The trial of former South Carolina attorney and Wofford parent Alex Murdaugh has been a national hot topic for the past year, since his wife, Margaret (Maggie) Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, were found brutally and tragically murdered at the family’s lowcountry property on June 7, 2021.

Wofford students, South Carolinians and Americans from all over tuned in recently on March 2, when Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of his wife and son.

The trial, widely broadcasted on YouTube and other platforms became a source of entertainment for many, as some likened Murdaugh the O.J. Simpson of the 21st century.

Netflix, HBO Max and Hulu did not miss their chance to capitalize on the interest, and they have each released documentaries and docuseries following the murders and subsequent cases.

Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster Murdaugh ‘18, is a recent graduate of Wofford College. Buster Murdaugh majored in government and international affairs, and planned to follow in his great-grandfather, grandfather and father’s footsteps to become an attorney.

When he graduated, Buster Murdaugh told Wofford’s government and international affairs departments that he was going to work for his father’s law firm, Perters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick in Hampton, South Carolina for the summer, then continue his studies next fall at either the Charleston School of Law or the University of South Carolina Law School.

Murdaugh attended the University of South Carolina Law School, but he was allegedly terminated from the program due to plagiarism accusations. However, while Alex Murdaugh was in jail awaiting the trial, Buster Murdaugh and Alex Murdaugh would often call, allegedly attempting to plot a plan to get Buster re-admitted to law school.

Buster is certainly not the first Wofford student to break the honor code, or to be expelled from a secondary institution. Unfortunately, his public position has led to negative association between Wofford and the case.

“I am disappointed that Buster is a Wofford alumni,” said an anonymous student. “His display of academic dishonesty is exactly the opposite of what Wofford teaches us, and I think it is a sad representation of what we are not as an institution.”

While at Wofford, Buster Murdaugh was described by an anonymous Wofford staff member as being a self-proclaimed “first priority.”

“When Buster was a student he did not wait in lines, he said that he was too good to wait in lines,” the staff member recalled. “He was a little demanding.”

Additionally, Buster Murdaugh was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order at Wofford College. As of the beginning of March, Murdaugh’s Instagram bio reads: “Wofford ’18 KA.”

Chapman Mann ‘24, issued a statement on behalf of the Delta chapter of Kappa Alpha Order:

“While none of the current members of the chapter were at Wofford with Buster, our hearts are with him as he grieves the tragic and untimely loss of his mom and brother. Out of nothing more than plain human decency, we would ask that (Old Gold & Black) respect Buster’s privacy at this difficult time in his life.”

Buster Murdaugh is enduring an unprecedentedly difficult time. Thanks to the closure of the trial, hopefully he can find some ease knowing that justice has been brought to his mother and brother’s murder case.