CNN Special Report S2022E16 - The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money

As Alex Murdaugh awaits his fate behind bars, many in South Carolina and around the country are left reeling with questions about his alleged crimes, including financial fraud and murder. CNN's Randi Kaye sits down with those closely tied to this mysterious saga unfolding in the low country as they take on these cases together for the first time. At a roundtable, Alex Murdaugh's victims, alleged victims, their lawyers, and local reporters discuss the man who has changed their lives forever and the mystery that has shaken this community.

Local reporters who have been following every detail of this case for years talk Kaye through their coverage of the over 90 financial fraud charges Murdaugh is facing and the five mysterious deaths circling his orbit. Mandy Matney, the creator of the popular Murdaugh Murders podcast, Liz Farrell, Matney's co-host, and John Monk, reporting in South Carolina for nearly 50 years and currently covering crime and the court system at The State newspaper, join Kaye at the round table.

Alleged victims that came together to discuss their cases are: Sandy Smith is the mother of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, whose body was found lying in the middle of a Hampton County road in 2015. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division initially deemed Smith's death a hit-and-run, but his mother and her lawyer, Mile Hemlepp, believe otherwise. Ginger Harriott Hadwin is the sister of the Murdaugh's housekeeper, who allegedly fell and died outside his home. Hadwin does not believe her sister was killed, but Alex Murdaugh was found liable for another nefarious act connected with her death. Murdaugh is also accused of defrauding Alania Spohn and Jordan Jinks, Murdaugh's childhood friend, who also joined them at the table.

Local lawyers, including Eric Bland, Mike Hemlepp, Joe McCulloch, and Justin Bamberg, some of whom represent these alleged victims, also sit together to discuss their clients and the power and the legacy of the Murdaugh family dynasty in Hampton, South Carolina.