Alex Murdaugh arranged for Curtis Edward Smith to be shot this weekend to collect on his $10 million life insurance policy, according to state investigators. Alex Murdaugh may also have had other motives.
John Albert Laylo
Filipino officials were in mourning after government attorney John Albert “Jal” Laylo was shot early Saturday while traveling in an Uber on 38th Street in University City. A black vehicle pulled up alongside their car and opened fire – firing several shots through its driver-side window at them before speeding away. Filipino officials demanded justice be done against those responsible.
Police said the gunman then drove off. Jal was hit in the head and later died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center while his mother sustained minor wounds from shrapnel fragments.
Family of the victim have established a GoFundMe page to cover funeral costs and related costs, and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney offered condolences via letter. A $20,000 reward has also been announced; Kenney called this shooting heartbreaking, hoping police can locate its perpetrator soon.
Carey Gabay
Carey Gabay was an individual dedicated to kindness, generosity and humanity who inspired his family to create this foundation in his honor with the goal of “promoting kindness, generosity and humanity.
Gabay, 43, served as first deputy general counsel at Empire State Development Corporation and as assistant counsel to Governor Andrew Cuomo. In addition, he had an impressive list of public service roles such as being president of Harvard’s Undergraduate Council.
He was fatally shot during a gunfight between rival gangs just hours before Brooklyn’s West Indian Day parade on September 15, 2015.
Gabay’s shooting led to demands for tighter gun control laws and his colleagues rallied behind his family during his hospital stay to continue efforts against gun violence. On August 25, 2017, Mayor de Blasio and City Council co-named Clinton Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Avenue in Brooklyn after Gabay. Additionally, an endowed scholarship fund in his name has been set up at SUNY Buffalo State for students who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to social justice and leadership.
Alex Murdaugh
Alex Murdaugh was a respected civil litigation lawyer who also held state political office and managed his family’s century-old law firm in Hampton, South Carolina. Although he resigned amid allegations of fund misappropriation in 2021, he maintained significant power and influence within South Carolina’s political world.
Prosecution attorneys presented him as “a family man who shot his wife and son to protect his legacy.” According to Dick Harpootlian’s attorney, this portrayal was motivated by a hearing where all assets would need to be disclosed by defendant.
Buster attended each day of his father’s trial and testified on his behalf as his defense witness. At trial, Buster was asked whether or not his father planned for Smith to kill himself so Buster could collect an insurance payout, however Buster denied this allegation and stated his father acted in self-defense rather than any attempt at murder by Smith. Buster further denied any allegations regarding alcoholism or depression among his parents.
Patrick White
Patrick White (1912-1990) was one of Australia’s foremost writers, known for poetry, short stories and plays as well as novels like Voss and Riders in the Chariot that earned international acclaim and explored spiritual identity alongside conformist societies – his ideas had an indelible mark on subsequent Australian authors.
White’s books were an incongruous juxtaposition to a society consumed with kitchen-sink realism and straightforward discourse, offering metaphysical, lyrical, high modernist works with baroque landscape descriptions while probing deeply into their inhabitants’ lives.
His private life was often marked by conflict and despair. For years he struggled to “find purpose, see future, love my fellow men”, sometimes finding solace in barren landscapes or isolated Greek monasteries; his sole constant was Lascaris, a small Greek with “immeasurable moral strength.” Despite all these difficulties he continued writing.