The word "Due" read from top-down and "South" left-right, with the U shared between them. Reminiscent of a compass.

Due South

A conversation with author of 'The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty'

By Leoneda Inge,

Published October 14, 2024 at 10:20 AM EDT

Valerie Bauerlein, author of "The Devil at His Elbow" — Valerie Bauerlein, author of *The Devil at His Elbow*

The name “Murdaugh” became known across the country, and even the world, in 2021 when Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found dead on their family estate in South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh, husband to Maggie and father to Paul, was eventually convicted of killing them.

But in Hampton County, SC, the Murdaugh name had been front and center for decades before the double murder. The story of the family’s dominance, corruption and almost absolute power in that region is captured in Valerie Bauerlein’s book "The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty."

The Wall Street Journal reporter talks with Leoneda Inge about the legacy of the Murdaugh murders.

Guest

Valerie Bauerlein, reporter, The Wall Street Journal and author of The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty

Tags

Due South Crime

Leoneda Inge

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Rachel McCarthy

Rachel McCarthy is a producer for "Due South." She previously worked at WUNC as a producer for "The Story with Dick Gordon." More recently, Rachel was podcast managing editor at Capitol Broadcasting Company where she developed narrative series and edited a daily podcast. She also worked at "The Double Shift" podcast as supervising producer. Rachel learned about audio storytelling at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Prior to working in audio journalism, she was a research assistant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.

See stories by Rachel McCarthy