LIVE UPDATES: Hundreds attend funeral for Murdaughs before it ends swiftly due to rain
Two members of a South Carolina powerhouse legal family, Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were found shot to death outside their home in Colleton County on June 7. They were memorialized Friday in Hampton.
The double homicide being investigated by local and state officials sent shock waves through the state and gained national attention.
Here are the latest updates:
Celebration of life for Paul, Maggie
Friday, 12:19 p.m. The ceremony begins.
During the opening prayer, the pastor says Randolph Murdaugh III’s death Thursday “compounds the grief” the family is feeling.
Liz Murdaugh, Maggie’s sister-in-law, says Maggie was her sunshine and her soundboard. She said sports was a “theme” in Maggie’s life because she met her husband, Alex, that way and she loved watching her sons play. She was “happiest with her toes in the sand on Edisto” Island, where the family has a summer home.
Ronnie Crosby, an attorney at the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick law firm, talked about Paul’s love for the outdoors and hunting. He called him a bright and outgoing person.
Both speakers noted how close the Murdaugh family was, and Crosby added that Murdaugh III “chose to go to be with them” when he died Thursday.
EMS treated four attendees throughout the outdoor ceremony because of the heat. Temperatures in Hampton were in the mid-80s before a rainstorm rolled through after about an hour and the speakers quickly ended the service.
- Lana Ferguson
Friends, family gather for Murdaugh funeral
Friday, 11:55 a.m. Hundreds of people began gathering for Paul and Maggie’s funeral at Hampton Cemetery on Holly Street. Multiple law enforcement agencies were in the area directing traffic and surrounding the perimeter of the ceremony. A program for the event says speakers will include family, Ronnie Crosby who works at the Murdaugh family’s law firm, and local pastor Rev. Ross Chellis.
- Lana Ferguson
PAUL MURDAUGH MAY HAVE BEEN KILLER’S TARGET
Thursday, 6:57 p.m. Although officials have remained tightlipped about the Murdaugh double homicide investigation, some law enforcement sources say it’s possible Paul Murdaugh, 22, was targeted by the killer, while his mother, Maggie, 52, was killed because she was there by happenstance. The investigation is ongoing.
There’s been little public information since the murders of Paul & Maggie Murdaugh — influential family of SC prosecutors & lawyers.@Kacen & I learned yesterday a police agency turned their investigation over bc of a conflict of interest with the family. https://t.co/defZ3bc0AY
— Jake Shore (@jake4shore) June 11, 2021
- Lana Ferguson
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