Private island owned by Alex Murdaugh and suspected drug smuggler for sale in SC

A Beaufort County island co-owned by disgraced and disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard “Alex” Murdaugh and a deceased drug-smuggling suspect is up for sale, pending court approval.

Jailed in Richland County and facing more than 90 criminal charges and 11 lawsuits, Murdaugh has had his assets placed under the control of court-appointed attorneys known as receivers who are tasked with identifying assets and potentially liquidating them to create a settlement fund for alleged victims.

Amy Hill, attorney for co-receivers Peter McCoy Jr. and John Lay Jr., filed a “motion for court consideration and approval of the sale of real estate" on Sept. 20 before Judge Daniel Hall in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas.

This property that's for sale, known as “Island A,” is a 22-acre island that is the largest in the three Cherry Knoll Hill Islands, also called the “Williams Islands,” located off the coast of Beaufort, according to the court filing.

It's accessible only by boat and only during certain tides. It has a dock that suffered hurricane damage long before the approach of Ian that's not considered useable.

Islands co-owned by Murdaugh and deceased drug-smuggling suspect

The island for sale is 50% owned by Murdaugh through Murdaugh Holdings and 50% owned by the Estate of Barrett Boulware, according to the court filing.

According to another filing on Sept. 1 by the co-receivers in Hampton County Court of Common Pleas, Murdaugh owns at least seven islands in and around Beaufort County ranging in size from 20.05 acres to .08 acres — all either directly as a co-owner with Boulware or as co-owner through an entity or joint venture.

Court records indicate an extensive business relationship between the accused Hampton attorney and the late Barrett T. Boulware. In addition to their joint ownership of properties, Boulware was the former owner of Moselle, the rural Murdaugh estate in Colleton County, before selling it to Murdaugh in April 2013.

Moselle is where Alex Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, and son Paul were found shot to death on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh is facing two murder charges in connection to the deaths.

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Boulware faced charges as part of “Operation Jackpot” during the early days of President Ronald Reagan’s "war on drugs." He was accused of being involved in a Lowcountry-based marijuana-smuggling operation.

According to reports from the Associated Press and United Press International, Boulware, an Allendale County fisherman operating out of Beaufort County, was indicted on Feb. 11, 1983, on two federal conspiracy charges after the seizure of 17 tons of marijuana on a fishing trawler coming out of the Bahamas. Boulware was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute 34,000 pounds of marijuana and conspiracy to import marijuana into the U.S., but the charges were later dismissed when a key government witness was struck by a car and killed in Florida.

Boulware died Sept. 12, 2018, at the age of 61, after an extended illness.

Murdaugh and Boulware have not been connected by criminal allegations from authorities.

Murdaugh does, however, face drug allegations on his own. Among his many charges, the South Carolina State Grand Jury indicted him in June on two criminal-conspiracy counts, including a narcotics count related to Oxycodone, for alleged narcotics-related crimes in a “multi-county area.”

How much will private island of Alex Murdaugh sell for?

The co-receivers, with joint approval from the Estate of Barrett Boulware, recently received an offer to purchase the island that's for sale for $285,000 with no conditions, and their motion asked the court to approve the sale. The co-receivers did not identify who made the offer.

Palmetto State Bank currently has one mortgage against all seven islands owned by Murdaugh and the Boulware estate, including Island A. In a recent court filing, the co-receivers say that Palmetto State Bank will release its mortgage upon receipt of $54,119.80.

This sale is expected to result in more than $100,000 being deposited to the Receivership Estate, and the remaining islands will no longer be subject to the bank’s lien.

On Sept. 19, Judge Hall approved a previous settlement agreement between the co-receivers and Palmetto State Bank for other properties owned or mortgaged by Murdaugh.

Prior to the co-receivers’ appointment, Murdaugh and the Boulware estate jointly engaged Jarrett Romero, a licensed real estate broker and the personal representative of the Estate of Barrett Boulware, to market and sell all three Cherry Knoll Hill islands. However, they were unable to sell all three islands in one transaction.

What is happening with other Murdaugh properties?

According to a Sept. 1 court filing from the co-receivers, here is the status of Alex Murdaugh's major assets:

∎ Edisto beach house

The co-receivers have finalized and closed on the sale of the “beach house” jointly owned by Alex Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh on Edisto Island. The sale resulted in the addition of $359,921.87 to the Receivership Estate.

This sum was augmented by an agreement with Palmetto State Bank to release its mortgage lien on receipt of $153,329.71 instead of $222,525.35 as previously agreed to — for a gain of $69,195.64.

These funds are currently in a Gallivan White & Boyd Trust account. However, the co-receivers plan to request permission to open an interest-bearing account to earn interest on these funds.

∎ Berkeley County properties

Alex Murdaugh has about half interest in two single-purpose entities, 0 United Drive LLC and Redbeard LLC, each of which own property in Berkeley County. After renegotiating a previous sales contract, the Receivership Estate will likely receive about $500,000 in sales proceeds from the sale of the Berkeley properties.

∎ Moselle

Moselle was the primary Murdaugh family home at the time of June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Moselle is a 1,700-plus rural estate that straddles Hampton and Colleton counties, complete with a primary residence and several outbuildings.

The property has been listed for sale by the estate's personal representative, Alex Murdaugh’s brother John Marvin Murdaugh, for a listed price of $3.9 million.

The estate has received an offer, and the co-receivers are in favor of the sale, but the property is currently tied up in a fraudulent-conveyance complaint in probate court based on Murdaugh’s transference of the property to his late wife for only $5.

Once that complaint is resolved, the co-receivers will seek the court’s approval to sell that property.

Murdaugh remains jailed in Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on a $7 million bond he has been unable to meet. He is expected to go to trial on the double murder charges as early as January 2023, and after that, he must face the other criminal charges against him.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Private island owned by Murdaugh and suspected drug smuggler for sale