SC suspends Alex Murdaugh's law license amid investigation into wife, son's murder
Fox Nation's Nancy Grace breaks down the details of the ongoing case.
South Carolina authorities have launched a probe into the death of the former housekeeper for disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh who died in a mysterious 2018 slip and fall accident, authorities said Wednesday.
"Based upon a request from the Hampton County Coroner earlier today, as well as information gathered during the course of our other ongoing investigations involving Alex Murdaugh, SLED is opening a criminal investigation into the death of Gloria Satterfield and the handling of her estate," the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said in a statement.
The announcement came on the same day that Satterfield's two sons – Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott -- filed a lawsuit against Murdaugh over his alleged failure to pay damages for her death. The lawsuit claims Murdaugh stipulated that he was at fault for Satterfield's death.
"The plaintiffs are victims. The plaintiffs are vulnerable. The plaintiffs are scared," the lawsuit reads. "By this action, the plaintiffs seek real answers surrounding the death of their mother and the disposition of the monies supposedly paid for their benefit."
Alex Murdaugh, right, is shown here with his family. South Carolina authorities have opened an investigation into the death of Murdaugh’s housekeeper, officials said Wednesday.
Attorneys for the family said none of the $505,000 settlement reached with Murdaugh has been paid.
Gloria Satterfield, 57, worked as a nanny for the Murdaughs for over two decades and was "told she was part of the Murdaugh family, the lawsuit filed in Hampton County claims. In February 2018, she mysteriously fell while working in the Murdaugh home and died.
In a Wednesday letter to SLED, Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper said Satterfield's death "was not reported to the Coroner at the time, nor was an autopsy performed."
"On the death certificate the manner of death was ruled "Natural," which is inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident," Topper wrote. "In light of the inconsistencies, I feel that it is prudent to pursue an investigation into Gloria Satterfield's death."
In December 2018, Murdaugh agreed to a $505,000 settlement to be paid to Satterfield's sons. The amount would be split to cover $500,000 for wrongful death and survival action and $5,000 for medical costs, according to the lawsuit.
"To date, Tony and Brian have not received any monies from any claims or settlements with Murdaugh and his insurance carriers following their mother’s death – Not one dime," attorney Eric Bland claimed in the filing.
Fox News has reached out to Bland.
The lawsuit also names Corey Fleming, who was introduced to Satterfield and Harriott by Murdaugh to be their attorney. The lawsuit said Fleming and his firm were paid $166,000 to represent the Satterfield family while nothing has been paid to her heirs.
Court documents said Fleming was a former college roommate of Murdaugh's, a close friend and godfather to his 22-year-old son, Paul. Paul Murdaugh and his mother, Maggie, were found by Alex Murdaugh shot dead outside their home in June.
SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER ALEX MURDAUGH SHOT MONTHS AFTER WIFE AND SON WERE KILLED IN UNSOLVED CASE
"Tony and Brian trusted Alex Murdaugh and because of their trust in him, Tony and Brian retained Fleming and MKF to represent them," the suit states.
Also named in the suit is Chad Westendorf, who Fleming made the personal representative for Gloria Satterfield's estate without the knowledge of her sons, according to court documents.
The lawsuit and new investigation come amid a separate law enforcement inquiry into a recent shooting that injured Murdaugh. Authorities arrested a man who allegedly conspired with Murdaugh to shoot and kill him in a bizarre plot to collect $10 million in life insurance payouts to his son.
Murdaugh sustained a superficial wound on Sept. 4 on the side of a rural road, police said.
He told authorities he was shot in broad daylight while trying to fix a flat tire. Curtis Edward Smith, 61, has been charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in connection with the case.
In a Wednesday interview with NBC’s "Today" show, Murdaugh's lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, said he expects his client to be charged and that "clearly knew what he had done was wrong."
"He was in a dark, dark, dark place and wanted to help his remaining son Buster in any way he could and he thought this was the only way he could leave him with anything," Harpootlian said.
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"He clearly knew what he had done was wrong and explained to us a couple things," he added about the visit with Murdaugh this past Monday. "One, the murder of his son and wife 90 days ago took a tremendous toll on him, his father died of cancer that same week – most people couldn’t get through that. He got through it with the use of opioids and then last week it was uncovered that he had converted some client and law firm money to his own use, and again spent most of that on opioids."
At the time of his death, Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial for a boating under the influence death that killed a 19-year-old woman in February 2019.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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