Why did Alex Murdaugh murder his family? Death in the Family cast unpack chilling theory

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Although Alex Murdaugh has been arrested for the murders of his wife and son, the reasons behind his actions are still unclear. The new series, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, attempts to shed light on his motivations, featuring performances by Jason Clarke and Patricia Arquette who explore his state of mind.

This true crime series, available on Disney+ and Hulu, tells the story of the influential Murdaugh family in South Carolina and how their power crumbled. The show focuses on Alex Murdaugh (played by Clarke), a man who grew up with every advantage – wealth, social standing, and what appeared to be an ideal family, including his wife Maggie (Arquette) and sons Buster and Paul.

The documentary Murdaugh: Death in the Family uncovers a web of problems surrounding the Murdaugh family, including financial crimes, opioid abuse, and several unexplained deaths. These included Gloria Satterfield, a housekeeper, and Mallory Beach, a teenager who tragically died in a 2019 boat accident involving Paul Murdaugh.

In June 2021, a devastating event occurred when Maggie and Paul were discovered shot and killed on the family’s property. Investigators quickly focused on Alex as a potential suspect. TopMob interviewed Clarke and Arquette to understand the reasons behind his actions.

Why did Alex Murdaugh murder his family?

Even though Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering Maggie and Paul, he still claims he didn’t do it, which makes it hard to understand why he would commit the crimes. The most popular idea is that he was desperate to hide his serious financial problems and killed them hoping to delay their discovery.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutor Creighton Waters told the jury that the man was under immense pressure, which peaked on the day he killed his wife and son.

The documentary Murdaugh: Death in the Family also explores how Alex Murdaugh’s opioid addiction and upbringing of privilege and power may have played a role in the events. Some have speculated he has narcissistic or antisocial personality traits, though he’s never been officially diagnosed with either.

TopMob interviewed Jason Clarke, the actor who portrays Alex Murdaugh in the new Hulu series, to get his perspective on the case. Clarke believed Murdaugh’s motive came down to a simple calculation.

Alex was struggling with opioid addiction and had stolen a large sum of money. In 2019, his 22-year-old son, Paul, caused a fatal boat crash while intoxicated, resulting in the death of a friend, Mallory Beach. Facing immense pressure, Clarke believes Alex may have seen killing Paul and Maggie as a desperate solution.

After reviewing the situation and considering how it would affect Paul, Clarke realized Paul’s removal was key. He explained, “If Paul was gone, the boat crash would have been avoided, which would have kept his belongings secure and allowed his family to continue their lives.”

He realized his plan was unsustainable, like a Ponzi scheme, because he intended to use new money to pay off earlier investors. However, he stopped making those payments, continued spending the funds, and ultimately decided not to worry about it.

The actor suggested he might have considered harming Paul beforehand, but Maggie threatening to leave could have been what finally drove Alex to act.

During the trial, prosecutors detailed previous difficulties in the couple’s relationship, including Alex’s struggles with addiction and reports of an affair. While it was claimed they had resolved these issues, a source revealed to People magazine in 2021 that Maggie had consulted with a divorce lawyer only six weeks before her death.

Clarke explained that even if Maggie wasn’t completely sure about leaving, Alex might have felt like his children were growing up and leaving, and his wife was about to leave him as well. Clarke believes this sense of loneliness and emptiness was likely the final straw that led to Alex’s actions.

He also described it as simply senseless, selfish, and crazy for anyone to believe they could, would, or even should do something like that.

Clarke, after studying the case to prepare for his role, thinks Alex is either a sociopath or a narcissist.

I spent a lot of time trying to understand how he thought, and the strong defenses he had built to avoid facing reality. It was exhausting how he manipulated people and constantly turned every conversation back to himself – it felt like a constant effort on his part.

Clarke also feels Alex’s upbringing played a role. She believes issues of male dominance, privilege, and power, combined with a lack of personal accountability, contributed to his inability to handle his own problems and take responsibility for his actions.

Patricia Arquette, who portrayed Alex Murdaugh’s wife in the series Murdaugh: Death in the Family, discussed what she believes motivated him, drawing on her understanding of the role.

