The Murdaugh family of South Carolina has been in the spotlight recently due to the conviction of Alex Murdaugh on murder charges. Alex Murdaugh’s arrest brought to light the suspicious death of his great-grandfather Randolph Murdaugh Sr., back in 1940.
Michael M. DeWitt Jr., a journalist and historian who has covered the Murdaugh family for years, discovered that Randolph Murdaugh Sr. died in a train crash under suspicious circumstances. The incident occurred when Randolph Murdaugh Sr.’s car was crossing a railway and was hit by a Charleston & Western Carolina freight line. The engineer of the train, W.W. Bartlett, said he only saw Murdaugh’s car when he was about 40 yards away and that Murdaugh then lifted his hand and waved at the oncoming locomotive before starting his car up and suddenly stopping directly on the tracks.
The impact of the crash “hurled the automobile approximately 900 feet up the track, totally wrecking it,” according to The Hampton County Guardian. Randolph Murdaugh Sr.’s body was found beside the track approximately 150 feet from the crossing.
At the time, local historians speculated whether or not Murdaugh was drunk or if it was a suicide but no evidence suggests either. His death was ruled an accident by the Hampton County Coroner’s jury.
Despite the suspicious nature of his death, Randolph Murdaugh Jr., the son of Randolph Murdaugh Sr., sued the train company alleging the train did not blow the whistle or ring a bell at the crossing and was traveling at high speed. He also alleged that the crossing and its approach “was in a rough, washed out and dangerous condition” and demanded a $100,000 settlement. The case of settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
The elder Murdaugh’s death was the beginning of a huge payout for his son and the establishment of a long line of influential lawyers in South Carolina. Over the years, the Murdaughs have won numerous multi-million dollar judgments or settlements in lawsuits against railroad companies.
The recent conviction of Alex Murdaugh and the investigation into his ties to other suspicious deaths have brought the Murdaugh family’s past into the spotlight. It is still unclear what role, if any, Randolph Murdaugh Sr.’s death played in Alex Murdaugh’s alleged crimes, as well as the potential suicide-for-hire plot to help his surviving son, Buster.
