How the Family Dogs Ultimately Helped Convict Alex Murdaugh of the Murder of His Wife and Son (2024)

Content warning: This article contains references to murder some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.

If you've been anywhere except under a rock these past few weeks, you probably know the name Alex Murdaugh, a now-disgraced South Carolina lawyer who was prominently featured on Netflix's new true crime docuseries, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

On March 2, 2023, Alex was convicted by a jury for the double homicide of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, that took place at his family's property on June 7, 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, getting two life sentences. The prosecution did not seek the death penalty, even though South Carolina is a death penalty state. The southern state's last execution took place in 2011.

So, while we know what happened to Alex (prison), Maggie and Paul (murdered by gunshot), and Alex's surviving son Buster (reportedly living with his longtime girlfriend and golden retriever in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina), what about the Murdaugh family dogs?

The Murdaughs had several dogs in kennels on their massive 1,772 acres of property at 4147 Moselle Road in Islandton, South Carolina. The dogs were briefly mentioned on the Netflix series in relation to the mysterious death of longtime Murdaugh family housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield — she supposedly tripped over the dogs and fell on the stairs, ultimately dying of her injuries in February 2018 — but there was much more to the dogs' story than the docuseries revealed.

During Alex Murdaugh's homicide trial that began in January 2023, a vital Snapchat video taken by the late Paul Murdaugh seemingly put Alex at the scene of the crime. In the video, which was reportedly filmed only minutes before Paul was murdered, the 22-year-old was seen interacting with the dog of his friend, Rogan Gibson. The animal was reportedly only staying on the Murdaugh property for a short time.

As BuzzFeed reported, "In the minutes prior [to the murders], Paul had called Gibson to share his concern for Gibson’s dog Cash, who was staying temporarily in the Murdaugh kennels. When the weak cell signal in the rural area couldn’t support a proper FaceTime call in order for Paul to show Gibson the dog’s tail, he was instead planning to send a video — footage that was played in court [during the trial]."

This video ended up being key evidence against Alex Murdaugh, because his voice was allegedly heard in the background of Paul's video, calling for the Murdaugh's dog, Bubba. Why this evidence was damning for the Murdaugh patriarch was because he originally told the police he last saw Maggie and Paul alive an hour and half before returning home from visiting his mother and finding their bodies. This video, assuming it is in fact Alex's voice in the background, proved Alex was there with his wife and son at the time of the murders.

During his testimony, Alex confessed he did lie to SLED about his whereabouts that fateful night, citing his drug addiction to painkillers as the reason for his deceit. "I wasn’t thinking clearly, Alex said, as reported by CNN. "I don’t think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did." Alex denied shooting his wife and son.

The Daily Mail shared photos of the Murdaugh dogs locked in kennels the night of the murders. "If only those dogs in the kennel could talk," one courtroom attendee told WTOC after hearing Alex testify.

Presumably, Cash went home with Rogan Gibson (although that has not be verified and is pure speculation at this time), but what happened to the Murdaugh family dogs?

According to that same report from the Daily Mail, the Murdaughs had several pups: yellow Labradors Bubba and Maggie (not to be confused with Maggie Murdaugh, Alex's late wife), black Labrador Grady, red bird dog Tappy Toes, bulldog Armadillo, and bird dog Dahli.

While the whereabouts of five of those dogs are currently unknown, we do know where Bubba — the dog that ultimately helped convict Alex for the murders of Maggie and Paul — is. According to BBC News, Bubba is living with Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, a former employee for the Murdaughs. The yellow lab was described during the trial "as stubborn and as a favorite of Maggie."