Alex Murdaugh blasts ‘misleading portrayals’ in Hulu’s new true-crime series about family’s double murder
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has condemned a new Hulu about the slaying of his wife and son, describing the show as ‘inaccurate and misleading’.
The 56-year-old is serving two life sentences for murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul, the deaths of which make up the new ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’ show.
In a blistering statement issued ‘on behalf of Alex after receiving reports about the recent Hulu program’, Murdaugh said he was ‘deeply disappointed and disturbed’ by the dramatization.
It’s not believed Murdaugh actually has a subscription to Hulu as he serves jail time, rather that the statement came after he ‘received reports about the recent Hulu program’.
‘The program contains numerous inaccuracies and misleading portrayals that distort the truth of their lives,’ his attorneys said, adding that the depiction of Murdaugh’s family dynamics was ‘particularly troubling.’
‘It totally mischaracterizes Alex’s relationships with his wife Maggie and his son Paul, both of whom Alex loves so dearly.’
The eight-part Hulu series, produced with input from journalist Mandy Matney, dramatizes the downfall of South Carolina’s once-powerful legal dynasty.
Episode Six, ‘June 7,’ which airs this week, centers on the night in 2021 when Maggie and Paul were gunned down on the family’s Moselle estate – the murders that shattered the Murdaugh name and captivated audiences worldwide.
Murdaugh has condemned Hulu’s new true-crime drama accusing the streamer of spreading ‘inaccuracies and misleading portrayals’ about him and his slain wife and son
Jason Clarke stars as Murdaugh in the eight-part miniseries
While billed as a ‘dramatization inspired by true events,’ the show takes notable creative liberties.
Viewers see actor Jason Clarke portray Alex as an unstable patriarch, alternately violent, manipulative, and self-destructive opposite Patricia Arquette as Maggie.
A controversial scene showing the couple in bed has drawn outrage online, described by commenters as ‘disturbing’ and ‘gratuitous.’
The production invents dialogue and condenses timelines.Some characters are renamed while others are composites.
Murdaugh’s defense team says such changes cross ethical lines.
‘Any other portrayal of his feelings toward Paul and Maggie are baseless and false,’ the attorneys said. ‘Equally concerning is the lack of engagement by the producers or actors to understand the individuals portrayed.’
Murdaugh’s lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said neither Hulu nor the show’s creators sought input from Alex, his son Buster, or any relatives before airing the series.
‘No one from Hulu ever reached out to Alex, his son Buster, anyone in the Murdaugh family, or Alex’s attorneys to hear their perspective or verify the facts,’ the statement continued.
The real-life Murdaugh family are seen together, from left, brothers Buster and Paul Murdaugh, together with their parents Maggie and Alex Murdaugh
Jason Clarke stars as Murdaugh alongside Patricia Arquette as his wife, Maggie, seen left
Jason Clarke, left, who plays Alex and Johnny Berchtold, right, who stars as Paul Murdaught
Alex Murdaugh is pictured alongside his wife Maggie and two sons
‘Instead, the program appears to rely heavily on sensationalized accounts from secondary sources with no direct knowledge or relationship with him or his family.’
They urged viewers to approach the series ‘with the knowledge that it is not an accurate portrayal of Alex, his family, or the tragic events that it sensationalizes.’
Murdaugh was convicted on March 2, 2023, after a six-week televised trial in Walterboro, South Carolina, that drew global attention.
Prosecutors argued he killed Maggie and Paul to distract from a web of financial crimes and drug addiction. Murdaugh testified that he loved his family and insisted on his innocence.
He is now serving two consecutive life terms but has appealed his convictions to the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, he has admitted to stealing millions from his law firm and clients – crimes that also carry lengthy prison sentences.
The Hulu dramatization portrays Murdaugh’s relationship with his younger son Paul as volatile, even physical.
The family are seen in a Facebook photo from Thanksgiving 2018
Johnny Berchtold is seen in the Hulu miniseries as one of Alex’s sons, Paul
One scene shows him shoving Paul to the ground – a depiction his lawyers call fiction.
The series also emphasizes Alex’s addictions, with scenes of him slurring, falling asleep mid-meal, and drooling on himself.
Murdaugh acknowledged on the stand that he was abusing opioids during that time.
The Murdaugh family once reigned over South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit for nearly a century, producing three generations of solicitors.
That lineage collapsed with Alex’s arrest and conviction, leaving the family name synonymous with corruption, deceit, and death.
