‘They Can’t Speak for Themselves’: Former Murdaugh Housekeeper Visits Maggie and Paul’s Graves After Conviction Is Overturned

When Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson learned that the South Carolina Supreme Court had unanimously overturned Alex Murdaugh’s double-murder conviction and ordered a new trial, her immediate thought was of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. Instead of going home after hearing the news while out grocery shopping, she drove to the cemetery where the mother and son are buried to reflect.

“The rest of the world is fascinated by this case, but Maggie and Paul were two living, breathing individuals that I knew,” Turrubiate-Simpson says. “For those of us who loved them, we’re still dealing with their loss.”

Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson and her dog BubbaCredit: Amanda Greene

Reaction and Reflection

Turrubiate-Simpson said she respects the court’s decision but that the reversal has reopened painful emotions. “I understand Alex deserves a new trial,” she said. “I’m respectful of the court’s decision. But a new trial just reopens the emotional part of it all over again. They were real people who are no longer here. They can’t speak for themselves.”

“While so much attention is focused on Alex, Maggie and Paul are the forgotten victims,” she added.

Case Background

On March 2, 2023, Alex Murdaugh, then 57, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22, at the family’s hunting property in Islandton in June 2021. He has long maintained his innocence, including during testimony in his own defense at trial.

The graves of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh on May 13, 2026Credit: Courtesy of Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson

Shortly after the conviction, Murdaugh’s lawyers appealed, arguing that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly influenced jurors during the trial. On Wednesday, May 13, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion agreeing with that claim and ordered a new trial.

Why the Case Still Matters

Turrubiate-Simpson, who worked for the Murdaugh family for years and co-wrote the 2025 New York Times bestselling memoir Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship with Mary Frances Weaver, says she stands by the observations and theories she described in the book. At trial, prosecutors introduced a Snapchat video sent by Paul that, they argued, placed Alex near the kennels moments before the shootings. Testimony also revealed that Alex initially denied being by the kennels that night but later admitted he lied about his whereabouts, attributing the falsehoods to paranoia related to drug addiction.

Buster (Richard Alexander), Maggie, Paul and Alex. November 26, 2019

In her memoir, Turrubiate-Simpson raises questions about details she feels were overlooked, including why the dogs on the property did not appear to be alerting before the shootings. “I knew those dogs,” she says. “They didn’t alert. There’s a lot of things that were not disclosed, that were not looked at.”

Separate Financial Sentences

Regardless of the new trial on the murder charges, Murdaugh remains incarcerated on lengthy sentences for financial crimes unrelated to the killings: 27 years on state charges and 40 years on federal charges tied to schemes investigators say he carried out before and after Maggie and Paul’s deaths.

Alex Murdaugh; Moselle, the family estate where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killedCredit: Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool, File; Andrew J Whitaker/AP/Shutterstock

Asked how she felt about the latest developments, Turrubiate-Simpson responded quietly, “Saddened. Their decision was based on a technicality and I have to accept that. I respect the court’s decision. But it’s painful.”

Murdaugh’s attorneys did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Reporting based on an exclusive interview with PEOPLE and public court records.