed in an interview Thursday.
Paul Murdaugh, 22 — who was facing trial over the death of a 19-year-old girl — was shot “multiple times” alongside his 52-year-old mom Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh in Islandton late last Monday.
“I didn’t think it was a credible threat — if it was, I would have tried to do something or notify someone,” John Marvin Murdaugh told “Good Morning America” Thursday without elaborating on the nature of the threats.
“But I guess … maybe I made a mistake,” he said, lowering his head in grief.
Despite the threats — and Paul Murdaugh’s impending legal troubles — the relatives, who are both brothers of Alex, insisted the slaughtered pair had no known enemies.
“You hear of all this talk on the social media with regard to Paul, but — I don’t know of anybody that would truly be an enemy, or truly want to harm them,” Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV, a partner with Paul’s father Alex in their prominent local legal firm, insisted.
The men both denied local speculation that the family had used its legal ties to help protect Paul, who was accused of drunkenly crashing a boat that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach in 2019.
They also insisted that their family is being wrongly portrayed in media reports on the gruesome slaying.
“Seeing words like ‘dynasty’ and ‘power’ used … but we’re just regular people,” Randy Murdaugh insisted.
“We’re hurting just like they would be hurting if it happened to them.”
The pair recalled getting the call from their brother breaking news of the double slaying.
“As soon as I answered the phone I knew something was wrong,” John Marvin Murdaugh said wiping away tears. “Oh man … He just told me, ‘Come as fast as you can — Paul and Maggie have been hurt.’”
Randy recalled “the fear” in his brother’s voice, saying, “He was just distraught.”
Officials have said the pair were “shot multiple times.” Officials have not commented on local media reports that two weapons were used — a shotgun to kill the son and an assault rifle to gun down his mother.
So far, no suspects or official motives have been given.
The Murdaughs are one of South Carolina’s most prominent legal families, with three generations having served consecutively as solicitor for the 14th Circuit.
One of them, the patriarch of the family, 81-year-old Randolph Murdaugh III, had been ill prior to the shooting deaths of his grandson and daughter-in-law, and died days later.
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