In February 2019, Paul Murdaugh, Morgan Doughty, Connor Cook, Anthony Cook, Miley Altman, and Mallory Beach climbed aboard a boat owned by Paul’s father, South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh.
Paul, who was apparently heavily intoxicated, drove the boat into a piling by the bridge over Archers Creek near Parris Island. All six passengers were ejected, but five of them survived. Beach, who was 19 years old, died. Her body was later found five miles from the crash site.
Paul Murdaugh was charged for boating under the influence, but never convicted: Along with his mother, he was shot to death in June.
New Details
New details regarding the case emerged last month, when the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released new audio and video from the accident, as reported by WTOC.
According to the 911 dispatch audio that was released by the DNR, it was Connor Cook who contacted the authorities.
"We’re in a boat crash on Archer’s Creek… we have someone missing," Cook said.
"We’re coming, we’re coming, we’re coming! ok?… who’s that in the background?" the dispatcher asked.
"There’s six of us, and one is missing," Cook said, referring to Mallory Beach.
Dispatch Calls
Beaufort County dispatch calls provided more clarity about Beach’s final moments.
"They were driving at a high rate of speed, in the water, in the boat. Female was sitting on her boyfriend’s lap. They hit the bridge. She is now missing."
Beaufort Water Search and Rescue, meanwhile, said that Murdaugh’s boat "actually came-apart at the seam."
According to DNR officers, surveillance footage showed Paul Murdaugh buying alcohol. He was 20 years old at the time and apparently bought drinks at a Parker’s gas station in Ridgeland with a fake ID.
Paul Murdaugh
In a disposition, Mallory Beach’s boyfriend Anthony Cook said that Paul Murdaugh "needs to f*cking rot in prison," as reported by Inside Edition.
"He ain’t going to get in no fuck*ing trouble," Cook said.
Indeed, despite frequent run ins with the law, members of the Murdaugh family — a powerful and influential legal dynasty that goes back to Randolph Murdaugh — have seldom faced consequences for their actions, even as multiple people close to them lost their lives.
This month, however, Alex Murdaugh turned himself in to Hampton County police.
Murdaugh Family Murders
Alex Murdaugh was shot in the head earlier this month. He initially blamed the shooting on an unidentified man, but then admitted to participating in a conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. His lawyers described him as suicidal and addicted to opioids.
Murdaugh’s other son, Buster, was apparently involved in the mysterious death of Stephen Smith.
In July 2019, Smith’s body was found with a fatal head wound on a road in Hampton County, South Carolina. All evidence pointed to a homicide, but his death was ultimately ruled a hit-and-run.