Patricia Arquette unpacks Maggie and Alex Murdaugh’s marriage

In an interview with TopMob, Arquette shared that she analyzed the dynamics of the relationship she was portraying for the role. She focused on elements like addiction, unhealthy reliance on each other, infidelity, and the societal expectations placed on women to support men, especially during the time period the story was set in.

I’ve been reading about what she said, and it sounds like she thinks he was really manipulative and possibly even had some serious personality issues – maybe even leaning towards sociopathy or psychopathy. It’s just awful to think about.

I’m definitely no medical professional, so I wouldn’t dream of trying to diagnose anyone! But it’s interesting because Buster Murdaugh, Alex’s son, actually said in that Netflix documentary that calling his father a psychopath was probably a pretty accurate way to put it. It carries a lot of weight coming from him, you know?

The actor from Severance explained that many personality disorders have similar traits, like the excessive self-importance displayed by the person we’re discussing. He constantly craved attention and approval, and always wanted to be the center of attention.

He consistently lied and manipulated people, attempting to distort their sense of reality and make them doubt their own judgment and perceptions of what was happening.

They also enjoyed the thrill of getting away with mischief – they even had a name for it, ‘duper’s delight’ – and a tendency towards stealing, all of which contributed to those recurring behaviors.

Arquette explained that the makers of Murdaugh: Death in the Family needed to explore all the factors that allowed Alex Murdaugh to deceive his victims. He described Murdaugh as someone who was charming, manipulative, confusing, and who used his wealth and connections to his advantage.

Where is Alex Murdaugh now?

Alex Murdaugh, now 57, is currently serving two life sentences without parole at McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina. He was convicted in 2023 of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, and has been imprisoned since.

In March 2023, he was sentenced to prison after a jury convicted him on all charges the day before, following a highly publicized six-week trial. He was also facing more than 100 separate charges related to financial crimes, accused of defrauding clients, coworkers, and the government out of millions of dollars.

So, Alex ended up pleading guilty to a ton of federal fraud charges – 22 of them, actually. That got him another 40 years in prison, but it’s running at the same time as his state sentence. On top of everything, he’s gotta pay back around $8.7 million to the people he ripped off, including the family of his former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who tragically died while on the Murdaugh property. It’s just a really sad and messed up situation.

Even though he’s been found guilty, Alex continues to say he didn’t commit the murders. His lawyers are asking for a retrial, and the South Carolina Supreme Court is currently considering their request.

I was really surprised to hear what Alex Murdaugh had to say about the new Hulu series! His lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, released a statement to People saying he’s incredibly disappointed and disturbed by it, and the whole portrayal of him and his family.

The program is filled with errors and presents a false picture of their lives. It’s especially concerning how it portrays their family – it completely misrepresents Alex’s loving relationships with his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul.

Alex consistently felt immense pride for Paul. Any suggestion to the contrary regarding his feelings for Paul and Maggie is untrue. It’s also troubling that the show’s creators and cast didn’t seem interested in truly understanding the people they were depicting.

As a true crime fan, I was really struck by something I read – apparently, Hulu never once contacted Alex Murdaugh, his son Buster, or anyone connected to the family, or even their lawyers, to get their side of the story or check if the facts were straight. It feels like a pretty big oversight to me, you know? They just didn’t seem interested in hearing their perspective at all.

Last year, Aimee Zmroczek, the lawyer for Curtis Eddie Smith, who was accused alongside Murdaugh, stated that she’d received reports from several prisoners indicating Alex Murdaugh was enjoying a comfortable life in prison.

According to NBC News, Zmroczek revealed he recently visited a prison and witnessed Alex’s influence there, stating Alex runs the place and even operates a secret gambling system. Griffin countered these claims, asserting that Alex is strategically thinking ahead and helping out as an assistant in a secure part of the state prison.

When is Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 7 out?

The sixth episode of “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” was released on Hulu and Disney+ on November 5, 2025. The next episode, number seven, will be available on November 12th at midnight Pacific Time / 3 AM Eastern Time.

So, this awesome true crime show dropped its first three episodes on October 15th, and then they’ve been releasing one new episode every week since then. I’ve got the full release schedule, episode titles, and what each one’s about listed below, so you can keep up with everything!

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2025-11-05 19:24