Randolph Murdaugh III born October 25, 1939 in Savannah, Georgia, son of the late Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh, Jr. and Gladys Marvin Murdaugh. He graduated from Wade Hampton high school in 1957. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina in 1961 and graduated from its law school in 1964. Before and after his tenure as solicitor, he was an attorney with the law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED).
He married his wife, Elizabeth “Libby” Alexander, in 1961 and they had four children: Lynn Goettee, Randolph Murdaugh III, Alex Murdaugh, and John Marvin Murdaugh.
Murdaugh was sworn in as solicitor in January 1987 and held the office until 2006. Prior to that, his father “Buster” Murdaugh and his father, also named Randolph Murdaugh, held the office. All told, the three men occupied the seat for 87 consecutive years.
“While solicitor, Randolph served as lead prosecutor in over 200 murder cases,” his online biography noted. “Randolph earned a reputation as a formidable prosecutor in the courtroom but he is more proud of the reputation he earned for caring about the people he prosecuted and helping people to turn their lives around.”
Murdaugh practiced at the firm’s Hampton office with his sons and R. Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh and Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV.
Murdaugh died at his home on June 10, 2021 – just three days after the murders of his daughter-in-law and grandson, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
