What Happened To Alex Murdaugh's Only Surviving Son, Buster?

The following article contains mentions of violence.

True crime fans know the best podcasts and docuseries to turn to in order to learn all about the most interesting real-life criminal cases. One such case captured the interest of the public back in June 2021, when the wife and youngest son of South Carolinian lawyer Alex Murdaugh were killed. The patriarch of the family has since been found guilty of their murders and received two consecutive life sentences for his horrific crimes, leaving behind one remaining member of the Murdaugh clan: Buster.

The eldest son has undoubtedly been deeply impacted by the murders of his mother and brother at the hands of his father. Since the devastating deaths of Margaret (Maggie) and Paul, many have been captivated by Alex, but others have wondered about Buster in the aftermath. As the only member of the Murdaugh family to be walking freely, Buster has been at the center of the media's reporting — from his testimony in his father's trial to issues in his personal life and questions over his involvement in another murder. To put it lightly, things have been far from easy for Buster. Years on from the tragedy that rocked his family, here's what we found out.

Some cases leave true crime fanatics scratching their heads for years, like the tragic details about JonBenet Ramsey's murder. In the case of Alex Murdaugh's crime, the details aren't exactly simple, either. On the night of June 7, 2021, the lawyer phoned the police to report the discovery of his wife and youngest son, who had died at their hunting lodge estate as a result of several gunshot wounds. Three months later, Murdaugh was the target of a roadside shooting but escaped with a minor head injury; however, it was soon discovered that the lawyer had hired a man to kill him so his son Buster Murdaugh could collect on his $10 million life insurance policy. More information surfaced over time, including Murdaugh's alleged opioid addiction and money laundering of his law firm's funds.

Understandably, with the death of his mother and brother and his father's trial looming, Buster took a step back from the public eye. According to his former classmate who spoke with People in July 2022, "He's not doing well at all." The insider added, "He really withdrew after everything happened. ... He has really closed off and built walls around himself." Another friend told the outlet at the time, "Buster is collateral damage to his father's situation. ... His circle of friends got really small really fast." Many questions remained steadfast in everyone's minds: Did Buster believe his father was innocent? And did he know more than he let on?

When it comes to a murder trial, every person's testimony can provide crucial information the jury needs to consider. Although Alex Murdaugh's trial wasn't as exciting and bawdy as, say, the murders on "Days of Our Lives," his son Buster Murdaugh's testimony proved to be pretty groundbreaking. He defended his father's character and made it clear that he never questioned his innocence, even as he recounted the night he learned of the deaths of his mom and little brother.

Shortly after Alex informed the police, he called his son to let him know what had happened. "He said, 'Are you sitting down?'" the then-26 year old Buster testified (via News 19 WLTX). "He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot." He and his girlfriend Brooklynn White made their way to the estate where Margaret and Paul were killed, and Buster explained that when he finally saw Murdaugh, he was distraught. "He was destroyed. He was heartbroken," he explained on the stand. To Buster, it seemed clear that the police had apprehended the wrong man.

After about a month and a half of testimony and only three hours of deliberation, Alex was ultimately found guilty of two counts of murder. Despite maintaining his innocence, much of the world believed the right verdict had been met. However, his eldest son still hasn't indicated that he has doubted Murdaugh's story in the years since.

Compared to the lavish life he once shared with his family, there's no doubt that Alex Murdaugh lives very differently in prison. That said, he has still kept in touch with Buster Murdaugh during his incarceration over the phone. Although their conversations have been awkward at times — maybe even a little forced — the only surviving Murdaugh son has continued to take his dad's calls.

In an interview for Fox Nation's three-part docuseries, "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," (via CNN) Buster gave a perspective on his dad that he hadn't previously shared. "I don't think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother," he stated, still standing by Alex. However, he also agreed with the interviewer, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, that he thinks his dad exhibits the traits of a psychopath.

"I'm not prepared to sit here and say that it encompasses him as a whole," Buster began. "But certainly, I think there are characteristics where you look at the manipulation and the lies and the carrying out of that and such, and I think that's a fair assessment." Seeing as how Alex was revealed to have lied about his alibi on the night of his wife and youngest son's murder — and not just to law enforcement but to Buster as well — it's an understandable stance for him to have taken.

