What Really Happened at Mallory Beach? The brutal death of a 19-year-old (and her connection to the Murdaugh family)

NEED TO KNOW

• Mallory Beach died on February 24, 2019, when she was 19 years old

• A student who hoped to become an interior designer died after a boating accident when Paul Murdaugh allegedly crashed the boat while drunk

• Mallory’s family recalled “how full of life she was” before her tragic death

Mallory Beach was a 19-year-old student who tragically died in a boating accident.

in 2019 February 23 Mallory went on a boat trip with some of her friends, including Paul Murdaugh, in Beaufort, SC.

A little after 1 a.m. on February 24, the friends began to swim back to the boat. Some members of the group later told law enforcement officials that Paul was intoxicated and had been asked not to drive, but he did so anyway. The Wall Street Journal..

Despite his intoxication, Paul continued to steer the boat and crashed into the Archer’s Creek bridge. Mallory was thrown from the boat into the water and died. Her body was found more than a week later in a swamp five miles from the crash, according to CBS News.

Paul’s blood alcohol level was three times over the legal limit and he was later charged with three felonies, including boating while intoxicated and causing death. He pleaded not guilty.

But while Paul was awaiting trial on charges related to Mallory’s death, he and his mother, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, in 2021. was fatally shot on his property in June. His dad and prominent local attorney Alex Murdaugh were later convicted of the double murder.

The Murdaugh Family Crimes and Trials has been adapted into a limited series for Hulu, Murdaugh: A Death in the Familywhich premiered on October 15.

Here’s everything you need to know about what really happened in Mallory Beach and how her family sought justice from the Murdaugh family.

What was Mallory Beach?

Mallory was a 19-year-old graduate of Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, SC, who was attending college and living with her mother, Renee Beach, at the time of her death. She worked at Retail Therapy, a clothing store, and hoped to become an interior designer, according to her family.

“It was her passion, just clothes and shoes,” Renee told PEOPLE in February 2024. “I could go to bed and wake up the next day and she would have painted her room a different color. She had so many layers of paint on her wall.”

Renee also shared that both she and her daughter became friends while watching home improvement shows.

“We’d sit and look at it, and that’s what she was talking about, real estate so she could buy something, fix it up and, I guess, flip it,” she said. “It was something she started talking about.”

In addition to her professional ambitions, Mallory also had a thriving social life and was dating Anthony Cook. Mallory’s aunt Lynn Reavis said 48 hours in 2023 in July that her niece was popular, adding that “everyone loved her.”

What happened to Mallory Beach?

in 2019 February 23 Mallory and her boyfriend Anthony decided to go with some of their friends to a house party and oyster bar at Paukie Island. They were joined by Anthony’s cousin Connor Cook, Connor’s girlfriend Miley Altman, friend Paul Murdaugh and Paul’s then-girlfriend Morgan Doughty.

The group of friends originally met at a property owned by the Murdaugh family called “Murdaugh Island”. They boarded the boat and brought alcohol, which Paul illegally purchased from a local convenience store with his older brother’s ID, according to store surveillance footage obtained by 48 hours.

Mallory, Anthony, Paul, Morgan, Connor and Miley all left for the party on Paul’s family boat around 7pm. They later told authorities they had been at the party for several hours before leaving on the ship around midnight. But Paul drove to the bar and took pictures with Connor, according to surveillance video from the bar he obtained Greenville News.

Paul and Connor joined the group outside at around 1am on February 24 and were last caught on surveillance cameras boarding the boat 15 minutes later. According to friends, some of them argued with Paul about his ability to drive, but he allegedly kept driving at an increased speed.

Around 2:20 a.m. the boat struck the piles of Archer’s Creek Bridge. Mallory was thrown from the boat during the accident and has not been found. Paul denied being the driver and claimed that Connor was in the driver’s seat, but this claim was proven false during the investigation. Law and crime.

Connor called 911 while officers tried to find Mallory while also talking to other friends about what happened. By the time the group was taken to a local hospital, Mallory was still nowhere to be found. While in the hospital, Paul’s blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit three times.

On March 3, 2019, Mallory’s body was found by search and rescue volunteers. She was found about five miles from the crash site. The coroner’s office later determined that Mallory died of drowning and blunt force trauma in 2021. reported by WTOC.

What was Paul Murdaugh accused of?

Less than two months after Mallory’s death, in 2019 April 18 Paul was charged with three felonies. He was formally charged with boating while intoxicated, including the death of Mallory and serious injury to two other passengers.

Paul pleaded not guilty to all charges and said Connor was driving the boat at the time. But evidence of Connor’s injuries, including a broken jaw when he hit the side of the boat, is related to the passenger’s injuries, according to his lawsuit, which he received Island Package.

Several other friends also indicated that Paul was driving, so Connor was not charged. Paul was released on $50,000 bail and has a trial date set for 2021. July 10

What happened to Paul Murdaug?

Just weeks before Paul went on trial for Mallory’s murder, he and his mother Maggie were murdered in 2021. June 7 Paul and Maggie were found shot to death near the Murdaugh family dog ​​kennels in Colleton County, SC. Later, the charges against Paul were dropped.

“I just broke down and started crying,” Renee recalled to PEOPLE after hearing about Paul’s murder. “I wanted him to own up to what he did and I never wanted anything like this to happen to him or Maggie. That was the last thing I wanted. I was hoping he would change, just admit he was wrong and turn his life around and that made me really sad.”

During the double murder, Alex called 911 and said he found their bodies after returning home from a trip to see his mother. He also denied being at the dog kennel that night, but later video showed he was at the crime scene at the time of Paul and Maggie’s supposed deaths.

Alex was accused of murdering his wife and son in 2022. in July, and in 2023 was found guilty in March. He was given two consecutive life sentences for the murders and received an additional 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 financial crimes. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Alex killed Maggie and Paul to cover up his financial crimes and prevent them from appearing at Paul’s pending trial.

Renee described her daughter’s death, which involved the Murdaugh family’s crimes, as her “worst nightmare come true.”

“I think I’ve gotten used to it over time, but it’s not getting any easier,” she said. “I miss Mallory and I want her back.”

Did the Beach family sue the Murdaughs?

The Mallory Family 2019 in March filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against several Murdaugh family members. The lawsuit names Alex for owning the boat, Maggie for allegedly allowing Paul to use the boat, and Paul’s brother Buster for allegedly giving him his driver’s license to buy alcohol the day Mallory was killed. State.

After Alex was convicted of killing Maggie and Paul, he settled a wrongful death lawsuit and the ship’s insurer agreed to pay the Beach family $500,000 in 2024. CBS News reported in October.

Beach’s family also sued Parker’s, the convenience store where Paul bought alcohol. The store owner agreed in 2023. in July to settle the lawsuit for $15 million, lawyers told PEOPLE at the time.

Five years after Mallory’s death, Renee reflected on her daughter’s death and subsequent lawsuits. She said it was never about the money, but “hoping it doesn’t happen to someone else.” Renee also shared that they plan to donate a portion of the settlement to an animal shelter.

“It’s something that Mallory would love. It would make her so proud,” she said. “She was like a mother to the homeless. She was forever finding animals that were just abandoned.”

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