Former Homeland Security official speaks about Murdaugh killings

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - It’s been exactly three weeks since a Colleton County woman and her son were found shot to death on their property and we still don’t know much about the case. Live 5 News’ Bill Sharpe spoke to a former Homeland Security official about the kinds of things state police could be investigating as they search for whoever killed Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Patrick McDavid says that whoever killed the Murdaughs planned the murder and this was not a random crime.

“It would be my best guess that there was some planned assault here,” McDavid said. “They are a very prominent family in the community in Law and Politics, and there could be a lot of people who could be involved in something like this.”

McDavid is a private investigator now, but for ten years he headed up Homeland Security investigations here in the Lowcountry.

He said the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division most certainly looked for all sorts of evidence at the crime scene, things like spent bullet shells or ejected cartridges, and would be talking to people nearby to see if they saw any unknown vehicles in the area or heard loud sounds like gunfire that night.

Both 52-year-old Maggie Murdock and her 22-year-old son were found shot to death on the night of June 7 outside their rural property near Islandton in Colleton County they called Moselle.

Back in 2019, Paul Murdaugh was accused of driving drunk in a boating accident that killed a 19-year-old woman. After that accident, one of Paul’s uncles said Paul had received death threats.

McDavid said because of the boating accident, revenge could certainly be a motive for the murders.

“Well, it certainly is a tragedy that could lead to an act of revenge,” he said. “It was two years ago. I think it’s why this is so important in this case that SLED focus on motive.”

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