(NewsNation) — A few weeks after Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son, people came to Georgia from around the country to buy contents from his and his family’s home.
According to WYFF News 4, Liberty Auction of Pembroke, Georgia, secured items from the house located on the Murdaugh’s Colleton County, South Carolina hunting property called Moselle. Liberty was hired to clean out the house and sell items found in it, CNN reports.
Items sold for hundreds, and even thousands of dollars, at an auction Thursday, according to NewsNation local affiliate WSAV.
“I’m a frequent auctioner, so I come here every other Thursday, but today has the Murdaugh stuff so we’re super excited to see what that’s going to go for, if we can win something,” one woman, Victoria Gaitten, told the news outlet on the day of the biddings.
Lori Mattingly, owner of Liberty Auction, said she had anticipated a large crowd.
“This is about what I expected from all the responses that we have gotten through our website, phone calls, social media,” she said.
Alex Murdaugh’s trial garnered national attention from traditional and social media. Once a prominent attorney from a powerful and well-known South Carolina legal family, Alex Murdaugh had been hiding an opioid addiction, as well as alleged financial misconduct, including reportedly stealing from clients. Along with his murder conviction, Murdaugh is accused of almost 100 financial crimes.
Alex’s son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were found shot to death on the Moselle property on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh has maintained his innocence, even though he received two consecutive life sentences when he was found guilty in their killings on March 3. His lawyers have since appealed.
People’s interest in the case could be seen in their eagerness to buy items once owned by the Murdaugh family at high prices. Items such as turtle lamps sold for $1,500 dollars, while china dishware sold for $1,000.
Mattingly told WJCL that a Yeti cup, which usually costs $35, sold for $400. One beer koozie sold for $500, while mounted antlers went for $10,000 and a furniture set was auctioned off for $30,000, WJCL wrote.
Proceeds from this sale will reportedly go to the Moselle estate, and be paid out as part of a court-approved settlement agreement, according to Greenville News.
Meanwhile, Moselle itself was also sold, though this was before the auction. The 1,772-acre property had been listed for $3.9 million by Crosby Land Company and was sold to two buyers on Wednesday, documents obtained by NewsNation local affiliate WCBD show. One of the two new owners of Moselle also confirmed the transaction to WCBD Friday.
NewsNation local affiliates WSAV and WCBD contributed to this report.
