COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. — Another chapter in the Alex Murdaugh family saga seems to have closed with the sale of the family's former home in Colleton County.
Moselle, the custom-built 5,275-square-foot family home sitting on 21 acres near Islandton, South Carolina, was up for auction by JP King Auction Company and Crosby Land Company for an asking price of $1.1 million. After the sealed bid auction ended on Feb. 9, J.P. King representatives announced the property is now under contract for $1 million.
The identity of the out-of-state buyer has not been disclosed. However, the buyer is said to have "multiple business offices in South Carolina, and plans to develop the Moselle Estate for use as a horse farm," according to J.P. King's announcement.
Moselle was home to Alex and Maggie Murdaugh and the couple's two sons, Buster and Paul. In March 2023, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, at the dog kennels on the Moselle property. He is currently serving life without parole for the murders and 27 years for financial crimes for stealing millions from clients and his law firm.
The original Moselle property consisted of the house and outbuildings -- including dog kennels -- on more than 1,700 acres. This original property first came up for sale in March 2023 and was sold to James A. Ayer and Jeffrey L. Godley for $3.9 million. The property was then divided, and the smaller 21 acres with the house were put up for sale in October 2023 for an asking price of $1.95 million. The latest, final sale price in February's auction was $100,000 short of the asking $1.1 million.
Alex Murdaugh was back in court in Richland County in late January of this year in a bid for a new trial based on alleged jury tampering during his murder trial by the Colleton County Clerk of Court. After hearing from jurors and the clerk at the center of the allegations, former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal denied Murdaugh's request for a new trial.
Murdaugh's attorneys vow that they will continue to appeal his guilty verdict.