Netflix’s latest true crime docu-series is Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, the story of the Murdaughs, a wealthy South Carolina family. Murdaugh Murders explores the multiple incidents that the family of litigators have been linked to, including a boating accident in which somebody died, and the events that preceded the deaths of matriarch Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and her son Paul in the summer of 2021.
The series also partially covers the ongoing trial of Alex Murdaugh, Maggie’s husband and Paul’s father, who was charged with their murders but has maintained his innocence and pled not guilty. A fourth member of the Murdaugh family, Maggie and Alex’s other son Buster, is also included in the documentary.
Richard Alex Murdaugh, nicknamed Buster, was previously working at his father’s legal practice and attending law school at the University of South Carolina—something of a family tradition—before the murder of his mother and brother. However, he was eventually kicked out over an incident involving plagarism.
According to local paper The Post and Courier, Buster’s family paid $60,000 in order to ensure that he would be readmitted to the college in order to complete his law degree. However, he has yet to recommence his studies. “He has put his desire to go to law school on hold for now,” the Murdaugh’s lawyer, Butch Bowers, said. “There is no plan for him to start school in the fall or in the spring.”
Where is Buster Murdaugh now?
Buster currently lives with his girlfriend, lawyer Brooklynn White, in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It is uncertain what he does for a living. In February of this year, he testified in his father’s trial as a first witness for the defense—in other words, he testified on his father’s behalf, and said that Alex was “heartbroken” by the deaths of Maggie and Paul.
Buster has been linked to two other deaths
One of the incidents documented in Murdaugh Murders was the sailing accident that resulted in the death of Mallory Beach. The Beach family have claimed that Paul Murdaugh was drunk at the time, but have since agreed to a settlement that removes Buster’s name from the case, along with that of his mother.
The documentary also includes mention of the hit-and-run death of Stephen Smith, a former friend and classmate of Buster’s, which remains unsolved.
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
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