Randolph Murdaugh Sr., was born on Feb. 28, 1887, into a wealthy Hampton County family. His father had made his money in mining and real estate, but it would be Randolph who founded their legal dynasty. In 1910, after graduating from the University of South Carolina law school, he started a one-man practice that would eventually become a massive law firm with hundreds of lawyers. Ten years later, the area's residents elected him solicitor. And for nearly 100 years after that, a member of the Murdaugh family in an almost unbroken succession would hold the position, giving them prosecutorial power over the region.
Following the death of Randolph Murdaugh Sr., rumors abounded. The 53-year-old had been sick in the months before his death and even spent time in the hospital a few months before the train crash. He was so sick that his son Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., sometimes had to fill in for him in court. Many wondered if he'd died by suicide. Others speculated alcohol could have played a part in the tragedy since he'd been coming from a poker game at a friend's place a few towns over. It could have been a combination of both, or it could have just been a tragic accident, as the coroner's jury ruled. The medical examiner even went so far as to cross out the words "suicide" and "homicide" as possible causes of the crash, as can be seen on the death certificate.
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