Inside the Murdaugh saga: How a South Carolina dynasty fell to murder and fraud

Murder, money and mystery -- the saga of the Murdaugh family has gripped the country for nearly five years.

A South Carolina woman's 2019 death in a boat crash would be followed two years later by a double homicide of a mother and son and allegations of fraud.

A new "20/20" episode, "The Murdaugh Family Murders" airing Friday, Oct. 31, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, examines the case.

You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.

The Murdaugh family legal troubles began after the February 2019 death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in a boating accident. The driver of the boat, her friend Paul Murdaugh, the son of fourth-generation Hampton County lawyer and volunteer local solicitor Alex Murdaugh, was indicted for boating under the influence causing death.

Paul Murdaugh pleaded not guilty, but faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted. He was released on his own recognizance as he awaited trial.

In June 2021, Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were found fatally shot on the family's property in Islandton, South Carolina.

Alex Murdaugh told police that he had been out during the shooting and found his wife and son dead when he arrived home, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Mandy Matney's "Murdaugh Murders Podcast," which ran from 2021 to 2023, reported on these real life events. Her podcast and memoir has been developed into an eight-episode scripted series, partially fictionalized for dramatic purposes, called "Murdaugh: Death in the Family," airing on Disney Plus and Hulu every Wednesday until Nov. 19.

Hulu is a division of Disney, ABC's parent company.

Oscar winner Patricia Arquette, who plays Maggie Murdaugh in the Hulu show, told "20/20" that she was fascinated by the story.

"This well-respected beloved man of the community with this family, with deep roots there in the south, this privileged family," she said. "Then as it started to unravel and it started coming out, all the things he did, it was just so outrageous. It was so diabolical."

Alex Murdaugh is portrayed by actor Jason Clarke, who said that the show leaves ambiguity around his character's decision to kill his wife and son.

"One of the beauties of this whole show is we do not dictate 'Why did he do it?' There is no solving that in that quiet moment, but it was a choice without a doubt," he told "20/20." "So in my mind, I'm constructing a whole bunch of things of 'how do I get there?' 'How do I put that across?' 'What thing's going to lead in there?' And you go, well, it is a tragedy, Shakespearean tragedy."

Less than four months after his son and wife had been killed, in September 2021, Alex Murdaugh called authorities to tell them he had been shot in the head while changing a flat tire on the side of the road.

Doubt, however, was cast on his claims from the start and authorities challenged Murdaugh's depiction and the severity of his injuries.

In the days that followed, Alex Murdaugh entered rehab for opioid addiction amid allegations he had misappropriated funds at his law firm. He was forced to resign from his firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, and the firm released a statement saying "he is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner."

"His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies. A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation," the statement said.

At the time, Alex Murdaugh released a statement saying the murders of his wife and son "caused an incredibly difficult time" in his life. This statement did not directly address the alleged assisted suicide attempt or the allegations about misappropriated funds.

"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," he said in the 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."

Then, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order suspending Alex Murdaugh's license to practice law in the state. He was subsequently disbarred. He would ultimately plead guilty to 22 state charges and 22 federal charges related to his financial crimes.

While at rehab, Alex Murdaugh and his attorney reached out to law enforcement and Alex Murdaugh claimed he staged the roadside shooting in the hope of being killed, so his son could collect life insurance money.

Alex Murdaugh and the man he is accused of hiring to shoot him were each charged in connection with the alleged roadside shooting and both have pleaded not guilty.

In 2022, Alex Murdaugh pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder for the shooting of his wife and son. However, he was found guilty by a jury the following year, after three hours of deliberation, and sentenced to two back-to-back terms of life in prison.

At his sentencing hearing, Alex Murdaugh continued to deny that he had shot them.

"I'm innocent. I would never hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never hurt my son, Paw-Paw," he said.

During the hearing, Judge Clifton Newman called the case one of the "most troubling" he has seen, and suggested that "the monster" Alex Murdaugh became while on drugs may have been the one responsible for the brutal murders of his wife and son.

His attorneys have appealed his murder conviction, and the matter is currently before the South Carolina Supreme Court.

ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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