Why Didn’t Alex Murdaugh Kill His Older Son Buster? Inside Their Father-Son Relationship (and Why Buster Insists His Dad Is Innocent)
- - Why Didn’t Alex Murdaugh Kill His Older Son Buster? Inside Their Father-Son Relationship (and Why Buster Insists His Dad Is Innocent)
Caroline BlairNovember 13, 2025 at 5:30 AM
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Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty; Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty
Buster Murdaugh listens during his father Alex Murdaugh's trial in February 2023; Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, in December 2022. -
Buster Murdaugh is the elder son of Alex Murdaugh and the late Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh
Buster's mom, Maggie, and younger brother, Paul, were murdered by Alex on June 7, 2021
Alex was convicted of the double homicide in March 2023, and Buster has since maintained his dad's innocence
Buster Murdaugh and his family were thrust into the national spotlight when his father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of killing his mom, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and brother, Paul Murdaugh.
On June 7, 2021, Maggie and Paul were fatally shot near the dog kennels on their family's property in Islandton, S.C. Shortly after, Alex called 911 and claimed that he had found his wife and son shot to death.
Around the time of the double homicide, the prominent legal family was facing a myriad of issues — including financial problems, Paul's upcoming trial in connection with the boating death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach and suspicion surrounding their housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's 2018 death.
By October 2021, Alex was arrested for 22 financial crimes and was later charged with Maggie and Paul's murders in July 2022. Alex was convicted of the murders in March 2023, and he was given two life sentences and an additional 40 years for his financial crimes.
Amid the trial and subsequent sentencing, Buster supported his father and even testified in support of him. After his dad was found guilty of the crimes, Buster continued to maintain his innocence.
The family's story has since been adapted into the Hulu drama series Murdaugh: Death in the Family, which premiered in October 2025.
Here's everything to know about Buster and Alex Murdaugh's relationship.
Buster is Alex and Maggie’s older child
Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh photographed.
Richard Alexander “Buster” Murdaugh, Jr., was born in April 1996 to Alex and Maggie, who got married three years prior, per FITSNews. Maggie and Alex welcomed their second child, Paul Terry Murdaugh, in April 1999.
Prior to Maggie's death, she frequently shared photos on social media of the family attending events together, participating in outdoor activities and enjoying time on their boat.
Buster was living separately from Alex, Maggie and Paul at the time of the murders
Maggie Murdaugh/Facebook
Buster, Paul, Alex and Maggie Murdaugh pictured on a boat in 2015.
Maggie and Paul were shot and killed on the Murdaugh family's 1,770-acre hunting property in the quiet area of Islandton in Colleton County, S.C., on June 7, 2021. Around 10 p.m. that night, Alex reported their deaths and claimed that he found his wife and son murdered near the dog kennels on the property, per CNN.
At the time of the double murders, Buster claimed that he was over 200 miles away at his then-girlfriend's house, per WYFF Greenville. During his father's trial, Buster testified that he was living in Rock Hill, S.C., when he received a phone call from Alex telling him that Maggie and Paul had been killed.
During his testimony, Buster claimed that he received a "normal" call from his dad around 9 p.m. the night of the murders, during which Alex allegedly told Buster that he was going to check on Paul and Maggie.
However, later that night, Alex called Buster a second time and informed him that Paul and Maggie had been shot and killed.
"His demeanor was — I mean — he was destroyed. He was heartbroken," Buster recalled during the 2023 trial, while adding that his dad had "broken down" and was crying.
Alex arranged a shooting to attempt to get Buster a $10 million life insurance payout
Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool/Tribune News Service/Getty
Alex Murdaugh at his trial in February 2023.
Just three months after Paul and Maggie were killed, Alex was shot in the head while trying to change a tire on the side of a road in South Carolina, his attorney told PEOPLE in September 2021.
