Murdaugh Faces $1.6 Million South Carolina Tax Debt While Preparing for Retrial in Wife and Son’s Deaths

Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina attorney awaiting a new trial in connection with his wife’s and son’s deaths, is now grappling with substantial tax obligations to his home state. Records released July 16 by the South Carolina Department of Revenue reveal that Murdaugh owes $1,630,201.02 in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest, positioning him as the fourth-largest individual tax debtor on the state’s roster of delinquent taxpayers.

The revenue department typically makes multiple attempts to resolve outstanding tax debts through correspondence, telephone contact and in-person outreach before publishing delinquent taxpayer lists, officials said. A state tax lien has been filed against Murdaugh’s account, converting the debt into a matter of public record and establishing a legal claim against his assets.

Murdaugh’s legal team, led by attorney Dick Harpootlian, received a substantial upfront fee approximately five years ago and has committed to remaining on the case through its conclusion, Harpootlian told Fox News Digital. While acknowledging that protracted litigation can strain a law firm’s finances, Harpootlian stated that accepting cases with uncertain economic outcomes is standard practice in the profession.

The former Lowcountry lawyer was convicted in March 2023 of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul, with prosecutors arguing he committed the killings to generate sympathy and divert attention from collapsing financial schemes and misappropriated client funds. The South Carolina Supreme Court reversed the convictions after finding that court clerk Rebecca Hill made inappropriate comments to jurors, and the case was remanded for new proceedings.

Murdaugh’s defense team has signaled plans to challenge key evidence at retrial, including pursuing DNA testing on unknown male genetic material allegedly recovered from beneath Maggie’s fingernails. State prosecutors maintain the original trial was conducted fairly, though the appellate court determined that Hill’s conduct warranted judicial reconsideration.