Netflix’s most recent hit true crime documentary series is Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, which follows the multiple suspicious deaths that occurred in close proximity to the wealthy and well-connected Murdaugh family, culminating in the murders of matriarch Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and her youngest son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh.
Alex Murdaugh is currently standing trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, and is pleading not guilty with the support of his surviving son Buster. However, the so-called Murdaugh murders were preceded by three deaths over the years prior. 19-year-old Mallory Beach, a friend of Paul, died in a boating accident, and Paul was awaiting trial for her death when he was murdered. The other two deaths remain unexplained: Buster’s classmate Stephen Smith died in a hit and run that has never been solved.
And then there was the death of the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who Paul’s ex-girlfriend Morgan Doughty has described as being like a “second mother” to him.
What happened to Gloria Satterfield?
The third episode of Murdaugh Murders on Netflix spends a considerable amount of time delving into Gloria’s death. What we know is as follows:
On February 2, 2018, the emergency services were called to the Murdaughs’ property to attend to Gloria, who required medical attention after appearing to have suffered a fall. As far as could be ascertained, she had” tripped over the family dogs on the stairs, and fell backward, and hit her head violently and died,” although she did not actually die until February 26, after being non-responsive in the hospital.
On the surface, Gloria’s death is a tragic accident. However, some of the circumstances preceding her death cast suspicion on the family. In the documentary, Morgan Doughty claims that Gloria found drugs taped to the underside of Alex Murdaugh’s bed, and then allegedly told Paul about it as she was “scared to go to Maggie” with what she had discovered. Morgan’s parents, also interviewed in the documentary, agree that Gloria possibly “knew too much” about the private goings-on at the Murdaugh house.
It is speculated in the documentary that either Paul or Maggie Murdaugh pushed Gloria down the stairs, and that her death was not an accident, but there has been no evidence to this effect.
Interestingly, Alex Murdaugh reportedly intended to sue himself for Gloria’s wrongful death, on account of the family’s dogs being the presumed cause of the accident on his property, so that her two sons would receive financial compensation. However, Gloria’s family stated they did not receive any kind of settlement, and her sons did not even know about it prior to reading about it in the news.
Alex did, however, collect approximately $4.3 million in commercial insurance following Gloria’s death on his land. The Satterfield family’s attorneys eventually concluded that Alex had stolen this money which should have gone to their clients, and Alex Murdaugh has now apologized, and officially agreed to a $4.3 million settlement with Gloria’s surviving relatives.
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
