The Murdaugh Edisto beach house at 3606 Big Bay Drive on Edisto Island, South Carolina, was sold in July 2022 for $955,000 under a court-supervised receivership assembled to compensate Alex Murdaugh’s victims. The buyers, Jon and Gayle Lancto, resold the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home eight months later, on March 17, 2023, for $1,185,000. Alex and Maggie Murdaugh had bought the property together in 2002 for $415,000, and it served as the family’s second home for nearly two decades before Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed in June 2021 and Alex’s financial crimes unraveled.
Who Owned the House When It Sold
Because Maggie Murdaugh was a co-owner and was murdered on June 7, 2021, the Edisto house became part of the Estate of Margaret B. Murdaugh. Her 2005 will left everything to Alex, but in October 2021 he renounced any interest in her estate. Their surviving son, Buster Murdaugh, also declined to handle it the following month.1Island Packet. Murdaugh Probate Proceedings In December 2021, Colleton County Probate Judge Ashley Amundson appointed Alex’s brother John Marvin Murdaugh as personal representative, giving him authority over both the Edisto house and the family’s larger Moselle property.2Island Packet. Murdaugh Edisto Home Sale
The will carried an unresolved detail. It originally named Maggie’s sister, Marian Proctor, as the person to manage the estate, but her name had been crossed out in pen and replaced with Randolph Murdaugh III, Alex’s father. Legal counsel said the change must have been made by Maggie during her lifetime, though the circumstances were never clarified.1Island Packet. Murdaugh Probate Proceedings
Why the Sale Needed a Judge’s Approval
By the fall of 2021, Alex Murdaugh faced a growing set of civil lawsuits, most prominently the wrongful death case brought by Renee Beach after her daughter Mallory was killed in a 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh. Beach’s attorney, Mark Tinsley, argued Murdaugh might be moving or hiding assets. On October 29, 2021, South Carolina Judge Daniel Hall froze Murdaugh’s assets and appointed attorneys Peter McCoy and John T. Lay Jr. as co-receivers with broad authority to investigate his finances, hire brokers, and sell real estate.3The State. Murdaugh Asset Receivers Appointed After that order, any sale of the Edisto house required the court’s sign-off.
The 2022 Sale
The receivers and John Marvin Murdaugh listed the beach house in April 2022 for $920,000. An all-cash offer came in within days at $955,000, or $35,000 above asking. The property carried a Palmetto State Bank mortgage of roughly $222,500. The bank agreed to waive interest and late charges, cutting the payoff to about $203,300 so the deal could close.4Live 5 News. Buyer Offers Nearly $1 Million Cash for Murdaugh Edisto Home
Judge Hall tentatively approved the sale at a hearing in Lexington County. He specified that no proceeds could be distributed until the court decided how to allocate money among Murdaugh’s creditors and victims.5The State. Judge Tentatively Approves Murdaugh Edisto Sale The sale closed in July 2022, with Jon and Gayle Lancto as the buyers.6New York Post. Murdaugh Beach House Sells Again
The 2023 Resale
The Lanctos held the house less than six months. In January 2023 they listed it for $1.18 million, and it went under contract in February.6New York Post. Murdaugh Beach House Sells Again The second sale closed on March 17, 2023, at $1,185,000, a gain of $230,000 over the July 2022 price.7Compass. 3606 Big Bay Dr, Edisto Island
Where the Money Went
Proceeds from the Edisto sale flowed into the receivership rather than to any Murdaugh family member. That fund also absorbed money from the sale of a 22-acre Beaufort County island Murdaugh co-owned (approved at $285,000 in November 2022 with about $54,000 going to pay off a Palmetto State Bank mortgage), the cash-out of his 401(k), and eventually the auction sale of Moselle in February 2024 for $1 million.8AOL. Judge Approves Sale of Murdaugh Island9CBS Austin. Murdaugh Moselle Property Sold at Auction
After two years of asset recovery, the receivership had gathered roughly $2.44 million in gross assets. Legal and receivership fees took a large share, with more than $659,000 approved for co-receivers Lay and McCoy by October 2023, leaving about $1.76 million to distribute.10ABC News 4. How the Rest of Alex Murdaugh Money Will Be Divided Among Victims Special referee Walt Tollison split the funds among 16 parties. The largest shares went to the family of Mallory Beach (29 percent), the estate of Arthur and Donna Badger (24 percent), former law partner John Parker (15 percent), and Murdaugh’s former law firm (14 percent). Some claimants, including the sons of Murdaugh’s late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, received nothing from this fund because they had already been paid through other channels. The total came nowhere near covering the losses. Tollison put it plainly: “In a perfect world, there would be unlimited funds.”11Live 5 News. Mediator Decides How Remaining Murdaugh Funds Go to Victims
A separate settlement tied to Maggie Murdaugh’s estate directed $530,000 to Buster Murdaugh as sole beneficiary and $275,000 to the receivership to resolve a claim that Alex’s earlier transfer of the Moselle property to Maggie had been a fraudulent conveyance.12Live 5 News. Murdaugh Family Members Settlement in Boat Crash Lawsuit For victims, the federal court told a similar story: sentencing Murdaugh in April 2024, United States District Judge Richard Gergel found he had defrauded 27 clients and ordered $8.76 million in restitution, while prosecutors said roughly $6 million was still unaccounted for.13ABC News 4. Murdaugh Federal Financial Crimes Sentencing
Where Alex Murdaugh Stands Now
The house sales are final and the buyers are private owners, but Murdaugh’s criminal cases have shifted. In March 2023 a Colleton County jury convicted him of murdering Maggie and Paul, and he received two consecutive life terms. On May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned those convictions and ordered a new trial, finding that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill had exerted “improper external influences” on the jury.14CNN. South Carolina Supreme Court Overturns Murdaugh Murder Conviction South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has said he intends to retry the case by the end of 2026.15BBC. Alex Murdaugh Murder Convictions Overturned
The ruling does not release Murdaugh. His 27-year state sentence and 40-year federal sentence for financial crimes are unaffected, and he remains incarcerated.16NPR. Alex Murdaugh Murder Timeline The Edisto house, having passed through two arm’s-length sales since 2022, is not part of any ongoing proceeding.