Capri Suns, Cameos, and Call-Backs: How Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family captured the essence of the Murdaugh story
The creators, cast, and crew for Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family put a lot — like, a lot-a lot— of care into the details as they brought the Murdaugh story to life. In Episode 1 of the Murdaugh: Death in the Family Official Companion Podcast, showrunner Michael D. Fuller called the creative decisions a part of telling the “emotional truth,” and they nailed it. Here are 23 easter eggs sprinkled throughout the eight episodes. And yes, HUGE spoiler alert if you’ve not seen the show.
The Official Capri Sun Count: 3
Alex Murdaugh loved Capri Sun in the same way that Woody Harrelson’s “Tallahassee” character from Zombieland loved Twinkies. During his 2023 murder trial for killing Maggie and Paul, cell phone records revealed that Maggie had actually texted Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson (the family housekeeper) and asked her to buy some Capri Sun for Alex on her way to Moselle the morning of June 7, 2021. Crime scene photos and body camera footage of a search at Moselle showed that there was a Capri Sun pouch in the console of Alex’s Suburban, and an empty Capri Sun sat on a cabinet in the gun room at Moselle. The drink showed up three different times in Murdaugh: Death in the Family — in episodes 1, 4, and 6.
Click on images to enlarge
Cameos
All of the Murdaugh: Death in the Family cameos are contained within episode 5: The Prince, which was directed by series co-creator Erin Lee Carr. Cameo appearances include Erin herself, Mandy Matney, and David Moses, and Mark Tinsley.
Erin appears in the dance club scene in the beginning of the episode.
Show co-producers Mandy Matney and David Moses are sitting on the yellow car in the background as Maggie Murdaugh (Patricia Arquette) readies the float for Randolph Murdaugh III (Gerald McRaney) to ride in the Watermelon Festival parade in Episode 5. Mandy Matney is the creator of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast, which inspired Murdaugh: Death in the Family, and she is the CEO of LUNASHARK Media. She is married to David Moses, who serves as the executive producer and director of business affairs.
Mark Tinsley, the lawyer who represented the family of Mallory Beach in a wrongful death suit after her 2019 death, appears as a worker at the Mal’s Palz booth during the watermelon festival. He’s in the far left of the photo over Alex’s (Jason Clarke) shoulder. Mal’s Palz is an actual charity founded in Mallory Beach’s honor with the goal of raising funds for an animal shelter in Hampton County South Carolina
Call Backs
While some parts of the Murdaugh timeline were condensed, it was still important for the writers, creators, and actors to add real-life details into the show.
Mandy’s Kansas Ties
Mandy Matney is a 2012 graduate of the University of Kansas, and the Jayhawk pride is on full display in the show. The coffee cup on Brittany Snow’s desk at the Island Packet in Episode 2 is a Kansas coffee cup, and the couch pillow in Episode 7 has a Jayhawks pennant.
Luna and Joe Pesky
Mandy and David have two dogs: Luna, a large mixed-breed rescue who is the LUNASHARK namesake, and a rescue corgi, Joe Pesky. In Episode 7, the photos on the wall are of the real Luna and Joe Pesky.
Turtle Lamps
In the spring of 2023, after Alex was found guilty of the double homicide, there was an estate sale and auction to get rid of the remaining items from inside the main house at Moselle. While the real sale did not take place at Moselle, the items from Moselle were a hot commodity with a Yeti cup selling for $400 and a can koozie bringing $500. One of the items available was a pair of lamps with bases made from turtle shells, which sold for $2000 according to news reports from the time.
The Necklace
In the show, Brittany Snow wears a South Carolina necklace. It’s more than just a nod to the setting — in real life, Mandy has her own South Carolina necklace.
The Chevy Equinox
When Mandy (Brittany Snow) hits the road in Episode 5 to find out who Stephen (Ian Christiansen) was seeing before his death, the car parked outside the home she visits is the actual Chevy Equinox that Mandy drove during her Island Packet days. After filming, real Mandy donated the vehicle to Liza’s Lifeline, a non-profit organization in Charleston that assists women leaving domestic violence situations.
Maggie’s Clothes
In Episode 8, The Man in the Glass, Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson (Emily Sanchez) finds Maggie’s pajamas laid out on the laundry room floor when she goes to Moselle to get the home ready for visitors. During Alex’s 2023 murder trial, real Blanca testified that she found Maggie’s pajamas and a pair of underwear on the laundry room floor when she went to Moselle the day after the murders. According to Blanca, Maggie wouldn’t have ever laid her clothes out on the floor like that.
The Blue Raincoat
In the final scene of Murdaugh: Death in the Family episode 8, Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke) walks back into his cell after negotiating TV time with a fellow inmate. When he looks in the mirror, he sees himself wearing the blue raincoat that the show portrayed him as wearing the night he killed Maggie and Paul. At trial, prosecutors presented a blue raincoat recovered from Alex’s parents’ home during a search in 2021. According to trial testimony, the real raincoat had some gunshot residue inside it.
