Alex Murdaugh Arrested For Alleged Misappropriation Of Settlement Funds Regarding Housekeeper Who Died In His Home

South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was arrested Thursday in Florida, shortly after leaving rehab, on felony charges stemming from an investigation into allegedly “misappropriated settlement funds” related to his housekeeper’s 2018 death.

Murdaugh is facing two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses in regards to the estate of Gloria Satterfield, who worked for the Murdaughs as a housekeeper before dying three years ago in an alleged “trip and fall” accident at the family’s home, according to a statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

“Today is merely one more step in a long process for justice for the many victims in these investigations,” SLED Chief Mark Keel said after announcing the arrest. “I want to commend the hard work and dedication that our agents have shown over the last four months. They will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of those who were victimized by Alex Murdaugh and others.”

In a statement to Oxygen.com, Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin confirmed the arrest, saying that the charges were related “to the settlement proceeds from the Estate of Gloria Satterfield.”

“Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son,” they said. “He deeply regrets that his actions have distracted from the efforts to solve their murders.”

His wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were found shot to death at the family’s hunting compound in June. No arrests have been made in that case.

Murdaugh was taken into custody Thursday morning as he was leaving a Florida drug rehabilitation treatment center.

“As I have said previously, we are committed to following the facts wherever they may lead us and we will not stop until justice is served,” Keel said.

Attorneys for Satterfield’s sons have said Murdaugh encouraged them to file a lawsuit against him in connection with the death, but say they never received any of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement awarded in the case, NBC News reports.

It is the second arrest in less than two months for Murdaugh. In September, he was arrested by SLED in connection with an alleged botched suicide attempt.  

According to investigators, Murdaugh recruited Curtis Edward Smith to kill him by assisted suicide, providing Smith with a gun and instructing him to shoot him in the head, according to an affidavit in that case obtained by Oxygen.com.

Murdaugh was struck in the head but survived, authorities said. He had allegedly wanted his death to appear like a homicide so that his surviving son, Buster, could cash in on $10 million in life insurance.

His former law firm, Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED) also filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that Murdaugh “was converting client and PMPED money to his own personal use” while working at as an attorney at the firm his great grandfather once started in 1910, according to court records obtained by Oxygen.com.

The full extent of the alleged scheme to divert funds from the law firm still under investigation.

His attorneys have said in a previous statement to Oxygen.com that Murdaugh has struggled with an opioid addiction for more than 20 years that was responsible for de-railing his life.

Investigators are still trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding Maggie and Paul’s mysterious deaths. Murdaugh called 911 on the night of June 7 to report that he had discovered the bodies near dog kennels on the family’s Colleton County hunting property after he had returned home that night.

Paul Murdaugh was facing charges at the time related to the boating death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed when an allegedly drunk Paul crashed the vessel in 2019.

You can watch "Alex Mudaugh. Death. Deception. Power." here or on Peacock starting January 6.