ISLANDTON, S.C. (NewsNation Now) — A mother and son from one of South Carolina’s prominent legal families were shot multiple times before they died, a county coroner said Monday.
The Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey told The Island Packet that both Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie Murdaugh were shot multiple times before they died.
Paul, 22, and Maggie, 52, were found shot near dog kennels at the family’s home near Islandton on June 7. The coroner said that the time of death for both Murdaughs was between 9 and 9:30 p.m. and that they both suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a February 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The woman’s body was found seven days after the crash.
Members of the Colleton County community told NewsNation Monday they’re shocked after the shootings and are trying to digest everything that’s happened over the past week. However, they’re also on edge, as the State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case but has released few details. No suspect has been identified.
A family friend of the Murdaughs is spoke to NewsNation to address rumors circling around their deaths. Tangie Ohmer said that despite their status, the Murdaughs were very present in the community.
She also fears the reports from the 2019 boating crash, especially with the trial date approaching, may have put a big target on Paul’s back.
“I think all of us have questions, and the family, I’m sure, has tons of questions,” Ohmer said. “And the thing is a lot of the local news outlets around here have just painted a picture that it could be a number of reasons.”
The Murdaughs are one of South Carolina’s most well-known legal families.
The patriarch of the family, 81-year-old Randolph Murdaugh III, a former South Carolina prosecutor, died days after the shooting deaths of his 22-year-old grandson and 52-year-old daughter-in-law. The elder Murdaugh had been ill at the time of his death, the newspaper reported.