HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (Court TV) – Alex Murdaugh‘s surviving son granted his first interview since his father’s double-murder conviction to Fox Nation, marking the first time the public has heard from Buster Murdaugh since he testified at trial.
Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, testifies during his father’s trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)
“The Fall of the House of Murdaugh” special premieres Thursday on FOX Nation, and some clips from the tell-all have been released. In the documentary, Buster told Martha MacCallum that he does not believe his father is a murderer.
“I think that I hold a very unique perspective that nobody else in that courtroom ever held,” Buster said. “And I know the love that I have witnessed.”
Alex, once a prominent South Carolina attorney and heir to a legal dynasty, is currently serving two life sentences for gunning down his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, in June 2021.
READ MORE: SC v. Alex Murdaugh: Murdaugh Family Murders
“I do not think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother,” Buster continued.
Buster, 29, believes Maggie and Paul’s killer is still on the loose and very much fears for his own safety.
“I think I set myself up to be safe, but yes, when I go to bed at night, I have a fear that there is somebody that is still out there.”
Buster did admit he was shocked and confused when he learned at trial that Alex had lied about not being at the dog kennels on his family’s property the night of the murders. That lie came to a head when prosecutors played footage from Paul’s phone that placed Alex at the scene of the murder.
While Buster is adamant his father is incapable of murder, he did concede that Alex possesses some traits of a psychopath.
“I’m not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole, but I certainly think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation, and the lies, and the carrying out of that such, and I think that’s a fair assessment,” Buster said.
Alex Murdaugh smiles while listening to his son Buster Murdaugh testify during his trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool)
Just last week, Alex, 54, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges he stole millions of dollars in settlement money from clients, in a case in which he had persistently maintained his innocence. Murdaugh, who is appealing his murder convictions, also faces charges related to other crimes encompassing fraud and betrayal.
When MacCallum asked whether Buster worried he might be like his father, he responded, “No, I do not worry, because I am not a thief. I am not a liar. I’m not a manipulator.”
He added that he shares some of his father’s “more admirable traits, which I am quite proud of.”
Buster also attempted to put to rest the rumors that he was involved in the death of his former classmate, Stephen Smith, who was found dead in 2015, along a rural South Carolina road at the age of 19. His death, initially ruled a hit-and-run, was reclassified as a homicide earlier this year.
Smith and Buster played on the same baseball team, and were rumored to have had a romantic relationship.
“I did not have any personal, intimate relations with Stephen, and that cannot be proven because it is baseless,” said Buster. “I never had anything to do with his murder, I never had anything to do with him on a physical level of any regard.”
Buster also insisted he has an alibi for the night Stephen died.
Stephen Smith (Sandy Smith/GoFundMe)
“The night Stephen was killed, I was at our Edisto Beach house,” he said.
Maggie and Paul, the people Buster claims he was with, are no longer around to attest to his alibi. Buster touched on dealing with rumors about Smith, while also grieving over the loss of his mother and brother.
“I don’t want to be rude here, but have you ever been accused of murdering somebody?” Buster Murdaugh asked MacCallum. “Well, let me tell you, this is very, very, very, very, very — it’s a terrible thing to place on somebody with absolutely no fact. I mean, it has harmed my reputation. I mean, people perceive me as a murderer.”
“The Fall of the House of Murdaugh,” is expected to feature behind-the-scenes trial footage, Murdaugh family home movies, and a look at Alex’s life behind bars.
Court TV cameras were inside the courtroom during the legendary murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. Stream the full trial in its entirety here on CourtTV.com.
