The housekeeper who maintained disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh's vast South Carolina estate has revealed how she immediately suspected her boss of murdering his wife and son, as he continues fighting his conviction.
The Housekeeper's Chilling Realisation
Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, who served as a crucial witness in Alex Murdaugh's double homicide trial, details her shocking experience in her new book 'Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship - Blanca and Maggie'. Having worked for the prominent family since 2007, Simpson developed an exceptionally close bond with Maggie Murdaugh over their years together.
This intimate friendship made Simpson instantly aware that something was terribly wrong when she arrived at the family's 1,770-acre Moselle hunting estate on June 8, 2021, mere hours after Maggie, 52, and her son Paul, 22, were fatally shot outside their kennels. Alex had called her that morning in a frantic state, declaring 'they're gone' and urgently requesting she clean the house before Maggie's parents arrived.
Upon arrival, Simpson noticed Maggie's Mercedes SUV parked unusually on the right side of the house - something her friend never did throughout their entire acquaintance. The discovery grew more disturbing when Simpson, a US Navy veteran and former corrections officer, found Maggie's pyjamas and underwear neatly arranged on the laundry room floor.
'I knew automatically that wasn't her,' Simpson wrote in her book, co-authored by Mary Frances Weaver. She explained that Maggie never wore underwear to bed and noted that her friend's purse, makeup bag and luggage remained inside the vehicle.
The Critical Evidence That Sealed Her Suspicion
Simpson's conviction that Alex was responsible solidified during his six-week televised trial when she saw police body camera footage showing a distinctive beach towel in Alex's Suburban. She had washed that exact towel on the day of the murders and placed it high on a laundry room shelf.
'I looked at the towel and I said, "Oh my God, he did it,"' Simpson recounted. She believes Alex used the towel to clean the crime scene, potentially removing DNA evidence, as the towel mysteriously vanished after the murder night.
Alex Murdaugh maintained he was sleeping in the main house when his wife and son were killed. He claimed to have visited his ailing father before returning around 10pm to discover the bodies, prompting his 911 call.
The Motive Behind the Murders
While the precise circumstances remain unclear, Simpson argues in her book that the family's seemingly perfect life began unravelling when Paul drunkenly crashed his boat in 2021, resulting in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Concurrently, Alex had been stealing millions from his law firm and clients - admissions he made in court - while facing multimillion-pound wrongful death lawsuits.
'The secrets he carried got to be too much,' Simpson wrote, echoing prosecutors' arguments that Alex killed his family to distract from his financial crimes and drug addiction. She speculates he may have worked with an accomplice to clean the scene, move Maggie's SUV and stage the laundry room discovery.
'In the end, the Murdaugh name meant more,' Simpson contended. 'Maggie and Paul were just collateral.'
Despite consistently proclaiming his love for his family and innocence regarding their murders, Alex Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 and continues serving two consecutive life sentences while appealing his conviction.
His defence team's appeal centres on allegations of jury tampering by former Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, who they claim made improper statements to jurors potentially influencing their verdict. However, former South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal ruled in January 2024 that Murdaugh wasn't entitled to a new trial.
The South Carolina State Supreme Court must now decide whether to schedule oral arguments in the case that continues to captivate the nation.
