CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — South Carolina lawyer Eric Bland’s legwork on behalf of the sons of housekeeper Gloria Satterfield may well have helped bring about the newest legal migraine for Alex Murdaugh.
Murdaugh was arrested Thursday for his connection with missing settlement funds in the wrongful death lawsuit involving Satterfield.
Murdaugh was taken into custody on two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses upon his release from a drug rehabilitation facility in Orlando.
The charges stem from an investigation into misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Satterfield. She allegedly died in a slip and fall accident on Murdaugh’s property in 2018.
The Murdaugh family told Satterfield’s sons their mother tripped over the family dog and died weeks later from her lingering injuries. The death was never reported to the Hampton County coroner, who asked state police to investigate why she was not called to review what she would consider an accidental death.
Bland said he believes this is the beginning of the end for Alex Murdaugh.
“I’ve said from the start, that I believe that the Gloria Satterfield matter would be at the epicenter of Alex Murdaugh,” Bland said. And I said it’s the hub and everything else is the spoke. And I do believe that this is the beginning of the downfall of Alex Murdaugh.”
An autopsy was never performed on Satterfield, but Bland still believes she died accidentally.
“At this time we still believe that she died an accidental death — it certainly wasn’t a natural death — you don’t die a natural death falling downstairs,” Bland said.
He added that it would not surprise him if investigators looking into the criminal case exhumed Satterfield’s body.
“We fully expect that that’s going to be asked of the family sometime down the road. Obviously [Satterfield’s sons] are pretty busy right now with the existing crimes that [Alex Murdaugh] is charged with, as well as bringing him back to South Carolina so he could face justice,” Bland said.