Alex Murdaugh admits owing former law partner nearly $500K in loans

HAMPTON - Alex Murdaugh admitted owing his former law partner nearly $500,000 in loans made earlier this year, according to newly filed court documents.

John E. Parker of the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick law firm filed a lawsuit in Hampton County common pleas court late last month alleging he loaned Murdaugh $477,000 in three installments made between March and July.

Parker claimed in the suit none of the money was repaid.

On Nov. 2, Murdaugh admitted owing Parker the money and would not challenge collection of the debt, according to court records.

Court documents do not identify the purpose of the loans.

Murdaugh also acknowledged in a separate court case owing his brother Randy almost $50,000 in loans.

Randy Murdaugh sued his brother on Oct. 28 over allegations he loaned Alex Murdaugh $75,000 to cover an overdrawn account at Palmetto State Bank and another $15,000 to help pay the initial cost of his drug rehab.

Randy Murdaugh was unaware at the time his brother was in such poor financial health, the suit states.

Alex Murdaugh's son Buster Murdaugh sold his uncle a Kubota tractor and a rotary cutter to cover a portion of the debt, but $46,500 remains outstanding, the lawsuit states.

It's unclear when, or if, the men will be able to collect on the debts.

On Nov. 2, a judge ordered that Murdaugh's assets be frozen and placed under the control of independent guardians based on concerns he was trying to hide millions of dollars from potential creditors.

Though Murdaugh is currently jailed, he had handed control of his affairs to his son Buster Murdaugh, sparking concerns he could still shift money between unknown accounts or sell off property ahead of any judgments.

Alex Murdaugh's power and stature have fallen amid a series of scandals following the slaying of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family's Colleton County hunting lodge in June.

Murdaugh has been arrested twice since September - first on charges he arranged his own murder in a failed insurance fraud plot, then accusing him of stealing $3.4 million from a wrongful-death settlement for the family of his late housekeeper.

He remains under investigation in the embezzlement of millions of dollars from his former law firm and a grand jury is investigating the criminal pipeline that fed the attorney's admitted addiction to opioids.

Meanwhile, no one has been arrested in the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.