Beef Sticks
In Episode 8, Alex Murdaugh chomps on a beef stick while talking with another inmate. Beef sticks were apparently a jailhouse favorite of Alex Murdaugh’s, as revealed in a jailhouse phone call that Liz and Mandy obtained via FOIA request in 2022. In the call, Alex tells his surviving son, Buster, about using beef sticks as currency in jail.
A Green Ribbon
When Mandy (Brittany Snow) stares down Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke) in the final episode of Murdaugh: Death in the Family, she has a green ribbon pinned to her jacket, and that is a nod to Stephen Smith, who was found dead in Hampton County, South Carolina, in 2015. His case remains unsolved. Green was Stephen Smith’s favorite color and is the main color LUNASHARK uses for #justiceforstephen events and social posts.
Taking Photos off the Wall
Just like in Episode 8 of Murdaugh: Death in the Family, real life trial prep included removing a photo of Randolph Murdaugh III from the wall in the Colleton County Courthouse, where Alex Murdaugh was tried. Of course, in the show, the photo removed from the wall is of Gerald McRaney, the actor who played Randolph.
Paul’s Final Texts
Evidence presented at trial showed that Paul Murdaugh was texting with a female friend, Megan Kimbrell, in the moments prior to his death. The two were making plans to watch a movie. Paul suggested A Star is Born, the 2018 film starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. It was the last text message he ever sent.
The Real Housewives
In Episode 4, Maggie is watching The Real Housewives of New York while at Moselle with Alex. Fun fact: Liz Farrell, Journalist and writer for True Sunlight Podcast, is a huge fan of the Real Housewives franchise and knows as much about Bravo shows as she does the cases we cover at LUNASHARK.
Verse of the Day
In episode 3, Alex gets a text message with a bible verse from a sender in his phone as “Verse of the Day.” While real-life Alex didn’t appear to be subscribed to a daily bible verse, he did have a contact saved in his phone who regularly texted him a passage of scripture. The day of the homicide, she texted Alex this at 5:26 PM:
“Pure Worship of Jehovah—Restored At Last! “I will certainly sanctify my great name, . . . and the nations will have to know that I am Jehovah.”—EZEKIEL 36:23 CHAPTER 6. “The End Is Now Upon You”EZEKIEL 7:3. FOCUS: Jehovah’s prophetic judgments against Jerusalem —how fulfilled. 17)-What conditions and events will we witness during the coming great tribulation? 17)-(ANSWERED)-Ezekiel’s prophecy also reminds us that when the coming attack against religious organizations occurs, (ANSWERED)-members of the churches will not be “going to the battle” to defend religion. Instead, (ANSWERED)as they begin to realize that their cry for help, “Lord, Lord,” is going unanswered, (ANSWERED)-“their hands will hang
limp” and they will be “shuddering.” (Ezek. 7:3, 14, 17, 18; Matt. 7:21-23) What else will they do? (Read Ezekiel 7:19-21.) (ANSWERED)-Jehovah says: “They will throw their silver into the streets.” (ANSWERED)- That statement regarding the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem also vividly illustrates what will take place during the great tribulation. (ANSWERED)-At that time, people will realize that money cannot save them from the coming calamity.
Gloria’s Pink Shirt
There aren’t many publicly-available photos of Gloria Satterfield, but most people who have followed the case know her by the pink t-shirt she was wearing in the photo with her obituary. Costume designer Joseph La Corte worked tirelessly to get the clothing right for each of the characters – including Gloria’s pink t-shirt.
The Solicitor’s Badge
In episode 2, Alex’s solicitor’s badge is on display on his belt as he approaches Connor Cook in the hospital while he is trying to control the narrative around who was driving when Mallory Beach was thrown overboard and drowned in 2019. In real life, Alex did have a badge from the solicitor’s office – where he was a “volunteer” solicitor. While he only prosecuted one criminal case, the badge was available if he needed to exercise that level of authority. Video in the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources investigative case file contains video from hospital surveillance footage that shows Alex with his badge.
The Forge Account
In Episode 3, Alex pays for the family trip to Bermuda by using a debit card issued by Palmetto State Bank in the name of Forge LLC. The “Fake Forge” scheme is how Alex stole the majority of funds from his client, though the account was opened at Bank of America. Financial crimes co-conspirator Russell Laffitte was the president of Palmetto State Bank in Hampton.
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Contact Beth Braden
Beth Braden
Beth Braden is an award-winning journalist with experience covering government, education and crime and courts for more than 10 years. In addition to following breaking news and writing feature stories about life in her home state of Tennessee, her by-line appears on several internationally known websites.
Beth is passionate about communicating complex information in an easy-to-understand manner and she loves to pore over public records and court documents as she seeks out patterns and context to share with her audience. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, strange museums, and good cups of coffee.
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