money Murdaugh murders crime scene Moselle sold for millions. Here's who the money will go to
Moselle, once the sprawling, 1,700-plus acre hunting playground for disgraced and disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, has now officially been sold for $3.9 million.
An S.C. judge has approved a settlement agreement for the estate that pays off for Murdaugh's surviving son before going to benefit his many alleged financial and civil victims.
In the wake of Murdaugh's rapidly spiraling legal downfall − convicted March 2 of murdering his wife and son, accused of stealing more than $8.7 million from legal clients and law partners, facing a dozen civil suits − Alex Murdaugh's assets have been seized and frozen by the court in hopes of making some of his many alleged victims whole.
As part of this ongoing legal process, the Murdaugh family beach house at Edisto was recently sold, and on Wednesday, March 22, attorneys closed on the sale of Moselle for $3.9 million, said attorney Mark Tinsley, who represents several clients in claims against Murdaugh. The buyer has not been publicly named.
Moselle, a massive acreage located in Hampton and Colleton counties, is the site where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were brutally shot and killed on the night of June 7, 2021.
On January 10, attorneys for the Estate of Maggie Murdaugh, who technically owned Moselle at the time of the killings, filed a settlement agreement in Hampton County that outlined how the proceeds of the Moselle sale would be used.
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Here is how that settlement agreement will disperse that $3.9 million:
$530,000 to Buster Murdaugh as devisee of the Estate;
$290,000 for the Estate’s legal fees and expenses;
$6,511.52 to Laura Jones, LLC, who had a claim against the Estate in Probate Court;
$12,305.28 to John Marvin Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh's younger brother, for personal funds advanced on behalf of the Estate and in satisfaction of his outstanding creditor claim against the Estate. John Marvin Murdaugh was named the Personal Representative of that estate;
$100,000 to Joseph McCulloch as legal counsel for Connor Cook to release Cook's claim against Buster Murdaugh in a 2019 wrongful death suit arising from a Murdaugh boating accident in which Mallory Beach was killed;
$275,000 to the Co-Receivers for legal expenses arising from claims against Murdaugh;
The balance, roughly $2.686 million, will go to clients of Mark Tinsley, legal counsel of Renee Beach as Personal Representative for the Estate of Mallory Beach, Morgan Doughty, and Miley Altman, who are each involved in civil suits arising from the boat crash.
After a Jan. 19 hearing in Lexington County, Judge Daniel D. Hall approved the settlement agreement by court order on Jan. 24.
That settlement was approved over the objections of several parties, including: Murdaugh's former legal partner, John E. Parker, who has a claim against Murdaugh; Palmetto State Bank in Hampton, which has a claim against the Moselle property; and attorneys for Gregory M. Parker, Inc. d/b/a Parker’s Corporation, who are named as co-defendants in the Beach wrongful death suit.
In a related matter, assets from the Moselle estate, including furniture, home decorations, and automobiles, were sold at a public auction that began Thursday afternoon (March 23) at Liberty Auction in Pembroke, Georgia. Tinsley told The Hampton County Guardian Friday that he had not received a total amount of revenue from this sale yet, but any net proceeds from that sale will go into the Moselle estate and be paid out as part of the court-approved settlement agreement.
With the sale finalized this week, it is unclear what the future holds for Moselle. The former Murdaugh home and crime scene has become a mecca of sorts for infatuated and obsessed true crime fans of the crime saga -- many of whom have visited the former Murdaugh family home to snap photos or drone footage for social media posts, while many others have trespassed on the property.
The victims were killed near the family dog kennels, not far from the primary residence, which are both located in Colleton County.
Michael DeWitt and the USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Murdaugh murders crime scene Moselle officially sold. Who makes money?
