'Very loving relationship.' Murdaugh SC spokesperson denies tabloid claim of rocky marriage [The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)]

Sep. 30—A spokesperson for Alex Murdaugh disputed a tabloid report that Alex and Maggie Murdaugh's marriage was in trouble before she was killed on June 7, according to a statement released Thursday.

Murdaugh's spokesperson responded to articles published by People Magazine, one of which published Thursday and had the headline "Behind the Black Ties and Fancy Dresses Were Miserable People."

"The most recent allegations by People Magazine regarding the state of Maggie and Alex Murdaugh's marriage are totally inconsistent with what we have been told by friends and family members," according to a statement sent by spokesperson Amanda Loveday.

"We have reviewed many years of text messages on Alex's phone, and the conversations between Alex and Maggie portray a very loving relationship," it said.

The People Magazine story cited anonymous sources stating that the couple barely spoke to one another at events leading up to her murder.

In a story published Wednesday, People also reported that Maggie Murdaugh met with a divorce attorney six weeks before her death. Thursday's statement does not address whether that occurred.

"It is our hope that the media will continue to focus on covering the investigation of the person or people responsible for the murder of Maggie and Paul and not reporting salacious stories with no credible sources connected to the Murdaugh family," according to the statement.

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found shot to death at their Colleton County estate on June 7. Police have not announced any suspects or motives in nearly four months since the killings.

On Sept. 16, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division charged Alex Murdaugh with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and falsifying a police report. He was booked into the Hampton County Detention Center before receiving a $20,000 personal recognizance bond on the condition he stays in a rehabilitation facility.

At his bond hearing, Murdaugh's lawyers painted a picture of a man struggling with a 20-year opioid addiction who has lost much of his prestige and wealth.

The suspended Hampton lawyer is accused of conspiring with a Colleton County man, Curtis Edward Smith, to kill Murdaugh for a $10 million insurance payout for his surviving son.

On Tuesday evening, Smith's lawyer denied that account to the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers, alleging his client is being made out as the "fall guy" for Murdaugh.

This story was originally published September 30, 2021 12:09 PM.

___

(c)2021 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)

Visit The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) at www.islandpacket.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.