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A Georgia woman came into possession of never-before-seen photos of Alex Murdaugh and his family after purchasing a number of cameras and memory cards at a Murdaugh family estate auction last week.
Dawn Martin, who lives in Savannah, told WTOC that she followed Murdaugh’s recent murder trial closely and travelled to the estate sale in Pembroke, Georgia out of a sense of curiosity about the famous family and bid on several of their items.
“I had the day off and decided to [go], since it was so close, I was very surprised to have it in Pembroke, Georgia,” Ms Martin told the television station.
One of her winning bids landed Ms Martin an unexpected prize: a camera bag that included a number of sim cards. When she returned home and uploaded the contents of the SIM cards to her computer, she realised that she was in possession of a trove of photographs of the Murdaugh family.
A number of images show the Murdaughs on vacations and enjoying leisure activities over the years. Ms Martin told WTOC that various pictures show family members hunting and that at least one shows Alex Murdaugh driving a boat.
Ms Martin, who told the television station that she is a survivor of domestic violence herself, said she wants to use the pictures ot uplift the story of Maggie Murdaugh — who, along with her son Paul, was murdered at the family’s estate in rural South Carolina.
Ms Martin said viewing the photographs, especially in light of the murders, was an emotional experience.
“I will say that it has changed me,” Ms Martin told WTOC. “I can’t unsee it. I never imagined that I would be owner of the things and hide a glimpse into the private view of their life.”
Ms Martin is being judicious about the photographs she chooses to make public. She has released just two pictures to this point, and is considering whether or not she will make any more photos public with interest in the family and the murder case still high.