This Is What Alex Murdaugh's Sole Surviving Son Buster Is Doing Now

When you hear the name Murdaugh, convicted murderer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh might be the first person that comes to mind. But what about Buster Murdaugh? For a while, Buster appeared to be the only member of the infamous family to come out unscathed from their tainted past. However, this didn't turn out to be the case.

In June 2021, Alex discovered his youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, and his wife, Margaret Murdaugh, murdered on their property. He soon emerged as a prime suspect when authorities began to doubt his alibi. Subsequently, the ex-lawyer faced charges and was put on trial before a jury. Throughout the proceedings, Buster frequently appeared and even testified. Buster recalled in that testimony that his father called him once he discovered that Margaret and Paul were killed. He recalled, "He [Alex] sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot," according to the New York Post. At the time of the murder, Buster was at his girlfriend's house in Rock Hill, South Carolina, nearly 200 miles from the scene.

In March 2023, after all the evidence was brought forth, the jury found Alex guilty of murdering his wife and youngest son, as reported by The New York Times. Buster's reaction to the verdict was caught on camera, and he displayed zero emotion. However, throughout it all, he has remained by his father's side and even shared in the docuseries "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh" that he still believes his father is innocent. But what has he been up to since? Well, we're here to fill you in on all the details of what Buster's life looks like now.

Buster Murdaugh was at the home of his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, when he received the news that his mother and brother were killed. It's believed that Buster remains living with his girlfriend after his father, Alex Murdaugh, was convicted of their murder.

According to Fox News, Buster and White lived together during his father's trial. The couple was said to be living in a humble single-bedroom condo on Hilton Head Island with their golden retriever, Miller. In November 2022, a neighbor, unfamiliar with Buster and his family history, shared that they have only had pleasant interactions with Buster and his girlfriend. They said, "They're a really nice couple. They always smile and say, 'hi.'" The smaller condo is a huge contrast to the 1700-acre land on which Buster grew up. Nonetheless, it seems to suit both him and his girlfriend well.

In June 2023, a few months after his father's conviction, Buster and White were spotted shopping at a local Sam's Club near their complex, according to the Daily Mail. The couple bought snacks and household necessities as onlookers watched the two check out. Those shoppers who knew of Buster believed he loved the attention he received from those who recognized him. Still, he has laid relatively low since his father's conviction.

Buster Murdaugh graduated from Wofford College in 2018 and, following the family tradition, pursued law by enrolling in the University of South Carolina School of Law. However, his stint in law school was short-lived. The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2021, Buster was expelled for plagiarism. Since then, there's no indication that he has resumed his education.

The Post and Courier reported that Alex Murdaugh, who also plead guilty to fraud in September 2023, admitted in multiple jailhouse calls to having paid $60 thousand to attorney Butch Bowers, aiming to get Buster readmitted to law school. In one such call, Alex urged Buster, "You need to get ready for this law school, now OK. I mean, you've got to really buckle down. You've got to treat it like a job...Because you know there's not going to be another chance."

Despite Alex's plea to his only living son, the opportunity for Buster to go back to school never came. In the fall of 2022, Jim Griffin, Alex's attorney, revealed Buster's plans moving forward. He shared, "He [Buster] has put his desire to go to law school on hold for now. There is no plan for him to start school in the fall or in the spring." 

While Buster Murdaugh might have given up on becoming a lawyer, he got some firsthand experience dealing with the legal system in 2024 when he filed a defamation suit against Netflix and Warner Bros. His reason for accusing the media companies of tarnishing his reputation was connected to another tragic death. In 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead near the Murdaugh family's home. Smith was a former classmate of Buster, and rumors swirled that somehow Buster was involved in his death, which had originally been ruled the result of a hit-and-run. In 2021, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) even released a statement saying (via CBS News), "SLED has opened an investigation into the death of Stephen Smith based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh."

Netflix, Investigation Discovery, and Max — the latter two of which are owned by Warner Bros. — all referenced Smith in their respective series, "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal," "Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty," and "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal." In his lawsuit, Smith complained that all three falsely linked him to the death, and the Max series even suggested that he killed Smith because they had been involved romantically. "These statements are untrue in their entirety," read legal documents obtained by HuffPost. At the time of the filing, Buster hadn't been named as a suspect in the investigation into Smith's death.

Buster's lawsuit is ongoing as of May 2025, and it's not the only reason he hasn't faded into obscurity. Hulu decided to give the Murdaugh murders the scripted treatment, and in March 2025, Variety reported that the streamer had chosen an actor to play Buster: "Daisy Jones & The Six" star Will Harrison.