Murdaugh: Death in the Family – Who was Randolph Murdaugh and what happened to him? Details revealed

The story of the Murdaugh family, unveiled in Murdaugh: Death in the Family, is established upon a powerful legal dynasty of South Carolina. The family dominated the region's justice system for almost a century.

One of the characters of this narrative is Randolph Murdaugh III, a third-generation lawyer and the former DA. His life and demise signify the turning points in the family's tumultuous history.

Randolph Murdaugh III, who passed away in June 2021 at the age of 81, was the last of three generations to be the solicitor for the 14th Judicial Circuit. His lengthy stint significantly contributed to the Murdaugh family’s reputation in law, politics, and local power.

The Murdaugh family reached a new level of notoriety when the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were discovered in June 2021, which led to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Alex Murdaugh for their deaths.

A few days after the murders, the oldest member of the family, Randolph Murdaugh III, passed away due to natural causes. His inheritance, and the virtues he either imparted or neglected, were put under deep scrutiny.

True crime dramas and journalist reports, such as Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family, have gone over his professional life, the family’s past of supposed illegal practices, and the sequence of events that brought about the downfall of the Murdaugh empire.

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Randolph Murdaugh III: The last patriarch of a South Carolina legal dynasty

Randolph Murdaugh III was born in 1939, and he was the child of Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh Jr. and the grandchild of Randolph Murdaugh Sr. Thus, he was the third in a powerful dynasty of solicitors.

The Murdaugh family had held the position of the chief prosecutor in South Carolina’s 14th Judicial District for almost 87 years straight. This long period of time gave them respect, power, and wealth, but also accusations of favoritism and conflict of interest.

In 1987, Randolph III stepped into the role of solicitor when his father retired. He remained in the position until he decided to retire in 2006. During this period, he was responsible for handling a large number of cases related to serious crimes, and at the same time, he was a partner in the family’s law firm, PMPED (Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick). The firm had the reputation of combining high-stakes civil cases with close connections to the region's criminal justice system.

During his lifetime, Randolph III was always a person of great esteem and respect. His extraordinary public service earned him the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award in South Carolina, an event depicted in Murdaugh: Death in the Family as a glorious party. Meanwhile, rumors of cover-ups, favoritism, and scandals hinting at problems quietly dealt with behind closed doors cast a shadow over the family’s reputation.

Randolph Murdaugh III died naturally at the age of 81 on June 10, 2021, only a few days after the murders of his daughter-in-law, Maggie, and grandson Paul. Just three days earlier, on June 7, Alex Murdaugh had dialed 911 to announce he had found Maggie and Paul shot dead on their family’s Moselle estate.

The death of Randolph was not only the end of an era but also the sign of the downfall of the strong heritage he had been a part of. Once the probe shifted towards Alex, the whole Murdaugh name was scrutinized, from previous mysterious deaths and increases in financial and legal problems associated with Alex and his family’s law firm.

Randolph III was still alive when the scandals and accusations surrounding his family began to emerge, and the dynasty he presided over became associated with crime and lies. His funeral, which was attended by the legal and political elite of South Carolina, was both a farewell to a bygone family and a subtle indication of the upcoming storm.

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What is Murdaugh: Death in the Family about?

Hulu's crime miniseries Murdaugh: Death in the Family, which premiered on October 15, 2025, depicts the Murdaugh family's ascension and decline. The first episodes center around Randolph Murdaugh III, his successes, and the darker side of the family’s influence that might have corrupted the following generations.

The show presents a family that, while on the outside appearing to be of high quality, was nevertheless involved in moral issues that were overlooked most of the time. This motif is persistent throughout the entire series, which re-enacts real occurrences and relies on investigative reporting.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family kicks off with the 2021 double murder and then goes back to a big family party that was the last public honor of Randolph III. These scenarios create a powerful dynasty at its peak, which is oblivious to the fact that the foundation is collapsing.

Randolph III, portrayed by Gerald McRaney, comes off as a powerful but emotionally cold father figure. He holds the admiration of the community and his family at the same time, but is gradually pulling away from the turmoil that is escalating around him, particularly because he is oblivious to his son Alex and grandson Paul's struggles.

The series fluctuates between the past and the present, illustrating how the family frequently brushes aside the wrongdoings. The audience gets to witness the problem of Paul’s wild and drunk behavior, as well as Alex’s legal traps, which sometimes met with resistance from his father or older brother.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family brings to light the difference between the esteem that the Murdaugh name had in the outside world and the turmoil that was going on in the family, something which was later exposed in the actual murder trials.

The flaws of Randolph III are depicted through a moral perspective of not being directly brutal, but rather through a lack of responsible teaching. This character flaw had an impact not only in his time but also in the following generations.

The death of Randolph III meant the last barrier that had been guarding the family’s reputation was gone. The series demonstrates how the probes into Maggie and Paul’s murders revealed a long-standing practice of alleged criminal activities, and among them were financial crimes and insurance fraud. Furthermore, the story covers Alex Murdaugh’s 2023 sentencing for the killings of his wife and son.

The testimony and evidence told the story of a culture of impunity that had formed over decades. The family's downfall was partly the result of this scandalous behavior that was allowed to go on, as the Murdaugh mystique was slowly worn down by the scandals.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family has been evaluated by the critics with mixed to positive reactions.

It has a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews from critics. The reviewers characterized it as mainly mixed, giving it an average rating of about 3 out of 5, or 6.4/10. Other series focused on Murdaugh were rated higher, about 82%, but this Hulu series became closer to 71%.

The show received a score of 63 out of 100 on Metacritic, which is based on 10 critics and indicates "mixed or average reviews."

In general, Murdaugh: Death in the Family gets good reviews for delivering strong performances and having a professional-looking production. Nevertheless, it finds it hard to be seen outside the limelight of a famous case with an overdose of drama.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family provides a captivating reenactment for those who have not yet heard the story. But the ones who have been following the Murdaugh saga might think it very superficial regarding the depth and detail.

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Also Read: Murdaugh: Death in the Family on Hulu - A complete timeline of the infamous 2021 killings, revisited