South Carolina home on estate where Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son is up for auction
Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the dog kennels on the Moselle property on 7 June 2021
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Part of the sprawling South Carolina hunting estate where Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife and son is back on the market — this time in an online auction with a starting bid of $1,100,000.
Moselle Estate in the town of Islandton became an infamous crime scene after the June 2021 murders and has become a popular tourist site for the true crime community.
Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the dog kennels on the property on the night of 7 June 2021, a horrific double murder that sent shockwaves across the Lowcountry region.
Online bidding has already started for the 21-acre property that contains a 5,275-square-foot custom-built house with four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, that was once home to the convicted killer. The dog kennels where the murders took place are reportedly not included in this auction.
The auction, which is being held by J.P. King Auction Company and Crosby Land Company, will close at 1pm on 15 February.
The entire property – which is 1,700 acres total – was initially sold in March 2023 to James A. Ayer and Jeffrey L. Godley for $3.9m. Proceeds went to Murdaugh’s surviving son Buster Murdaugh, who received $530,000 from the sale. The remainder went to legal fees and to benefit the victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes.
The owners explained that they brought the property for hunting and farming land, but said they did not have any use for the Murdaugh family home, the main house on the Moselle Estate.
“Both the Ayer and Godley families have land nearby,” said Jeff Godley, co-owner, in the media release.
“We bought to expand our hunting, farming, and timber. The acreage bought included the home, however, we both already have family homes. It is a beautiful, incredibly well-built house. I am a next-door neighbor, with our home about a mile from this house. We seek a new neighbor to enjoy this gorgeous house and land.”
In October 2023, the home was listed for sale again with a price of $1.95m. Now, back on the market, the home is only being shown by appointment and buyers must be pre-approved.
The listing describes the property as a “secluded haven that offers tranquility and privacy” that is situated on “upland open fields and adorned with high-end finishes throughout.”
“A two-story foyer includes heart pine floors, tongue and groove walls, and a grand staircase leading to a mezzanine balcony,” the listing continues. “Vaulted ceilings extend from the foyer to a family room with custom built-ins, crown molding, and mahogany French doors that open to an expansive back porch.”
“The spacious floor plan could easily be converted into a weekend lodge or a corporate retreat with the capability to sleep up to 15 people,” said Todd Crosby, Crosby Land Company. “The 21-acre property has high topography with good loamy soil that drains well to support horse and dog training activities, and a variety of other outdoor pursuits."
The property in Islandton is about an hour-and-a-half drive from Charleston, Savannah, Columbia, and Augusta.
There is no mention of the heinous murders that occurred on the property nearly three years earlier, thrusting the rural community into the national spotlight and the centre of a highly publicized six-week trial in nearby Walterboro.
In July 2022, Murdaugh was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
The 54-year-old denied murdering his loved ones – a denial who maintains to this day, months after he was convicted of all charges.
The case also garnered national attention for the family’s connection to other mysterious deaths in the community including their own housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died after a fall on the stairs at the property in 2018.
Murdaugh is currently serving two life sentences for the murders of his wife and son. He has repeatedly denied carrying the murders and is now appealing his conviction.
He has also pleaded guilty to numerous financial crimes.