Before the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ true crime saga in South Carolina became national and international news last year – i.e. before the infamous double homicide at Moselle or the bizarre roadside shooting involving disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh – the story revolved around a fatal boat crash.
We are now nearly three years removed from this pivotal moment – which propelled the Murdaugh family onto the statewide stage and prompted fresh scrutiny of its various dealings.
To recap: The late Paul Murdaugh (who along with his mother Maggie Murdaugh was murdered at Moselle last June) crashed his father Alex’s 17-foot, center console Sea Hunt fishing boat into a piling near the Archer’s Creek Bridge outside of Parris Island, S.C. shortly after 2:00 a.m. EDT on February 23, 2019.
Seconds before the boat crashed, GPS data obtained by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) indicated the vessel was traveling at a speed of approximately 29 miles per hour (or approximately 25 knots).
The crash killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach of Hampton county, South Carolina and injured several other passengers.