The lawyer survived the shooting attempt, but is under fire for diverting fees from his law firm
A South Carolina lawyer was injured in a recent shooting that saw a bullet graze his head, but although he survives, he faces allegations that he stole from the law firm that employed him.
Alex Murdaugh told police that a person in a pickup truck shot at him on Saturday while he was changing a flat tire on Hampton County’s Salkehatchie Road. According to the New York Times, Murdaugh was brought to the hospital for his graze wound, but was released on Monday.
The Associated Press reported that the incident occurred shortly after personal injury firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED) accused Murdaugh of diverting lawyer fees from the firm. The firm said that an accounting firm would be brought on board to review its books thoroughly.
“This is disappointing news for all of us. Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner. There’s no place in our firm for such behaviour,” PMPED said in a statement on Monday that was published by the AP.
Murdaugh tendered his resignation from the firm, and announced that he would be entering a rehab program.
“Alex resigned after being accused of diverting lawyer fees from the firm. These allegations prompted him to confront a dependency and he voluntarily checked into an in-patient substance abuse rehab facility after being discharged,” said Jim Griffin, the attorney representing Murdaugh.
Murdaugh cited the recent murders of his family as being the trigger for his actions. His wife Maggie and son Paul were killed in a shooting outside the family home in June.
“The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders,” Murdaugh said in a statement. “I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.”
Murdaugh hails from a legal family with a strong reputation in South Carolina. He was a fourth-generation volunteer prosecutor in a clan that has also produced prominent civil attorneys. The American Bar Association Journal reported that PMPED was established by Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, who was elected the first chief prosecutor in the area.
