Who's in the Murdaugh family? A look at family members as new Hulu series releases

A portrait of Randolph Murdaugh Sr. hangs among others of his family at the Hampton County Courthouse.

Pictured is Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., son of Randolph Murdaugh Sr. and father of Randolph Murdaugh III.

Randolph Murdaugh III, Alex Murdaugh's father, in an undated file photo.

Paul Murdaugh appears in court in May 2019.

Alex Murdaugh's brother John Marvin Murdaugh and wife, Liz, arrive at the Colleton County Courthouse on day four of his double murder trail on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.

The case of the infamous lawyer-turned-convicted-murderer Richard “Alex” Murdaugh is back in the spotlight with the premiere of a new series, "Murdaugh: Death in the Family."

Chronicling the crimes of the former attorney, the show premiered on Wednesday, Oct. 15 on Hulu and Disney+. Key figures in the case include Alex Murdaugh himself, victims Maggie and Paul, as well as his oldest son, Buster. According to Hulu, the series will also give viewers a dramatized look into how family members grappled with the legal troubles of the Murdaughs, as well as news of the murders.

Here’s the rundown on who’s who in the Murdaugh family.

Randolph Murdaugh Sr., Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather

Randolph Murdaugh Sr. started the Murdaugh family’s law firm in 1910, according to the firm’s previous website. The firm eventually became known as Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED), and then Parker Law Group in 2022, per Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. In 1920, Murdaugh Sr. was elected circuit solicitor for South Carolina’s Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, where he served until his death in 1940.

Randolph 'Buster' Murdaugh Jr., Alex’s grandfather

When Murdaugh Sr. passed away in 1940, his son, Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh Jr., was elected circuit solicitor for South Carolina’s Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Murdaugh Jr. remained solicitor until he retired in 1986.

Randolph Murdaugh, III, Alex’s father

Randolph Murdaugh III was elected solicitor for South Carolina’s Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in 1986 when his father retired. He served for nearly 20 years until he retired and went into private practice in 2005. He died in 2021.

Randolph 'Randy' Murdaugh IV, Alex’s older brother

Randy Murdaugh is Alex Murdaugh’s older brother. Randy has worked for the firm since 1991, handling mostly personal injury cases, according to the family law firm's website. As of October 2025, he continues to work for Parker Law Group and handles large trucking cases, railroad cases, and more, per his online biography.

Once his brother’s financial crimes were made public, Randy issued a statement and said he and the rest of the firm’s employees were "shocked" to hear about Alex Murdaugh's "drug addiction and stealing of money."

Richard 'Alex' Murdaugh

Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh passed the South Carolina Bar in November 1994 and then began working for his family’s law firm, representing plaintiffs in personal injury law cases. After the June 2021 shooting deaths of his wife and son on the family’s property in Colleton County, a grand jury indicted Murdaugh on murder charges.

He was found guilty in March 2023, then received two life sentences. He was later charged with fraud and other financial crimes, and took a plea deal reducing the more than 100 crimes to 22. He will serve a 27-year sentence concurrently with his two life sentences, as well as a 40-year sentence for federal charges.

Margaret 'Maggie' Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh, wife of Alex

Maggie met Alex Murdaugh while attending the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she graduated in 1991, according to her obituary.

The pair married on Aug. 14, 1993 and later had two sons, Buster and Paul. Family members said Maggie was generous, loved hosting friends and family at her home, and loved spending time boating with her sons. Many of her sons’ friends called her a second mom, loved ones recalled. She was 52 years old when she was killed.

Richard Alexander 'Buster' Murdaugh Jr., oldest son of Alex and Maggie

Buster went to law school at the University of South Carolina. According to a recorded phone call his father had with a relative, Buster was barred from returning to the program after his first year due to low grades and reported plagiarism. According to media outlet The State, his father tried to get him back into the school while being detained in jail.

During an interview with Fox Nation in 2023, Buster was asked about a theory that his father knew he was coming under fire for past crimes and thought Maggie and Paul’s deaths could lead people to sympathize with him.

"I do not think that his justification and his out, of whatever storm he concocted, was to kill my mother and brother,” Buster said.

Paul Murdaugh, youngest son of Alex and Maggie

Paul, the youngest of Murdaugh's two sons, was 22 years old when he was gunned down alongside his mother on June 7, 2021. According to his obituary and his brother’s testimony, he loved the outdoors, especially hunting with his father and his brother.

Paul was named in a lawsuit after a February 2019 boating incident in which he drove his father’s boat while intoxicated and crashed it, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach. According to the plaintiffs, Paul was underage and used his brother’s ID to buy alcohol at a gas station that day. Beach’s family later won a $15 million settlement against the gas station and convenience store chain that sold alcohol.

Marian Proctor, older sister of Maggie

Marian Proctor is Maggie’s older sister who testified during Alex’s trial. She said that after her sister and nephew were murdered, she found it “odd” that Alex’s priority was clearing Paul’s name regarding the boating incident. She thought the focus would’ve been finding their killer.

John Marvin Murdaugh, younger brother of Alex

John Marvin Murdaugh is Alex’s younger brother who runs his own companies in the construction and agricultural equipment industry, per his February 2023 testimony. He has previously said he doesn’t believe his brother killed Maggie and Paul, who he was close with.

“I told Paul I loved him, and I’d find out who did this to him,” John Marvin testified in February 2023.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Greenville News

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who's in the Murdaugh family? A look at family members as new Hulu series releases

Reporting by Saleen Martin and Michael M. DeWitt, Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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