*Trigger warning: Descriptions of intimate partner abuse and physical violence.*
Netflix's newest docuseries, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, follows the terrible events and several deaths that have surrounded an elite South Carolina family in recent years, the Murdaughs. The wealthy South Carolina family has served in powerful prosecutorial positions in the region for three generations.
But recently, multiple scandals have surrounded the family, including the death of a 19-year-old girl named Mallory Beach, and the death of Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. These tragic events slowly began to fracture the family's reputation.
Then, in June of 2021, Maggie Murdaugh and her 22-year-old son, Paul, were found dead in their family hunting lodge. Alex Murdaugh, Maggie's husband and Paul's father, was just convicted of their murders and has been sentenced to two life sentences in prison, per The New York Times. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and even testified in front of a judge.
You can learn more about the Murdaughs in the new docuseries, which includes interviews with people close to the family.
Morgan Doughty, Paul Murdaugh's ex-girlfriend, is among the interviewees. She opened up about their allegedly abusive relationship, and talked about the events leading up to the boating accident that killed her friend, Mallory Beach, and Paul's murder.
If you have questions about Morgan's intense story, or want to learn more, here is what to know about the 23-year-old.
Morgan is originally from New York.
Unlike the Murdaughs, Morgan is not from South Carolina. Morgan's parents, Diane and Bill Doughty, are originally from Long Island, New York, according to The Independent. Mallory relocated to the South Carolina area around her freshman year of high school, according to the Daily Mail.
Her father reportedly works as a professional landscaper, while her mother works as a nurse, according to several sources.
Morgan claimed Paul was abusive.
The teens began dating at the beginning of their junior year of high school, according to Murdaugh Murders. Morgan reported that Paul was physically and verbally abusive to her on many occasions—usually while being heavily intoxicated with alcohol.
"I think that our relationship is just something that I really clung to just because when it was good, it was really good. But when it was bad, it was really bad," Morgan says in an interview in Murdaugh Murders.
Morgan claimed Paul would kick her, punch her, and even once grabbed her by the throat after his older brother's graduation party. Paul also reportedly insisted on driving the couple home after drinking at a Christmas party in 2017, leading to Paul crashing his truck (which the Murdaugh family covered up). The family also scolded Morgan for attempting to call the police after the crash, according to Morgan in Murdaugh Murders.
Morgan claimed that drinking culture was very prevalent in the Murdaugh family. She even provided videos of the minors drinking (Paul, Morgan, and friends) often in the presence of Alex and Maggie Murdaugh.
On the day of the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, Paul reportedly yelled and hit Morgan for not defending his choice to drive his family boat while intoxicated, according to E! News.
If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic abuse, you can visit the Domestic Abuse Hotline for support.
She was friends with Mallory Beach.
The two girls were good friends, according to Murdaugh Murders. In an interview, Morgan says that Mallory warned her at one point to stay away from Paul because of his behavior while drinking.
Morgan's parents claim that the boating accident that killed Mallory, in which Paul was allegedly driving drunk, was the last straw for them: Their daughter's relationship with Paul had to end, they explain in the doc.
"She always said that Mallory saved her, and that's one way, really, she saved her," Morgan's mother explains in the docuseries.
Morgan got a tattoo in honor of Mallory and her other friends.
She posted a picture of her new tattoo, which shows an M to the fourth degree, on social media. The M is apparently done in Mallory's handwriting.
Morgan Doughty got an M tattoo which she shared on social media.
Her hand was injured in the boating accident.
Morgan was also present at the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, and injured her hands at the time.
Her fingers had "permanent scarring and disfigurement" from the accident, according to WRDW. Her mom, Diane, said that Morgan actually had to get sutures because the skin on her hands had been peeled back.
Morgan filed a claim against the Murdaugh family.
Morgan reportedly filed a creditor's claim for $10 million against the Murdaugh estate following the death of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, per WSOCTV.
A creditor's claim, in case you're not familiar, is a filing with a bankruptcy or probate court to establish a debt owed, per the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. Morgan filed this claim so that she could be compensated for her boat accident injuries, per WSOCTV.
Where is Morgan Doughty now?
She most recently appeared to tell her story in the documentary, but otherwise, Morgan has been keeping a low profile. Her Instagram is private, but she does include a link to Mal's Palz, a charitable organization hoping to build an animal rescue in Hampton County, South Carolina, created in memory of Mallory Beach. You can donate to Mal's Palz here.
For more information on Morgan and the Murdaugh scandals, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is now streaming on Netflix.
Olivia Evans
News Editorial Assistant
Olivia Evans (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health. Her work has previously appeared in The Cut and Teen Vogue. She loves covering topics where culture and wellness intersect. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, and watching rom-coms.
