Alex Murdaugh arranged his own shooting

Prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh planned his own shooting in order for his older son to collect $10m through a life insurance policy, according to the authorities.

Murdaugh, 53, had survived the September 04 shooting, months after the murder of his wife and son.

Mr. Murdaugh asked a former client, Curtis Edward Smith, 61, to shoot him in the head, in order for his son to collect the insurance money.

Murdaugh had also provided Mr. Smith with a firearm, according to an affidavit to support the charges.

Mr. Smith is charged with assisted suicide, insurance fraud, aggravated assault and battery, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Murdaugh’s attorney, Richard Harpootlian, said Mr. Murdaugh planned the shooting after he was trying to get off Oxycodone he was taking to get over the deaths of his wife and son.

He was in the notion that his older son, Buster, would not be able to get the insurance money if he died of suicide, said Mr. Harpootlian.

Jim Griffin, another lawyer of Mr. Murdaugh told in an interview that his client had told the police that Mr. Smith was the one he used to buy Oxycodone from.

It is still unknown who killed Mr. Murdaugh’s wife and younger son in the fatal double homicide shooting.