South Carolina attorney shot in the head months after double murder of wife and son

Another member of the powerful Murdaugh family in South Carolina has been shot, weeks after Margaret Maggie Murdaugh and her son Paul Murdaugh were murdered in their home.

Alex Murdaugh, husband of Maggie, 52 and father of Paul, 22, was shot in the head while he was changing a tire in Hampton County on Saturday. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) spokesperson Tommy Crosby told People magazine about the incident, "I can now confirm the individual shot was Alex Murdaugh. SLED agents are actively investigating the incident."

Alex was reportedly transported to Parkers Emergency and Trauma Center in Savannah, Georgia following the attack. His attorney Jim Griffin told the outlet that the 53-year-old is "conscious and talking" after surviving the bullet, "which is a very good sign."

The incident comes less than three months after Alex lost his wife and son after they were shot multiple times by unidentified people at the family's 1,770-acre hunting lodge. Their bodies were found by Alex himself on that fateful night on June 7, after which he called 911 to report the deaths.

Some of the reports claimed Alex was involved in the murders, but his family said that he loved them like "nothing else on this earth."

The murders were committed while Paul was awaiting trial for charges of one count of boating under the influence (BUI) in 2019 that left a 19-year-old woman dead. He had pleaded not guilty in the case and was released on bail. His uncle John Marvin Murdaugh said that Paul had been receiving online threats from strangers prior to his murder.

The Murdaugh family is one of the most powerful families in South Carolina, with three of their generations having served as solicitors of the 14th Judicial Circuit for more than 86 years. Their friends and acquaintances say that the family is both loved and feared.

One local attorney said, "You don't cross the Murdaughs. Or if you do cross them, you don't let them find out that it was you who crossed them. Because they'll come down on you, hard. And they'll come down on you with all that they've got. They have a lot of influence and power, and they'll use it against their enemies."

While the recent murders have become the talk of the town, no suspects have been arrested yet.