Even though the 20-year-old Paul Murdaugh was responsible for the passing of Mallory Beach, he did not go on trial. In fact, Paul pleaded not guilty and managed to get released on bond. At the time of her passing, Beach was only 19 years old. The deceased graduated from Wade Hampton High School and was attending college. Furthermore, she even worked in a clothing store.
Paul Murdough was the son of former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh. 13 months after the death of Mallory Beach, Alex Murdaugh was charged with the homicides of his son Paul and his wife Maggie. Since Paul Murdough passed away, the charges against him were dropped.
How was Paul Murdaugh responsible for the death of Mallory Beach?
Paul Murdaugh was driving the boat that carried Mallory Beach and several other teenagers. On February 24, 2018, he purchased alcohol from a convenience store by using his brother’s ID. After that, he met his friends at his grandfather’s river house and boarded a boat to travel to an oyster roast.
After getting done with that, they proceeded to make their way back home. However, they stopped at a dockside bar where Paul and another friend of his, Connor, drank shots. This resulted in Paul behaving erratically. Even though his friends asked him to let someone else take charge of the steering wheel, Paul did not listen and drove the boat himself.
At exactly 2:17 a.m. on February 24, 2019, Paul crashed the boat on a bridge. Every passenger was admitted to a nearby hospital, however, Mallory Beach was nowhere to be found. Investigators spent eight days searching for the 19-year-old girl and at last on March 3, 2019, her corpse was discovered a couple of miles from the scene of the crash.
Coronors declared that the cause of death was drowning and blunt force trauma.
