
Murdaugh - Moselle Photo: CC News Network
CC News Network: New Moselle Estate Owner Makes Shocking Claim About Alex Murdaugh and his Innocence
Islandton, SC – The new owner of the infamous Moselle Estate, where Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and son, has made an astonishing claim that could cast doubt on the former lawyer’s guilt. It was first reported by CC News Network back in August 2024 that Alexander Wallace Blair, who bought the sprawling four-bedroom home on a 21-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, says he’s uncovered evidence that may prove Murdaugh’s innocence, this information was first reported by Realtor.com and then by the New York Post.
Evidence Left Behind Told New Owner Key Information
Blair acquired the Moselle Estate at auction in February 2024 for $1 million and began renovations soon after. This purchase did not include the full 1,700 acres once owned by the Murdaugh family but comprised the main house and the now-dismantled kennels where Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were killed. According to the New York Post, Blair claimed he retained key pieces of evidence from the kennel structure, including the door and window riddled with bullet holes from the June 2021 shootings.
“[Murdaugh] is a big man (6’4″ tall), he was even bigger back then (300+ pounds), and he’s too big for the bullets to have gone through in the way that they did,” Blair told Realtor.com, suggesting that Murdaugh’s size would make it unlikely for him to have fired the shots as the prosecution alleged. While Blair acknowledges Murdaugh’s troubled past, he said, “I don’t think he did it,” and speculated, “Maybe it was karma for other things that he did.”

The Jury said so?
Sure it’s easy to say Alex Murdaugh did it. So many people say so, it must be true. Right? Aside from several jurors stating that the Clerk of Court said things to them that was seen by many as tampering with them. To another juror stating she only changed her vote from undecided to guilty because the rest of the jury wanted to just go home. So set aside what the jury has said, it’s clearly tainted. So tainted, that the South Carolina Supreme Court will hear arguments on a possible new trial for Murdaugh.
The Boat Wreck and Stephen Smith Connections
Alex Murdaugh said that the crash was the “only reason someone could be mad at” his son enough to kill him. He said that he believed the people who killed his son and wife hated Paul and were angry at him because of the boat crash. So how does Stephen Smith enter into all this? Of course the easy route was the allege that Buster Murdaugh did it, and they would be wrong.
From FitsNews, to CBS, to the Daily Mail, they all wrote that Shawn Connelly and Patrick Wilson were “Person’s of Interest” in the death of Stephen Smith. Okay, I’m still not making the connection. Paul Murdaugh was close friends with Connelly and Wilson. Drinking buddies, hunting together, fishing together, and allegedly shooting street signs together. Patrick Wilson is also a cousin to one of the people in that boat crash, one Miley Altman. Miley is living with Connor Cook, also a person on that boat crash. They have a child together and have been seeing each since they were teens. It was said by some people on that boat crash, that Connor had been driving the boat when it wrecked. People also changed their story and Paul Murdaugh was driving instead of Connor. Both Connor and Paul were supposedly sitting in the driver’s seat together.
Now add in Mallory Beach‘s boyfriend at the time, Anthony Cook. Cousin to Connor Cook. Anthony was also good friends with Shawn Connelly and Patrick Wilson, as was Connor. Together, Paul, Shawn, Patrick, Connor and Anthony all were quite close, and all were on the Murdaugh property together, hunting, fishing, drinking, and other activities.
After the Boat Crash
After the boat crash, life changed drastically for everyone involved. The Paul Murdaugh they once knew was no more; his friends no longer associated with him, as he could no longer offer them what he had before: access to the Murdaugh property, guns, ammunition, alcohol, hunting, fishing, and the cabin by the dog kennels.
In Connor Cook’s deposition, he expresses a growing frustration with Paul, who seemed to avoid consequences time and again. Paul’s history of reckless behavior—especially when alcohol was involved—was well-known within their circle. Connor recounts several instances where Paul’s actions led to trouble, yet repercussions were rare. This apparent immunity, Connor suggests, irritated many of Paul’s friends. He recalls Paul’s frequent run-ins with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other alcohol-related incidents, like vehicle accidents. Each time, Paul appeared to escape unscathed, largely due to his family’s influence.
This frustration was shared widely within their group of friends. Tied together by family connections and close relationships, the group was now fractured, with Paul on the outside looking in. His former girlfriend, Morgan Doughty, as well as close friends Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, all distanced themselves from Paul.
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What the Neighbors Told the New Owner of Moselle
Though Blair didn’t know Murdaugh personally, he noted that his new neighbors share similar doubts about Murdaugh’s guilt, with many reportedly telling him, “No,” regarding Murdaugh’s involvement in the murders. Blair also mentioned that he holds a set of keys and a keychain once belonging to Maggie, which he hopes to return to her surviving son, Buster, “to have something of his mother’s.”
Moselle Sale
The Moselle Estate, initially purchased by businessmen James Ayer and Jeffrey Godley for $3.9 million in March 2023, was later split up, and Blair secured the 5,275-square-foot home and 21 acres for $1 million. Godley explained to Realtor.com that he and Ayer were primarily interested in the land’s hunting and timber resources, not the residence.
Moselle Renovations Planned
Blair, a father of two, has grand plans for the estate, envisioning it as a secondary residence with a positive new image. “Bad things have happened on every property,” he remarked, noting the deep historical scars in South Carolina tied to plantation and slave trading. “But you have a choice to either focus on the negative or to create a positive narrative. And that’s what I want to do.”
Blair’s ongoing renovations include installing a pond, erecting horse fences, and demolishing structures associated with Murdaugh, such as the private airplane hangar. He has begun work on extensive upgrades to the home, from the roof to the subfloor, aiming to breathe new life into the property.
Conclusion
All these lives, however, were already connected by a darker, unsolved tragedy: the 2015 death of Stephen Smith. Smith’s mysterious death on a rural South Carolina road was widely speculated to involve key players in the Murdaugh family’s orbit. Wilson and Connelly, as figures in the same community and familiar with Smith, were indirectly tied to the rumors that had shadowed Hampton County for years. Though authorities had long struggled to solve Smith’s case, his death had quietly haunted the town, casting a lingering shadow over the Murdaugh family and their connections. Was there something Paul Murdaugh knew—something he was rumored to be ready to reveal—that led to his murder, silencing him once and for all, ensuring he could never tell the secret and escape “unscathed” again?
Alex Murdaugh, was ultimately sentenced to two life terms for the double homicide of his wife and son, and is also serving additional sentences for numerous admitted financial crimes. Blair’s statements add yet another layer of intrigue to a case that has captivated the nation. For full details on this evolving story, visit New York Post.
Stay tuned to CC News Network for further updates and interviews on this fascinating story.