Brothers of prominent South Carolina family speak out
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Brothers of prominent South Carolina family speak out
Brothers of prominent South Carolina family speak out after 2 relatives found dead
"We need help finding who did this."
John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV said they "knew something was wrong" when their other brother called them both late in the night on June 7.
"He said, 'Come as fast as you can. Paul and Maggie have been hurt,'" John told ABC News in an exclusive interview airing Thursday on "Good Morning America."
"I missed some phone calls from him. I was outside with the dogs," Randy recalled. "When I came in, he was calling my wife's phone. And it was the worst phone call because of his voice, the fear. He was just distraught. I didn't know if something was still happening. He was only able to tell me it was very, very bad. He said he thought they were dead."
Their brother, Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh, had called 911 just after 10 p.m. ET to report that he had returned to his family's estate in Islandton, a rural community in South Carolina's Colleton County, to find the bullet-ridden bodies of his 52-year-old wife, Margaret "Maggie" Branstetter Murdaugh, and his 22-year-old son, Paul Terry Murdaugh.
Both victims were located outside of the residence on the sprawling property and had "sustained multiple gunshot wounds," according to a press release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is investigating the double murder along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office.
Few other details regarding the deaths have been released. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.
"It changes you as an individual. It changes you as a family," Randy told ABC News. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing."
The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family in the Palmetto State, with three generations serving as the elected solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit for 87 consecutive years. pg slot
Randy, who lives in the nearby town of Hampton, said he arrived at Alex's property about 15 minutes after the telephone call. It was a rainy night and first responders were already on site, and Randy recalled seeing the covered bodies of Maggie and Paul near the dog kennels, about a quarter of a mile from the main house.
"I could see the white sheets across the way," he said. "I still couldn't believe it could be them or that it could be true."
Alex was standing at a distance from the crime scene, looking on "in disbelief, crying and sobbing, and unable to talk," Randy said.
"He would try to talk and then he would break down," Randy added. "It was very difficult." |
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