Alex Murdaugh’s Housekeeper Reveals What He Told Her Right After Maggie and Paul’s Deaths

Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, the former housekeeper of once-prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, says she’s prepared to take the stand in her ex-boss's retrial after the state’s Supreme Court overturned his double murder conviction in May 2026.

“I'm ready,” Turrubiate-Simpson tells A&E Crime + Investigation. “I told the truth the first time, I’m going to continue telling the truth. If they don’t like it—tough, but here we go again.”

Murdaugh was previously sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the 2021 slayings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, at the family’s sprawling Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, S.C.

He pleaded not guilty to two charges of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors alleged Murdaugh was motivated to kill Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, to cover up a series of financial crimes that were at risk of being exposed in a wrongful death trial brought on by the family of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed during a 2019 boating accident in which Paul was boating under the influence.

Both Maggie and Paul were shot to death at close range—Maggie with an AR-style rifle, and Paul with a 12-gauge shotgun, according to a forensic pathologist.

In a unanimous 5-0 decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Murdaugh’s murder convictions citing jury tampering by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill.

Upon learning the news, Turrubiate-Simpson says it was as if an old wound had been reopened, and she sought solace in visiting her late friend and her friend's son.

“The urge to go to the cemetery and visit Maggie and Paul’s gravesites just came over me,” she told the crowd at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas, weeks later. “I got in my car and went straight there.”

In a clip paying tribute to the Murdaugh matriarch and her son, Turrubiate-Simpson said, "The most important thing are the two people right there in their graves, that I just came to see to try to get my thoughts straight. They’re the ones that matter, but they’re not here to speak for themselves.”

Murdaugh remains imprisoned after pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering.

His defense attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, did not immediately respond to A&E Crime+ Investigation’s requests for comment.

Attorney General Alan Wilson said he plans to retry Murdaugh on the murder charges “as soon as possible.”

In the meantime, Turrubiate-Simpson breaks down to A&E why she’s not done speaking up for Maggie and Paul.

Why have you made it your mission to advocate for Maggie and Paul Murdaugh?

Not everything you saw in documentaries or shows that came out after the murders was accurate, especially the descriptions of Maggie and Paul, and I think that's what pushed me to tell the truth. I got tired of hearing people demonizing Paul. He had a lapse in judgment, but he was still a good person. He never forgot about Mallory. He carried her obituary in his truck everywhere he went. They grew up together, and he had a lot of remorse and he was in a lot of pain.

The ultimate victims are Maggie and Paul, because they're not here; they can't defend themselves from the ugly allegations that were made on the other side.

As the family’s longtime housekeeper, what was your relationship with Maggie like?

There were no walls, no barriers. She was herself, and I got to see that personality come out of her even more than what she showed in public. I've always described her as a sorority girl: crazy, goofy. And that's what I liked about her—that she trusted me enough to be herself.

How did you find out about Maggie and Paul’s deaths?

Alex called me, and his voice was high-pitched—like a cry. He said, “They're gone, B, they're gone.” I was thinking they went to the beach house, he’s like, “No, B, they're dead.” He didn't tell me how or what happened, all I knew was that they were dead.

Have you been able to process that Alex is allegedly responsible for the deaths of Maggie and Paul? What emotions did you experience going from having a love and admiration for Alex, to what you feel for him now?

I don't hate him. Alex treated me like a little sister. Very open, very frank. Do I like what he [allegedly] did? No, I don't. Some parts of his testimony really got to me because that's not the person that I knew, and I could see bits and pieces of the person that I knew. But I felt betrayed. Was I really your friend? Did you really love me like family?

With him, it's different because the person that I respected and looked up to all of a sudden was accused of doing horrible things and taking advantage of people, and I'm still learning how to process that.

Have you been able to grieve the deaths of Maggie and Paul with the media frenzy surrounding the case?

It's been hard. My way of showing them respect is by making sure that their gravesites are cleaned. I put flowers. Her [Maggie’s] parents aren't able to do it, and I feel that it's a comfort to them to know that her grave and their grandson's grave are still being taken care of, and as long as I'm able to do it, I'm gonna continue to do it.

Do you feel a spiritual connection to Maggie?

I do feel her presence. As far as talking to her, it's just weird stuff. In my head, I'll be like, “Girl...” That was our thing: “Girl, let me tell you...” and I catch myself doing that sometimes, or just laughing because something reminds me of her, because she was silly. She could get crazy at times and be acting a fool around me. She had her guard down.

Have you been able to mourn your relationship with Alex?

Somewhat. People want me to hate him, but I can’t. I’m not gonna say that he was this horrible person—because he wasn’t. Not to me.

What was going through your mind when you learned Alex’s murder convictions were overturned?

That was really hard. My husband kept telling me, “You need to prepare.” He knew how close I was to the family. But I respect the court's decision. I might not like it, but I do respect it, because we all deserve a fair trial.