With Murdaugh’s Conviction, a Century of Influence Unravels

At Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial, prosecutors produced a photo of him taken at the hospital on the night of the crash, when he showed up with his law-enforcement-style badge dangling from his pants pocket. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Murdaugh spoke with Mr. Cook at the hospital, telling him to “keep his mouth shut” and to tell law enforcement he did not know who was driving the boat. He told Mr. Cook to hire a lawyer named Cory Fleming, without revealing that Mr. Fleming was Mr. Murdaugh’s close friend.

Paul Murdaugh ultimately was charged with boating under the influence causing death, and the case was still pending when he and his mother were murdered.

Alex Murdaugh admitted during testimony in his murder trial that he had stolen millions of dollars, but he maintained that he did not kill his wife and son. He said he believed that someone who was angry over the boat crash must have targeted his family. But prosecutors argued that he committed the murders of his wife and son in a bid to gain sympathy and keep his financial misdeeds concealed as expanding investigations threatened to force them into the light of day.

Among his financial victims was Arthur Badger, whose wife was killed by a UPS truck that crossed a centerline, leaving their six children without a mother. Mr. Murdaugh admitted that he stole $1.3 million from Mr. Badger’s settlement. There was also Deon Martin, who was injured in a car crash, from whom Mr. Murdaugh admitted stealing half a million dollars. Mr. Murdaugh did not dispute that he took $1 million from two young girls whose mother had died in a car crash as a loan without their knowledge.

In one instance, state authorities said, Mr. Fleming took $8,000 from Ms. Pinckney’s trust and used it to fly himself and Mr. Murdaugh to the college baseball World Series in 2012.

After Mr. Murdaugh was sentenced last week, the state’s law enforcement chief, Mark Keel, hinted that more indictments were possible. “This case served notice to anyone who aided or assisted Alex Murdaugh in committing any crime, that justice will be sought,” he said.

In Hampton, the tiny inland city that has long served as the Murdaughs’ seat of power, the law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Elzroth&Detrick has changed its name to the Parker Law Group, moving into the background the now-infamous surname shared by the firm’s founding partner.