Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 4 recap: Alex scams the Satterfields and receives over $3 million settlement money.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 4, titled Controlled Burn, opens in the aftermath of Gloria Satterfield's hospitalization, post her fall at the Murdaugh estate in the previous episode. Meanwhile, the financial strain intensifies for Alex Murdaugh as the wrongful death lawsuit is filed by the Beaches. Alex’s insurance covers only $500K, and he’s told to find $1 million himself.

Gloria, Murdaugh's housekeeper, eventually dies, while the Satterfield family is suspected of foul play. However, Alex's greed turns his "generosity" to Satterfield into a scam, and he receives over $3 million as a settlement, which he chooses to hide and celebrate privately.

This isn't the end of plot twists in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 4, as Journalist Mandy Matney also dives deeper into Murdaugh's affairs and obtains files about the early death of Stephen Smith.

Read on for the complete recap of Episode 4.

Here is what happened in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 4

Episode 4 is the midpoint of the eight-episode mini series and marks a crucial turning point in Alex's as well as the other characters' lives. Alex is financially strained, with his insurance maxed out, leaving him responsible for $1 million for the Beaches' settlement.

Gloria's fall has become the next scandal for Murdaugh's family. While Gloria was hospitalized, undergoing complications from the surgery, no family member visited her, suggesting their transactional relationship. Maggie’s encounter with Gloria’s son Brian is a small but devastating scene. Maggie tries to console her son and offers a handful of cash, pointing out the class hierarchy in society and how the elites reach out for money first, rather than showing any empathy. This is not it. Maggie even admits how Gloria's absence has left her with "too much work," which again comes as tone deaf and highlights her privilege.

Meanwhile, Paul is drowning in deep isolation. He wants to be connected with someone and eventually reaches out to Anthony, Mallory Beach's boyfriend, but Anthony ends their relationship forever, which further exacerbates his loneliness and self-loathing. When Gloria dies, Paul lashes out at his parents, accusing them of working Gloria to death. That night, he burns down the field he was so attached to, and the fire is uncontrollable.

Mandy Matney investigates further into Mallory Beach in Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 4

As Alex Murdaugh and his family attempt to suppress growing scrutiny over Mallory Beach’s death and Gloria Satterfield’s “accidental” fall in Murdaugh: Death in the Family, journalist Mandy Matney refuses to simply let go of the story. She reexamines Stephen Smith's 2015 death, excavating a long-buried case of police negligence and small-town influence.

Stephen, who was a young nursing student, was found dead on a rural road and had ties to the Murdaugh circle. She suspects that the same system that is protecting Alex is also covering up the truth of Stephen's death.

Meanwhile, the Satterfield case, which apparently was Alex's act of "generosity", turns out to be a scam when the settlement money of over $3 million was credited not into the Satterfield's hands but into the hidden accounts of Alex. He celebrates without helping Gloria's son with the money. He was actually stealing from the non-affluent while also portraying it as an act of empathy.

As Mandy’s reporting gains attention, she receives a tempting offer from a rival editor encouraging her to leave her small paper for a larger platform where her voice would be valued and her investigations better resourced. But she doesn't consider the offer, which demonstrates her integrity and purpose. This also suggests that her investigation isn't about career ambition but about truth and justice.

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Murdaugh: Death in the Family Episode 5 is all set to arrive on your screen on the coming Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

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