We are given a genuine understanding of the evil side of human nature by Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” which revisits the eerie story of power struggles and cover-ups involving the namesake family.
After all, until Alex Murdaugh’s claimed many criminal crimes, these residents of Hampton County, South Carolina, were thought to be the most well-known in the region.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that interest in everyone involved in these issues is also growing; among them is none other than C.B. Rowe. Let’s learn more about him today.
C.B. Rowe: who is she?
Back in 2021, Alex recruited Claude “C.B.” Rowe III, a resident of the Low Country, to take care of the grounds on his 1700-acre hunting estate in the unincorporated town of Islandton.
But he never would have guessed that on June 7, only eight weeks later, his boss’s wife Maggie and their younger son Paul would be discovered dead not far from the property’s dog kennels.
Both of them had been shot many times with various assault rifles, and forensic experts subsequently determined that the murders occurred at about 9 p.m., one hour prior to a terrified Alex phoning 911.
However, during an interview with an SLED investigator inside his car, Alex named C.B. as a potential suspect within hours, which was one of the most unexpected aspects of the subsequent inquiry.
Before accusing his groundskeeper, the now-former attorney accused of the same offense had told agent David Owen, “This is such a stupid thing, I’m embarrassed to say it.” “[C.B.] told Paul a story the other day about how an FBI undercover team saw him fighting those guys when he was in high school and put him on an undercover team with three Navy SEALs,” the speaker said.
“Their mission was to eliminate radical Black Panthers, and they carried out this task from Myrtle Beach to Savannah,” Alex went on, delivering a lengthy and, to be honest, somewhat bizarre story before finally attempting to retract it.
In addition, there was the allegation that on that fatal evening, C.B. had contacted his supervisor, but the latter was also on the phone with a close friend and fellow attorney, making it impossible for them to have a meaningful discussion.
It didn’t help that the groundskeeper had allegedly destroyed a sunflower field the Murdaugh family had planted recently; as a consequence, he was allegedly dismissed from his job a few days later.
It’s also crucial to remember that C.B. taught chemistry at Thomas Heyward Academy, Paul’s alma mater, until his dismissal in late 2010 due to improper behavior.
Court documents state that on December 3, 2010, the Charleston Southern University chemistry and environmental science graduate was taken into custody on charges of sexual violence related to his interactions with a 16-year-old student.
On March 17, 2011, he did ultimately enter a guilty plea and was sentenced to five years in prison; however, Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen softly suspended the whole term, reducing it to five years of pure probation.
What Was the Testimony of C.B. Rowe?
Alex’s murder trial is still underway, and while C.B. Rowe doesn’t seem to have testified about the charges against him or the 2021 double killing in general, his name has been brought up often.
Indeed, it was just revealed that mobile phone records indicate he was not in the Moselle area when Maggie and Paul were shot to death, therefore absolving him of any guilt.
Furthermore, there is currently no evidence to support the reports that the DNA found beneath Maggie’s fingernails during the autopsy belonged to him. Thus, it seems that the 66-year-old is carrying on with his life in Brunson, South Carolina, as of right now.