Five years after Murdaugh boat crash, Mallory Beach family still searching for answers

Five years after a fatal boat crash helped launch a series of events that ultimately brought the downfall of a notorious criminal attorney, the mother of boat crash victim Mallory Beach is remembering her daughter.

As many around the Southeast and nation marked the Feb. 24, 2019, Beaufort County boating accident that took the life of Mallory Beach, 19, of Hampton County, her family and family attorney spoke out about her death and the questions that still need to be answered.

Beach was one of six underaged boaters involved when a boat owned by now-convicted murderer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh and allegedly piloted by his now-deceased son, Paul Murdaugh, crashed into bridge structures on Archers Creek during a late-night outing.

Beach was ejected from the boat and lost in the tidal waters for a week before her body was recovered in a case that launched criminal investigations and a multitude of civil suits that ultimately led to the downfall of legacy lawyer Alex Murdaugh.

Her mother, Renee Beach, in a recent interview with People magazine, said that her late daughter was a beautiful teen who was "full of life" and "loved to joke around."

"She was always fun and happy," Renee Beach said. "She always had us laughing."

Mallory Beach, who had been taking classes at the University of South Carolina's Beaufort campus, was living with her mother when the tragedy occurred and working at "It's Retail Therapy," a clothing boutique in downtown Beaufort. The teen's interests included animal rescues, fashion and home interior design.

Today, the pain of losing a child and a sister is still there for the Beaches.

“I just take one day at a time," Beach said in the interview. "I have my good days and my bad days, and I guess over time you just kind of get used to it, but it doesn't make it easier.”

How is family of Mallory Beach coping five years later?

The death of Mallory Beach forever changed the lives of her parents, Renee and Phillip Beach, and their surviving daughter, Savannah.

For months after the crash, the family tried to recover, but there were reminders of Mallory and the crash everywhere — inside the home, even while walking the streets of their hometown Hampton. So great was this pain that Renee moved out of Mallory's childhood home to another county, and her family followed her to nearby Jasper County.

Renee and Phillip, who is now remarried, ease their grief by spending time with Savannah and their two-year-old grandchild, with another on the way, said family attorney Mark Tinsley.

"I don't know if you ever heal or move on after something like this, but there are constructive places to focus," said Tinsley. "There are some good days, but they still have their moments."

Mallory Beach's death leaves a positive legacy for lower SC

The Beaches are "much stronger people," said Tinsley, and they have a purpose today.

That purpose is reflected in the creation of a nonprofit in pet-lover Mallory Beach's memory, Mal's Palz. Mal's Palz was launched shortly after Beach's death to help poor, rural Hampton County improve its animal shelter, or construct a new one.

After years of legal battles, the family received a $15 million wrongful death settlement, which they are using to help fund Mal's Palz, and Tinsley, along with fellow attorneys, donated a portion of their legal fees to the cause.

"Renee has a purpose, and her purpose is to honor her daughter and make Mal's Palz a success," said Tinsley.

Hampton County's local government recently agreed to partner with Mal's Palz to provide land and help build the new animal shelter, and Tinsley revealed a new development this week: the Town of Varnville has offered the Beaches a space to start a thrift store that would help raise money for operating it.

"This is a terrible story with a terrible ending, but some good things have come out of it," added Tinsley. "Mallory didn't die in vain."

Tragic Murdaugh crash could make SC 'safer place to live'

The Feb. 24, 2019 boat crash launched a series of events: Paul Murdaugh was eventually charged with felony boating under the influence, and several civil suits were filed against multiple parties allegedly responsible for the underaged drinking; lawsuits which, prosecutors believe, eventually led Alex Murdaugh to attempt to hide his finances and cover up a decade-long financial crime spree by murdering Paul and his mother, Maggie, in 2021 — before Paul could go to trial in connection with the boat crash.

Alex Murdaugh, now convicted of murder and fraud, is spending a double life sentence in state prison, and insurance carriers have awarded a total of $18 million to the boat crash passengers, with $15 million of that slated for the Beach family.

"But it was never about the money for the Beaches," Tinsley pointed out. "Nobody's trading places with the (grieving) Beaches, not for any amount of money. A lot of good things came out of this, but is $15 million one of them? No. But the good thing about the settlement is the attention it brought and a certain amount of accountability."

The fatal crash, high-profile Murdaugh crime saga, and the recent settlement all brought attention to the problem of underaged drinking in South Carolina, added Tinsley, who pointed out that South Carolina was recently ranked the second worst state in the nation in terms of injuries related to driving and boating under the influence.

"I have to believe that this attention is a good thing in terms of making South Carolina a safer place to live," concluded Tinsley.

Questions still need answers, investigation, says Tinsley

Criminal cases have been filed and disposed of, lawsuits settled, and a nonprofit launched, but is the dilemma of the Murdaugh boat crash resolved?

A half-decade later, Tinsley says no. There is powerful evidence, he contends, that members of law enforcement with connections to the powerful Murdaugh family, a four-generation legal powerhouse in lower S.C., made efforts to help Murdaugh and obstruct the investigation into the boat crash.

Tinsley contends that responding law enforcement officers -- some with deep connections to the Murdaughs, who were solicitors for nearly 86 years -- either failed to gather proper evidence or failed to protect it. Incident reports were inaccurate or incomplete, and evidence is missing, says Tinsley, including videos and recorded statements from the boat crash survivors, as well as DNA samples.

"There are lots of indications people tried to help the Murdaughs," said Tinsley. "Whether it would have affected the criminal prosecution or not, it doesn't matter. Whether they are prosecuted or whether they lose their law enforcement credentials, it doesn't really matter."

Tinsley added that some law enforcement agents at the time appeared more interested in protecting the Murdaughs than in finding Mallory's body or even notifying her family that she was missing in the water.

"If nothing else, there are questions that need to be answered — lots of real serious questions — and an investigation needs to be conducted," added Tinsley, "and the Beaches still want accountability in that regard."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Mallory Beach's legacy lives on in planned animal shelter