Some children are expected to follow their families' footsteps into certain professions. Alex Murdaugh, a now-disbarred attorney, followed his father into practicing law, who followed his. The family has been a pillar in the legal system in South Carolina for roughly a century, so it makes sense that Buster Murdaugh planned on following suit — that is until he was reportedly expelled from University of South Carolina School of Law, his dad's alma mater, for poor grades and plagiarism shortly before the murders.

Many celebrities make their kids follow very strict rules to keep them out of trouble, but it doesn't seem like that had been the case in the high-profile Murdaugh family. Buster and his brother lived a life of privilege, and Paul had run-ins with the law that were swiftly handled by his father. Even after Alex was sent to prison, he tried to get Buster readmitted to USC from behind bars by paying a lawyer $60,000, according to The Post and Courier.

In a November 2021 prison call, Alex told his son he needed to take this second chance seriously. "You've got to really buckle down. You've got to treat it like a job," he told Buster. "Because you know there's not going to be another chance," Alex added. However, Buster never returned to USC. "[Buster] has put his desire to go to law school on hold for now," Jim Griffin, Murdaugh's attorney, told The Post and Courier in September 2022.

After Alex Murdaugh was sentenced, Buster Murdaugh and his longtime girlfriend Brooklynn White relocated to a condo in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The couple probably would've appreciated a fresh start, but the case had been so groundbreaking that they continued to be photographed out and about, remaining in the spotlight for some time. Having gone through so much, Buster seemed to only want privacy for himself and White, but it unfortunately got to the point that the couple just couldn't escape the press.

In March 2023, Buster told the police that he and White were being stalked. Undoubtedly not wanting to become another celeb with a terrifying stalker story, he reported that he had seen invasive photographs of the inside of their apartment in an article and that their Ring doorbell camera showed a suspicious vehicle outside their home. White filed a complaint with the police, too, in which she detailed how one particular YouTube reporter continually followed the couple and would peer into their car windows. "The behavior of certain members of the press [had] become increasingly unsettling and frightening," she said in the report (via WCBD News 2). Things likely mellowed out for a while as the media moved on to the next story, but the release of the docuseries "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh" surely brought additional attention back to Buster and his family's story.

In terms of the Murdaugh family's disturbing connection to murder, we've only really just scratched the surface. Of course, the patriarch of the family was found guilty of killing his wife and youngest son, but other strange occurrences have also been linked to the Murdaughs. Back in 2015, rumors spread alleging that Buster Murdaugh was somehow involved in the death of his classmate, Stephen Smith, whose body had been discovered on a road near the family's estate. It was thought by some that the two had some sort of romantic relationship that had gone south. While Smith's death was originally ruled as vehicular manslaughter, it was later changed to homicide.

Then, in 2018, the family's housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died after apparently tripping and falling. The following year, Paul Murdaugh was allegedly driving a boat with friends when he crashed and 19-year-old Mallory Beach was killed. This is a lot of death to be tied to just one family, so the stories became all the more speculative after the tragic killings in 2021.

The Murdaughs' involvement in Smith's death came into question throughout several docuseries. During his appearance on Fox Nation's "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," (via CNN) he insisted, "I never had anything to do with his murder, and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level, of any regard." Buster has since moved to sue Netflix and other media companies for alluding that he may have been Smith's killer. As of this writing, Buster has never been named a person of interest or suspect in the death of Smith.

There's no question that Buster Murdaugh has been through a lot. Fortunately, throughout all the scandal and heartbreak that has plagued him, one person has been there to support him. While he and Brooklynn White have kept their relationship fairly private, it's believed that the two met while attending the University of South Carolina and have been together ever since.

As Buster testified during his father's trial (via News 19 WLTX), White was there when he received the devastating phone call from his father that his mom and brother were killed. "Brooklynn, my girlfriend, was with me and she could hear my conversation over the phone, and so she just started packing stuff." They traveled together to his family's estate and she stood by him throughout the long days in court. It seems that after the worst of it had finally blown over, Buster realized that White was the one.

After many years together, the two tied the knot in May 2025 at a former hunting estate in South Carolina. White and Buster had a gorgeous outdoor ceremony and their reception took place under a massive tent, decorated with flowers. While the only surviving Murdaugh son undoubtedly missed his late family during the big day, he was hopefully at least elated to marry White amongst their other family members and friends.