A millionaire lawyer allegedly arranged his own killing so that his surviving son could collect his insurance payout.
Alex Murdaugh, 53, was arrested yesterday after admitting he tried to stage his own murder.
The South Carolina lawyer turned himself in to police and faces charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report.
In June, Mr Murdaugh's wife Margaret, 52, and son Paul, 22, were found dead near their home in a mystery double murder.
In early September, the lawyer was shot in the head, but survived.
Police confirmed he was taken to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, where he was treated for a "superficial gunshot wound to the head".
A statement from the family said: "The Murdaugh family has suffered through more than any one family can ever imagine.
"We expect Alex to recover and ask for your privacy while he recovers."
A family spokesperson had previously blamed the shooting on an unidentified man in a blue truck, but on Monday Murdaugh admitted that he conspired with a man to kill him as part of a "hitman suicide" plot.
Police identified the gunman as Curtis Edward Smith, one of Murdaugh’s former clients.
Smith, 61, admitted his involvement and now faces charges including assault and battery, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, assisted suicide and possession of drugs.
Murdaugh's lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, said that his client mistakenly believed that his son Buster would not be able to collect the insurance policy if he committed suicide.
Harpootlian told NBC: "He called this guy [Mr Smith] who met him on the side of the road and agreed to shoot him in the head.
"It was an attempt, on his part, to do something to protect his child."
He also added that the lawyer was co-operating with the police and stressed that the fake shooting should not distract them from investigating the alleged murder of his wife and son.
Following Murdaugh's arrest, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel said in a statement: "I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigation.
"The arrests in this case are only the first step in that process."
After his wife and son were killed, Murdaugh released a statement through his lawyer which read: "The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.
"I’m resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders.
"I am immensely sorry to everyone I’ve hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships."
