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[KingstonsMom]

South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh orchestrated his own shooting in a botched assisted suicide scheme for his surviving son to collect a $10 million life insurance payment, investigators say, in the latest twist in the ongoing murder mystery surrounding the family.  

Curtis Edward Smith, 61, was arrested on charges of assisted suicide, assault and battery, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. 

Smith, from Walterboro, South Carolina, is a former client of Murdaugh, 53, who represented him in minor traffic matters as well as a 2015 lawsuit that Smith filed against a forest management company. 

According to police, Murdaugh paid him to shoot him in the head and kill him, making it look like a random, drive-by attack.

His goal was for his surviving son Buster to receive a $10million life insurance payout, according to police. 

Murdaugh provided Smith with a gun to carry out the September 4 shooting, SLED said. But Smith appears to have botched the shooting and Murdaugh survived.

Following the incident, Smith allegedly drove to an unknown location and disposed of the gun. 

Murdaugh has not yet been charged but SLED said further charges are expected in the case. 

It's unclear if Smith had anything to do with the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, Murdaugh's wife and other son who were shot dead at the family's hunting lodge in June. 

Smith was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Murdaugh entered rehab days after the shooting, seeking treatment for oxycodone addiction, while also being investigated for allegedly misappropriating millions from his own law firm.

A law enforcement source told the Daily Beast Smith and Murdaugh know each other and Smith allegedly supplied Murdaugh with drugs.

'Mr. Murdaugh provided a statement to SLED admitting to the scheme of having Mr. Smith murder him for the purpose of his son collecting a life insurance policy valued at approximately ten million dollars,' the agency said in a statement. 

Murdaugh, who is in rehab for opioid addiction and under investigation for allegedly misappropriating millions from his law firm after the brutal murder of his wife and son, has not yet been arrested or charged.

Police arrest suspect in the shooting of South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh | Daily Mail Onlin...

[NicksmomESQ]

   I've been following this story.It's so bizarre!! I think he killed his wife & son back in June too.

[ValuSkr]

Can someone be charged with assisted suicide if the attempt was unsuccessful?  I wonder how much Alex paid this guy.

[RetRN]

I guess Buster will not be getting 10 million $. Hope Alex goes behind bars for life. 

[JJsMom]

Geez, what a bizarre case. I thouight something seemed off about the whole thing when Alex was shot too.

[ScrapHappy]

He also left the law firm.  The news reported he was stealing money.

[KingstonsMom]

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@ValuSkr wrote:

Can someone be charged with assisted suicide if the attempt was unsuccessful?  I wonder how much Alex paid this guy.

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@ValuSkr 

Apparently you can be charged with it for 'attempting' to assist suicide.

There was another case a couple of years ago, where a girl was charged and convicted for talking her friend into getting back in his truck when he chickened out of committing suicide by carbon mononxide poisoning.

She wasn't even there, she convinced him by phone/text.

[viva923]

have been following this story,

wow, the twists and turns unbelievable.

[itsmagic]

I think Alex Murdough was involved in his wife and son’s murder, maybe even hiring a hit man for that too. 

[millieshops]

As much as I believe in the value of formal education, I long ago gave up believing that education always makes for a good and stable person.  Character dominates knowledge very often.