South Carolina Law Enforcement Division published the emergency calls following the shooting on Sept. 4, in which Murdaugh was shot in the head.
Murdaugh was charged with insurance fraud by authorities. He allegedly tried to kill himself that day in order to collect $10 million in a lifetime insurance payout. Investigators also stated that Murdaugh is facing charges of stealing $3.4 million from insurance money intended for his sons. He died in 2018 after falling at his family’s house.
A woman and a man called 911. The female passerby reports that she saw a man covered with blood and waving his hands at the side of the road. Her companion, a man, observes that the SUV of the man was open in the trunk and had the warning lights on.
The woman said, “He looks great, but it looks a bit like a set up.” “So we didn’t stop.”
“Oh, I don’t blame you,” responds the dispatcher.
Two calls were also made Friday by Murdaugh near the Hampton County road where Murdaugh stopped on Sept. 4.
Since he was found dead in June at his Colleton County home, the 53-year old heir to Hampton County’s legal empire and his family, state police have launched at least six investigations. One of the investigations involves a probe into millions of dollars that are alleged to have been missing from the law firm founded by his great-grandfather a century ago.
Murdaugh informs a dispatcher about his first emergency call, which takes around four minutes. He says that someone stopped to help him after he got a flat tire. “When I turned my back, they tried to kill me,” Murdaugh said.
Murdaugh continues to state that he is bleeding pretty badly from an area on his head. He describes the shooter as “a white fella” with “really, really, short hair” and is “a fair bit younger than” him.
Murdaugh later claims that he secured a ride to the hospital for someone on the scene. Later, he says he is now hanging up because he encountered an ambulance dispatched to him by a dispatcher.
Curtis Edward Smith (61), was arrested by state agents. Smith was accused of helping Murdaugh’s former client in his insurance scheme.
Smith denied shooting Murdaugh. He told The Associated Press Murdaugh wanted to meet with Smith, but didn’t give a reason. Murdaugh demanded Smith to shoot him when they reached the lonely road. Smith refused and they wrestled with the gun until it fired once.
Smith said to the AP that he wasn’t certain if Murdaugh had been hit. In October TV interviews Smith stated that he was certain Murdaugh wasn’t hit by the bullet.
Smith got rid of the gun. Smith hasn’t been specific about the location of the gun or why he didn’t give it to police.
Smith said to the AP, “With a friend such as that, who needs enemies?”
Murdaugh’s lawyers claim that he purchased drugs from Smith. They provided medical records that they claimed show Murdaugh was shot. They mentioned “gunshot” many times. They also said that he had blood on his shirt when they took him to Savannah, Georgia.
According to records, doctors noted that Murdaugh suffered from a bullet injury. They also reported that he had bleeding on his brain.
Murdaugh is currently being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, Columbia. A Tuesday state judge denied Murdaugh bond. He stated that the attorney’s financial resources and mental instability make it too risky to allow Murdaugh to be tried outside of jail.
His attorneys stated that he had spent six weeks in drug rehab centers in Florida and Georgia, where he was battling an opioid addiction.
