Judge orders Murdaugh assets to be frozen, appoints receivers

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A judge has ordered the Murdaugh family’s assets to be frozen and controlled by people appointed by the court.

Judge Daniel Hall made the decision Tuesday, saying Alex and Buster Murdaugh’s assets will be frozen and ordered receives to manage those assets.

It comes following a hearing in Chesterfield County last week. Alex Murdaugh was not present for that hearing.

Former US Attorney for the District of South Carolina, Peter McCoy, and John T Lay, Jr. were appointed to have control of the assets.

Mark Tinsley, attorney for the family of Mallory Beach, who argued for the freeze last week, told News 2, “The Beach family is very pleased with the Court’s ruling and they are hopeful that we can begin the process of unwinding the things that Alex and Buster Murdaugh have done with their assets.”

Eric Bland, attorney for the Satterfield family, also released a statement saying, “Our justice system is working as intended. It is designed to protect victims from continuing to be victimized by someone like Alex Murdaugh. Our judges now are consistently stating by their orders that putting a pen in Alex’s hand is just as dangerous as putting a gun. They have taken the pen away from him and son Buster.”

Bland said the injunction also prevents Alex and Buster from “doing anything further by way of transfers, sales, forgiveness of debt or payments to extinguish alleged debt, and voids the power of attorney that Alex gave to Buster in September.”

He went on to say, “I think the public will be pleased by the actions of newly minted Receiver John T. Lay and former U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy. They are both principled and will be fair to all parties. They will have no friends to reward or enemies to punish. They are straight down the middle guys. Alex now realizes so many eyes are on him and that he is pretty tightly boxed in.”