June 7, 2021: Alex Murdaugh calls 911 to report the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The call originally was answered by Hampton County 911.

Quickly the call was transferred to Colleton County 911, the county where the Murdaugh’s Moselle property is physically located.

The Hampton County 911’s call was introduced by the State as evidence in Alex Murdaugh’s double homicide trial in January 2023.

The Murdaugh family is deeply rooted in the Low Country. For nearly a century, the Murdaugh family held immense power in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, building a reputation as a legal dynasty and a political force. That influence played out not just in courtrooms, but also in newspapers.

Browse through Murdaugh-related articles spanning more than eight decades.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Hampton County had a population of 18,561, with just 2,694 residents living in the town of Hampton itself. In 2023, The State newspaper reported that Hampton County ranked as the 5th poorest county in South Carolina.

The figures below show how Hampton County compares to the average across the state, offering a snapshot of the economic and demographic challenges faced by the community at the center of the Murdaugh story.

The sprawling Moselle estate, where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed in 2021, has been put on the market several times since their deaths. In January 2024, the property was listed with the J.P. King Auction Company released a video showcasing the land, house, and surrounding grounds. The footage offers a rare glimpse into the place that became the center of the Murdaugh family saga.

Since sold at auction in February 2024 for $1 million, it has since again gone back on the market in September 2025 after significant renovations to the house.

The real Moselle or the Moselle created by the production team of Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family”??

When Mandy stepped onto the recreated set house, it felt like she had been transported to the Murdaughs’ sprawling property in Islandton, South Carolina.

Beginning in 1971, the Order of the Palmetto recognizes “outstanding service to the state and industrialists who had located facilities in South Carolina” according to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. It is the highest civilian award in South Carolina, awarded by the sitting governor.

Randolph Murdaugh III, Alex’s father, was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in September 2018.

Interestingly enough, Randolph’s name does not yet appear on the list of award recipients. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History, who maintain the list, state on their website the list of recipients from the current governor will not be added to the list until he or she leaves office. The current sitting governor, Henry McMaster, was sworn into office in January 2017.

In the early 2010s, jellyfish off the South Carolina coast went from a beach hazard to a lucrative fishing opportunity because of its popularity in Southeast Asian cuisine. According to an NPR article from 2014, fishermen were making up to $10,000 per day on jellyfish trawling. Once the jellyfish were caught, they were then processed for transportation and sale to buyers on the other side of the world. At one time, there were plans to open a processing plant in Islandton, South Carolina. Longtime MMP listeners might remember Alex Murdaugh’s connection to jellyfish.

In the early hours of February 23, 2019, a boat carrying six friends, among them Paul Murdaugh and Mallory Beach, struck a pylon on Archer’s Creek Bridge. Mallory was thrown from the boat and never resurfaced. For eight long days, her family and community searched, until her body was finally found several miles down the river.

Mandy and David traveled to Archer’s Creek Bridge in June 2020 to see where this tragedy occurred.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) led the investigation into the boat crash at Archer’s Creek Bridge. From the outset, there was uncertainty over who had been driving when the boat hit the pylon. Mallory Beach’s family questioned aspects of the investigation early on, expressing concerns about how it was being handled.

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