South Carolina hunting lodge where Alex Murdaugh murdered wife Maggie and son Paul sells for $2.6m to two buyers – far less than the $3.9m it was listed for
- The property was the scene of the gristly double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh by disgraced legal scion Alex in June 2021
- It sold on Wednesday for $2,663,676 to two buyers with the proceeds going in part to pay for Alex’s outstanding legal fees
- Before the property went on sale countless items belonging to the Murdaugh family were put under the hammer
A hunting lodge that previously belonged to the Murdaugh family has sold for $2.6million to two buyers – less than the $3.9million it was originally listed for.
The property, Moselle, in South Carolina, was the scene of the gristly double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh by disgraced legal scion Alex in June 2021.
They were found shot dead near the dog kennels on the property, with Alex found guilty of the killings and handed two consecutive life sentences in March.
It is claimed that Murdaugh owed more than $2million on the property in outstanding mortgage payments.
But the 1,772-acre property was sold for a significant amount less than it was listed for originally by Crosby Land Company.
They put it up for sale at $3.9million, and boasted its equipment shed, enclosed shop, and the now infamous 12 dog kennels on the property.
The property, Moselle, in South Carolina, was the scene of the gristly double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh by disgraced legal scion Alex in June 2021
Maggie and Paul (center) were found shot dead near the dog kennels on the property, with Alex found guilty of the killings and handed two consecutive life sentences in March
The listing said: ‘The property boasts over 2.5 miles of river frontage, offering freshwater fishing, kayaking, and abundant deer, turkey, and waterfowl populations.
‘The river has vehicular accessibility for launching at several locations throughout the property and with 3 miles of improved roads; these areas are accessible 365 days of the year.’
It sold on Wednesday for $2,663,676 according to documents obtained by News 2, nearly ten years after Murdaugh bought the property from his friend Barrett Boulware.
He then transferred ownership of the hunting cabin to his wife Maggie for just $5, with documents for her states stating that she owned ‘fee simple absolute interest’ in the property.
Proceeds for the sale are reportedly being put towards Alex Murdaugh’s outstanding legal fees, Palmetto State Bank, Buster Murdaugh and victims of the infamous 2019 boat crash, according to Fox Carolina.
The new owners, James Ayer and Jeffrey Godley, decided to clear the house after their purchase and put all its contents up for auction.
Before the property went on sale countless items belonging to the Murdaugh family were put under the hammer last week.
The items include boxes of spent shotgun shells and a hunting shirt marked with ‘Alex’ inside the collar.
It is claimed that Murdaugh owed more than $2million on the property in outstanding mortgage payments
It sold on Wednesday for $2,663,676 according to documents obtained by News 2, nearly ten years after Murdaugh bought the property from his friend Barrett Boulware
Before the property went on sale countless items belonging to the Murdaugh family were put under the hammer last week including a shirt bearing Alex Murdaugh’s name
A pair of wooden chairs and a table-lamp up for auction from the Murdaugh estate last week
They put it up for sale at $3.9million, and boasted its equipment shed, enclosed shop, and the now infamous 12 dog kennels on the property
Also up for auction is furniture from the house, decoy ducks, grisly lamps made from turtle shells, and even a smiling decorative skull.
Murdaugh was given two consecutive life sentences for the murders after the month-long trial captured the nation’s attention.
Scenes from inside the warehouse where the auction was held showed rows of possessions laid out across long tables, as prospective bidders sorted through the items that once filled the sprawling country home of the prominent southern family.
Among the more expensive items on sale were lamps emblazoned with turtle shells, which sold for $800, a Yeti tumbler for $400, and mounted long horns which were given a hefty $10,000 price tag.
The first item auctioned off was an animal trap, which went for $500, which was later followed by a pair of rocking chairs for $850, and a couch from the family mansion, which fetched $30,000 after an intense bidding war.
Leather furniture up for sale at the Murdaugh estate auction
The furniture up for auction consisted of a set of leather couches and armchairs, along with countless wooden tables, bureaus, bedframes, bookshelves, and lamps
The quail pen at the Murdaugh Moselle property close to the kennels where the murders took place
A trio of beds up for auction from the Murdaugh estate on Thursday afternoon
Murdaugh is currently housed in high-security Kirkland Correctional Institution, one of South Carolina’s most notorious prisons
In addition to Murdaugh’s own camouflaged shirt, numerous pairs of hunting boots could be seen in the inventory, along with a hat bearing a South Carolina Highway Patrol baseball cap.
And on top of the boxes of shotgun shells, boxes of unused rifle bullets were up for auction, along with a hunting crossbow, rifle scopes, and what appeared to be a case for a rifle or shotgun.
After purchasing a bike owned by Maggie Murdaugh, Erin Craig told DailyMail.com he was planning to put the item on display in a storefront because ‘it will serve its purpose best where people can look at it instead of it going to somebody’s backyard.’
Craig added that he paid over $3,000 for a variety of items from the Murdaugh auction, including an American flag, some Richard Alexander Murdaugh monogrammed glasses, and one of Paul Murdaugh’s wallets.
The furniture up for auction consisted of a set of leather couches and armchairs, along with countless wooden tables, bureaus, bedframes, bookshelves, and lamps.
Murdaugh called 911 on the evening of June 7, 2021, saying he found his son and wife dead when he returned home from a one-hour visit with his mother, who has dementia
Numerous tomes from the South Carolina family’s home were on sale at the auction in Pembroke, Georgia
Before the auction started, countless people could be seen sifting through the items that once filled the Murdaugh home
A money bag from one of the banks Murdaugh was known to pick up cash from
There were also various household appliances, cameras, thermoses, tools and toolboxes, a pair of salt and pepper shakers decorated with The Grinch, flashlights, and household decor.
