Former FBI agent weighs in on Murdaugh murder investigations

HAMPTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A retired FBI agent is breaking down the mysterious murder cases of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh nearly a year after they happened.

There have been no charges or suspects named in the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh after a year of investigation by local, state, and federal agents.

Details about the murders have become more clear in recent months. We know two guns were used in the double murders that took place June 7, 2021 around 9:30 p.m.

Paul Murdaugh’s death certificate shows he was shot once in the chest and once in the head. Reports say Maggie Murdaugh was shot several times in what appeared to be an execution-style murder.

Bobby Chacon, a retired Special Agent with the FBI, worked in forensics for 19 years and totaled 27 years with the agency. He says a year into most cases, testing has likely been completed, but investigators could still be piecing the case together. Despite that, he says evidence from the night provides an idea about what could’ve happened to Paul and Maggie

“Certainly the community is going to be like ‘Oh my god, two of my neighbors just got shot dead and so yes I have cause for concern,'” says Chacon. “But for SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) to come out and make those statements early on that the community is not in danger, it kind of indicates to me that they made that determination that this looks like a targeted killing and they were just interested in these two people.”

On the night of the murders, Alex Murdaugh told investigators he arrived home just after 10:00 p.m. at the family’s hunting property known as Moselle. Murdaugh found his wife and son shot multiple times.

Since then, the SLED has worked to piece the case together testing forensics and analyzing evidence, but little new information has come out recently. Chacon says that doesn’t mean the case has stalled.

“It’s not unusual,” says Chacon. “I certainly wouldn’t consider this a cold case yet. I think you know they’re probably still getting leads.”

But what could slow the investigation into the murders of Paul and Maggie, according to Chacon, are the mounting criminal and civil cases piling up against Alex Murdaugh.

“One prosecutor might be ready to go, might be ready to file charges on certain crimes and another prosecutor might say ‘hold off on that because we are still doing this in our investigation,'” says Chacon. “So now the more crimes you have and even the more civil cases that are going on, even lawsuits related to that boat accident and things like that, there is a lot of coordination that has to take place in a case like this.”

Alex Murdaugh faces 15 indictments totaling 79 state grand jury charges and remains at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.