Murdaugh family estate, site of infamous murders, hits market again 

The South Carolina estate that was the site of the infamous 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh by the family patriarch is back on the market just months after it sold.

The property known as Moselle has been listed for $2 million after it was purchased by Jeffrey Godley and James Ayer in March for $3.9 million, the Post and Courier reported.

The estate includes a 5,300-square-foot home with four-bedrooms and 4.5-baths along with 21 acres of land. The property’s amenities include a recreational room perfect for billiards, with custom gun cabinets, catering to various potential uses such as a family residence, equestrian pursuits, hobby farming, or a weekend retreat destination.

The listing doesn’t include the dog kennels, which played a central role in the trial of disgraced lawyer Alex Murdagh, who was convicted of killing his wife and son.

The Murdaugh family-owned estate was also associated with other controversial incidents, including a 2019 boat crash that killed a 19-year-old girl and Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes involving millions of dollars. 

The proceeds from the recent sale were used to cover Murdaugh’s legal fees and compensate victims of his financial wrongdoings.

The property’s sale has attracted significant attention, particularly due to the auction of the Murdaugh family’s possessions. People reported tems of interest included personal belongings such as Buster’s khaki chinos, Maggie’s beloved bicycle, and the so-called “alibi couch,” which Alex claimed to have been on during the time of the murders. 

The crossbow purportedly seen in police body cam footage on the night of the murders was put up for sale on eBay, attracting bids starting at $14,000.

Selling properties where high-profile crimes have taken place isn’t easy.

“Murder is bad feng shui,” Orell Anderson, a forensic real estate appraiser who specializes in valuing properties affected by a crime, told The Real Deal in 2019. 

Residences where murders have occurred usually sell at a discount of 10 to 15 percent, according to Anderson. In cases where the homicide was high-profile, the difference can be 20 to 30 percent.

California law requires brokers to disclose whether a death has taken place at a property within the previous three years. Potential buyers can also consult DiedInHouse.com, where for $11.99 you can find out whether someone has died by murder or suicide at a particular address.

Some cases, however, are too infamous to avoid, even if the crime took place decades ago. Take, for example, 2475 Glendower Place, the five-bedroom Spanish Revival house better known as the “Los Feliz Murder Mansion.” 

There, on the night of Dec. 6, 1959, Dr. Harold Perelson bludgeoned his wife, Lilian, to death with a ball-peen hammer before severely beating his 18-year-old daughter, Judy, while his two younger children slept. She escaped and raised the alarm but not before Perelson drank poison, ending his own life.

A year later, the hillside property sold to an older couple, Emily and Julian Enriquez, but they never lived there. It sat empty for more than 40 years, attracting a cult following of gawkers who peered through the windows at dusty 1950s furniture. Finally, in 2016, the home was purchased for $2.3 million in a probate sale.

In May of this year it was listed again for $3.5 million, having been stripped down to the studs. Agent Scott Pinkerton of Century 21 Peak, who represented the 2016 buyers and is now the listing agent, said it was hard to escape the home’s dark history.

“When it first came on the market, the listing agents had a bunch of looky-loos. So many people wanted to come see the house because of what it was,” he said.

— Ted Glanzer