Before the auction started, countless people could be seen sifting through the items that once filled the Murdaugh home.
Murdaugh is currently housed in high-security Kirkland Correctional Institution, one of South Carolina’s most notorious prisons.
And while the disgraced former lawyer escaped the death penalty for the murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul, prosecutors recently revealed they are seeking a third life sentence conviction for financial crimes, which would mean Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life behind bars due to the state’s ‘three strikes’ law.
He is currently appealing his murder convictions, but the state is specifically seeking three additional convictions for breach of trust totaling $10,000 or more.
After purchasing a bike owned by Maggie Murdaugh, Erin Craig told DailyMail.com he was planning to put the item on display in a storefront because ‘it will serve its purpose best where people can look at it instead of it going to somebody’s backyard’
A man looks through a box of wine up for auction at the Murdaugh estate sale Thursday
Amongst Murdaugh’s expansive firearm collection up for auction was a pair of scopes
Also up for auction from the Murdaugh estate on Thursday afternoon was a decorative skull
Three additional convictions on the breach of trust charges would result in a life sentence, removing his chance of parole.
Murdaugh called 911 on the evening of June 7, 2021, saying he found his son and wife dead when he returned home from a one-hour visit with his mother, who has dementia.
Authorities said Paul was shot twice with a shotgun, each round loaded with different sized shot, while Maggie was struck with four or five bullets from a rifle.
A crime scene report suggested that both victims were shot in the head after initially being wounded near dog kennels on the Murdaughs’ sprawling rural property.
Attorney Dick Harpootlian filed Murdaugh’s appeal to the South Carolina Court of Appeals.
The now-disbarred attorney admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit.
Before he was charged with murder, Murdaugh was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.
What appears to be a shotgun or rifle case was one of the many items up for auction
Crowds sift through piles of antlers up for sale on Thursday afternoon at the auction
Crowds of people gathered to the auction
Decoy ducks up for auction at the Murdaugh estate on Thursday afternoon
It comes after the only surviving member of the family Buster Murdaugh, Maggie and Alex eldest son, denied ‘vicious rumors’ that he was involved in Stephen Smith’s death after the teen’s family raised $60,000 to exhume his body.
Buster Murdaugh – surviving son of murderer Alex – has vehemently denied rumors he was linked to the 19 year-old’s death in 2015.
Cops remain tight-lipped on a potential motive and suspects for the killing, but are said to believe that Stephen’s killer is known to a number of people.
Smith was found dead in the middle of the road near the Murdaugh’s home in 2015 with several injuries investigators say were not consistent with a road traffic accident.
Buster, 26, the sole surviving son of the disgraced legal scion Alex, who was found guilty of brutally murdering his wife Maggie and younger son Paul, was named in several police reports at the time as having a relationship with Stephen, who was gay.
Boxes of shotgun shells, bullets, and rifle clips up for auction from the Murdaugh estate
A South Carolina Highway Patrol cap up for auction at the Murdaugh estate sale on Thursday
A magazine full of ammunition, a camera, and a box of shotgun shells up for auction
All three of the men in the Murdaugh family, Buster, Alex, and Paul, have now been accused of having a hand in the death of someone in their hometown of Colleton County.
Paul was indicted after being accused of driving a boat in a fatal collision which killed Mallory Beach, 19, in 2019. The case was not resolved before his death.
Alex’s guilty verdict and a Netflix and HBO special on the murders has sparked renewed interest in the suspected murder of Smith.
Law enforcement say they now have time to investigate following the conclusion of the double murder trial – and feel people in the small town could feel more comfortable coming forward with information.
It could have severe implications for Buster, who has never been interviewed as part of the probe into Smith’s death, despite being named in several police reports.
It is unclear when Smith’s body is set to be exhumed, but investigators say they are now focused on the probe.
In June 2021, Dailymail.com revealed that police investigating the teen’s suspicious death probed witnesses over any relationship the dead boy may have had with the heir to a powerful South Carolina legal dynasty.
A hunting crossbow up for sale at the Murdaugh estate sale on Thursday afternoon
Lamps made out of turtle shells up for auction at the Murdaugh home sale on Thursday. They sold for $800
A wall of hunting trophies up for auction from the Murdaughs’ mansion
Since then, Netflix and HBO documentaries have alleged rumors had swirled in the small town that Buster and his late younger brother Paul were potentially involved in Smith’s death.
On Monday, Buster released a statement denying the ‘vicious rumors’ that he was involved in Smith’s death.
Smith’s mother Sandy has always maintained that her son, who was gay, was the victim of a hate crime and the murder covered-up.
Initial investigators found no evidence of any vehicle accident, were convinced that the victim had a gunshot wound above his right eye, and received tips questioning whether Smith had a relationship with Buster.
In another curious inclusion, an officer noted a tip called in on December 18 by a man claiming that his stepson had named a local guy as the one who ‘struck and killed Stephen Smith.’
The tipster then failed to return any calls and when finally reached, ‘stated that the reason that he was passing this information on was because Randy Murdaugh told him to call.’
Randy is Paul and Buster’s uncle, patriarch Alex Murdaugh’s brother. He offered to take Smith’s case pro-bono at the time of his death.
Buster, who supported his doomed father every day during his trial last month, said he wanted privacy to ‘grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother’
Hunting boots belonging to the Murdaugh family up for auction on Thursday afternoon
Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on a rural road near the Murdaugh property with a blunt-force trauma injury to the head
Stephen Smith’s family raised $60,000 to exhume his body, and announced that they would be looking into the death of the teenager again
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