This is the first of three posts that have been created by a guest writer for HBOWatch. If what’s offered is seen favorably then ERICA SCASSELLATI will soon be a permanent writer for the site. Good luck, Erica!
HBO Max has its fair share of true crime documentaries. In November 2022 the streaming service released a new docuseries about a true crime story that captured the attention of the entire country.
Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty tells the story of an extremely wealthy and powerful family living in Hampton County, South Carolina, and the mysterious deaths surrounding them over several years. It especially focuses on Alex Murdaugh, his wife Maggie, and their sons Buster and Paul.
The first of these mysterious deaths occurred in July 2015, when the body of 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found in the middle of a rural road in Hampton County. Although the case was ruled a hit-and-run, rumors began to circulate that Buster Murdaugh may have had some kind of involvement in Smith’s death.
In February 2018 the Murdaugh family’s longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield died after suffering a severe head injury from falling down the front steps at the family’s Moselle estate. Then in February 2019, Paul Murdaugh allegedly crashed a boat into a piling on a bridge while driving drunk. The impact threw 19-year-old Mallory Beach from the boat, causing her death. Finally, in June 2021, Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were found dead at the family’s hunting lodge. Both had been shot multiple times. Alex has since been found guilty of the murders of his wife and son.
The docuseries includes an impressive amount of testimony from all sides of the story. Journalists, attorneys, and Lowcountry residents were interviewed as well as friends of the Murdaugh family.
Episode 1, “Kings of the Lowcountry,” includes moving interviews with Anthony Cook, Mallory Beach’s boyfriend, who was present at the time of her death. It also shows video footage of Miley Altman, one of the survivors of the boating crash, explaining the events of the evening to the police.
Episode 2, “Something in the Road,” moves on to the death of Stephen Smith and includes heart-wrenching interviews with Smith’s mother and twin sister. Lowcountry residents also make it clear that Hampton County was not the safest place to be openly gay and expand on rumors that Buster had some kind of relationship with Stephen.
Episode 3, “The Milk Ain’t Clean,” details the death of Gloria Satterfield and Alex’s later arrest on insurance fraud charges in relation to Satterfield’s settlement.
The murders of Paul and Maggie (and a subsequent bizarre assisted suicide fraud) are sprinkled throughout the docuseries. However, Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty doesn’t dive deep into the night of Paul and Maggie’s murders until the final 30 minutes of the docuseries.
Instead, most of the show focuses on the shocking amount of power held by the Murdaugh family in Hampton County, and the amount they were able to get away with because of it. It also includes powerful and emotional interviews from the victims’ families and testimony from those who lived in Hampton County at the time. Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty makes it clear that long before becoming a murderer, Alex Murdaugh had a penchant for stealing money, targeting minorities and poor and injured people.
“If you want the complete picture of the Murdaugh family reign then this docu-series is as good as any, just seek it out on Max. If you’re looking for a deep dive into the investigation surrounding Paul and Maggie’s deaths, another source may serve you better.”