However, just a few days later, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) alleged that Alex had hired his former client, Curtis Edward Smith, to kill him, so Buster could receive an estimated $10 million life insurance payment after his death, per Smith's arrest affidavit.
Authorities determined that Smith and Alex conspired together, and Alex even gave him a firearm and directions. The former lawyer later admitted to the murder scheme and claimed that he planned it in fear that Buster wouldn't get the insurance money if he died by suicide.
SLED subsequently charged Smith with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Meanwhile, Alex was also charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report.
Alex tried to get Buster readmitted to law school after he was kicked out for plagiarism
Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty
Alex Murdaugh at the Richland County Courthouse in January 2024.
Buster graduated from Wofford College in 2018 and was following in his family's footsteps by studying at the University of South Carolina School of Law, per The State. However, his plans got sidetracked in the summer of 2019 when he was kicked out of the school for low grades and violating the honors code by allegedly plagiarizing.
While Alex was behind bars and awaiting his trials in the fall of 2021, he paid prominent lawyer Butch Bowers $60,000 to help get his son back into law school, according to jailhouse records obtained by the outlet. In addition to paying Bowers, Alex also made several calls to Buster, during which he encouraged him to work with Bowers and the school's dean.
“You need to get ready for this law school, now, okay,” Alex told his son from behind bars in November 2021, according to calls obtained by the Post and Courier. “I mean, you’ve got to really buckle down. You’ve got to treat it like a job. You’re going to have to read these cases two and three times if you don’t fully understand them. Because you know there’s not going to be another chance.”
By September 2022, Alex had been readmitted to the law school but had put it "on hold for now," Alex's attorney, Jim Griffin, told the newspaper.
“He had an acceptance letter and was supposed to start in January 2022 for the spring semester,” Griffin said. “But it was mutually agreed that delaying readmission to law school would be best for him and for the law school.”
As of November 2025, it's unclear if Buster returned to law school or if he is employed.
Buster has maintained his dad’s innocence
Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty
Buster Murdaugh at his dad's trial in February 2023.
In February 2023, Buster took the stand at Alex's trial to testify about his demeanor as a father and how close their family allegedly was. He also spoke about the moment Alex informed him of the murders.
“My father coached every Little League team I played on,” Buster said, per The State, while describing their family as "close-knit."
In addition to speaking to his character, Buster also got emotional while talking about the night his dad called him about the murders and how "destroyed" he seemed.
After Alex was convicted of the double homicide, his older son continued standing by him. Buster spoke about the ordeal in an August 2023 interview with Fox Nation, during which he doubled down on his claims of his dad's innocence.
“I do not think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother,” Buster said at the time. “We have been here for a while now and that’s been my stance.”
Buster further shared that he "absolutely" thinks there is still a killer out there who got away with murder.
“I think I set myself up to be safe but yes, when I go to bed at night I have a fear that there is somebody that is still out there,” he said.
However, Buster did admit that Alex had some characteristics that resembled those of a "psychopath."
“I’m not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole, but certainly, I think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation and the lies and the carrying out of that and such, and I think that’s a fair assessment," Buster said.
He has spoken to his dad since Alex's arrest
Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty
Buster Murdaugh at his dad's trial in March 2023.
In the four years since the Murdaugh family started making headlines, Buster has lived a fairly private life while Alex has been serving his sentence at an undisclosed maximum-security prison in South Carolina.
It's not clear if Alex and Buster have kept in touch over the years, but they exchanged a 42-second phone call while Alex was behind bars on May 16, 2023.
During the phone call, Alex greeted Buster by calling him "buddy," according to the audio obtained by FITSNews.
“Hey, I don’t have a whole lot of time,” Buster replied. “I just boarded a ferry to get back to the Hilton Head Island from Daufuskie [Island].”
The two struggled to understand what the other was saying, so Alex decided to end the call by telling his son, "Love you" and "So proud of you."
“All right. Love you too,” Buster said and thanked his dad for expressing his pride.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
