Two of Buster’s friends, who were not identified, told People magazine that the heir to the Murdaugh estate hasn’t been doing well since since the killings of his mother Maggie, 52, and his brother Paul, 22 at the family’s hunting lodge in Colleton County, South Carolina, in June 2021. Buster’s friends said he cleared his things out of the lodge after his relatives’ death and has also never returned to the beach house his mother was staying at prior to her alleged murder. ‘He’s not doing well at all,’ his University of South Carolina friend told the magazine. ‘He really withdrew after everything happened. ‘Before, he’d text immediately. His phone was surgically implanted in his hand or something, like you’d send a text 24/7 and he’d respond, and he loved to chat. Now he doesn’t respond to most texts, or if he does, it’s one or two words. He has really closed off and built walls around himself.’ Buster Murdaugh (pictured in September 2021) is reportedly not doing well after the death of his brother and mother, who his father allegedly killed He was seen throwing out trash at the family’s Edisto Island home in September in one the rare appearances he’s made since his father’s arrest Another childhood friend said the 26-year-old became the ‘collateral damage’ after his father alleged criminal actions blew up across the nation and Alex’s only remaining child let himself go. According to the friend, Buster ‘gained some weight, grew a beard’ and ‘doesn’t make eye contact and he doesn’t really engage like he used to.’ ‘He looks tired. He’s aged like 10 years in the past year. He has bags under his eyes and he just looks miserable. It’s just a shame,’ he said. ‘I think he’s developed this attitude of “I’m gonna shut people out before they shut me out.” His circle of friends got really small really fast.’ Buster also hasn’t given his friends any insights on whether or not he believes in his father’s innocence or not, according to People magazine. Alex recently pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder. ‘He doesn’t really talk about it. I don’t think he knows what to believe,’ his childhood friend told the magazine. Alex, who is currently behind bars without bail, was last week charged with murdering the pair on the family’s 1,770-acre estate in South Carolina, which Buster hasn’t returned to since. The disgraced former lawyer has also been accused of more than 90 criminal charges, including for allegedly defrauding his housekeeper Gloria Satterfield’s family of $4.3million in insurance settlement after she died in an accident on the family’s property. That death – described as a ‘slip-and-fall’ incident – is now being re-investigated over fears Alex Murdaugh may have killed Satterfield too. He is said to have admitted to being a heavily-indebted drug addict. The home where Maggie and Paul were found at has recently sold for $3.9million. Thirteen months ago, Murdaugh told police he ‘found’ the bodies of his youngest son and wife by these kennels when he returned to the family’s hunting estate around 10pm in June 2021. Two of his friends said the 26-year-old (far left, in 2020) has become recluse, rarely interacts with his friends, limited his circle to a small group of people, gained weight, and grew a beard. ‘He looks tired. He’s aged like 10 years in the past year,’ his childhood friend said The outdoor dog kennels where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot dead in June 2021 can be seen for the first time in exclusive DailyMail.com photos Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were found shot dead on the grounds of the family home on June 7. Maggie was killed with an assault rifle, whereas Paul had been killed with a shotgun. Both were shot multiple times Audio from the 911 call indicated that Alex placed the call at 10.07pm that night and told the dispatcher in a high-pitched screech: ‘I need the police and an ambulance immediately. My wife and child were just shot badly.’ Paul was shot twice with a shotgun – once in the head and once in the chest. Maggie had been shot multiple times with an assault rifle. Their gunshot wounds were believed to be consistent with ‘execution-style’ killings, reports said. According to several sources, Paul’s body was found partially inside one of the kennels, while his mother’s was several feet away, leading investigators to believe that she ran from her killer before being gunned down. At least two of her gunshot wounds were believed to have been inflicted while she was on the ground. The family has also been mixed up in other deaths, including Stephen Smith (left), who was found dead on the side of the road in 2015. Case notes revealed Buster had been mentioned in the investigation and Smith’s mother said they had a ‘fling.’ Mallory Beach (right) also died on one of the Murdaugh’s properties during a boat accident, where Paul was behind the wheel The family has also been mixed up at least deaths, including Alex’s belated son Paul, who was accused of killing Mallory Beach in a boating accident in 2019. Paul was charged because he’d been drinking and was behaving ‘belligerently’ that night, but was eventually released on bond. He was awaiting trial for Beach’s death at the time of his killing. Stephen Smith, who was gay, was found on dead on the side of the road after being involved in a hit-and-run accident in 2015. In case notes, obtained by DailyMail.com, revealed Paul’s older brother Buster was named multiple times in the investigation. Police reportedly wanted to know more about his relationship with Stephen and the boy’s mother said he had been having a ‘fling.’ The probe into Smith’s death continues.
TIMELINE OF MURDAUGH FAMILY MURDERS, SCANDALS AND CRIMES
JUNE 7, 2021: Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are found shot dead at the family home. Alex claims he found them dead outside dog kennel and calls 911 JUNE 17: Alex Murdaugh’s brothers go on Good Morning America to protest his innocence. Family later offers $100k reward for information SEPTEMBER 3: Alex Murdaugh quietly resigns from his law firm SEPTEMBER 4: Murdaugh calls 911 claiming he has been shot in the head SEPTEMBER 6: Murdaugh publicly announces resignation and checks into rehab. The law firm then announces that he has stolen millions over the years he spent working there SEPTEMBER 14: Curtis Smith is charged with helping Murdaugh in a staged murder plot. He tells cops Murdaugh hired him to shoot him on September 4 as part of a plan for him to be killed and give his son Buster a $10million life insurance payout SEPTEMBER 15: Cops open investigation in 2018 death of housekeeper Gloria Satterfield SEPTEMBER 16: Murdaugh surrenders to police OCTOBER 14: Murdaugh is charged with stealing life insurance money from housekeeper Gloria Satterfield’s kids JULY 14, 2022 Murdaugh charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul
