Alex Murdaugh made a bombshell confession before hatching a botched suicide plan.
The shocking incident was reported on Netflix Murdaugh Murders: A Scandal in the South, a documentary series about the disgraced South Carolina lawyer.
As the second season airs, the show continues to follow the many twists and turns of Murdaugh’s murder trial.
Alex Murdaugh was reportedly trying to deflect attention from his murders. Photo credit: Netflix
Earlier this year, the 55-year-old was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul.
Prosecutors claimed Murdaugh did this to distract from his numerous financial crimes – with the former lawyer also facing money laundering charges.
In the Netflix series, his cousin Curtis “Eddie” Smith also claimed that in 2021, the Southern Man tried to hire him as a hitman so Murdaugh could stage his own death.
He claimed Murdaugh did this to ensure that his surviving son, Buster, could receive a $10 million (£8.1 million) life insurance policy.
According to Smith, the lawyer was also aware that authorities were on his trail and made the shocking confession as he hatched his plan.
When asked why he wanted his cousin to shoot him, Murdaugh reportedly replied, “Because they can prove I was responsible for Maggie and Paul.”
In September 2021, the 55-year-old called the police and claimed he had been shot by someone in a pickup truck.
He suffered only superficial injuries and Smith denies shooting his cousin in the incident.
Curtis “Eddie” Smith made the shocking claim during the Netflix series. Photo credit: Netflix
Recalling that moment, he said he shot away from Murdaugh in a desperate attempt to “make sense” of him.
“…I stopped there and rolled down the window. He comes to my window with a gun,” he explained.
“I thought I had talked some sense into him. And I fired it into the air. At 1.95 meters, he landed on the asphalt, like that…”
After the shooting, Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, battery, insurance fraud and assisted suicide.
In a 2021 interview with TodayHe said: “I didn’t shoot him… I’m innocent. If I had shot him, he would be dead. He is alive.”
Meanwhile, Murdaugh is serving two life sentences for his role in the deaths of his wife and son.
The former attorney also faces 22 charges related to wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
If convicted, he faces 30 years in prison and millions in fines.
The case is not yet closed.
Source : www.unilad.com