Episode 2: A look into the history of the Murdaugh family and their rise to prominence in the legal profession as adept personal injury attorneys and also the top prosecutors in South Carolina's 14th Judicial Circuit, which includes Hampton County and four other surrounding counties.   

Randolph Murdaugh Sr., the Murdaugh family patriarch, founded what would become today's Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick law firm as a one-man office in Hampton County in 1910.  

Randolph Murdaugh Sr. became the first elected solicitor (district attorney) for the 14th Circuit in 1920. In 1940, Randolph Sr. died after being hit by a train near the Early Branch community in Hampton County.  

The same year, Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh, Jr. became his father's successor, the second generation of Murdaugh men elected to serve as 14th Circuit Solicitor.

Buster Murdaugh would face criminal charges in 1956 as part of a federal bootleg liquor conspiracy trial, but was ultimately acquitted despite a federal judge's harsh criticism of Buster and accusations of witness tampering.

Buster would serve until his retirement in 1986, after which Randolph Murdaugh III was elected to continue the Murdaugh family's legal reign over the 14th Circuit. Randolph III held the seat until retiring to private practice in 2006.

Randolph III's sons Randy and Alex followed their father into the legal profession, but didn't seek the solicitor's role.

Read more on the Murdaughs at this link: https://abcnews4.com/news/murdaugh-murders

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Unsolved South Carolina is a production of ABC News 4 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Anne Emerson - Host, Producer

Drew Tripp - Executive Producer, Social Media, Graphic Design

Daniel Michener - Producer, Audio Engineer

Maxwell Harrison, KJ Morrison - Music

Douglas Stewart - Graphic Design