The man from Hampton County, Alex Murdaugh, who loaned money to funeral home undertakers in January 2020 to purchase a disturbing casket that was 7 feet 6 inches smaller than a man, is also linked to a disturbing case that came to light years after 2009.
When it comes to the realm encompassing the Kingdom of Murdaugh, there have been few definitive answers to many inquiries.
This one does.
How did an extremely tall man fit into a regular-sized coffin?
Someone severed his legs.
And place the man’s legs into the coffin alongside him.
Without the knowledge of his family.
More on this in a moment ….
Did Alex Actually Purchase a Funeral Parlor?
FITSNews was the first to report that John H. Martin, the director of Martin’s Funeral Home in Estill, Brunswick, Georgia, had not yet replied to a subpoena requesting details regarding Murdaugh’s payment of $110,231.15 for the acquisition of a funeral home, a hearse, a limousine, and other assets on behalf of Martin last week.
Shortly after the transaction, Martin contacted us and provided what he claimed was evidence that he and his spouse had refunded the funds to Murdaugh. Additionally, Martin contacted the team of co-receiver John T. Lay, who has been diligently investigating Murdaugh’s alarming financial situation for almost half a year.
According to court records, the funds that Murdaugh utilized to acquire the funeral home originated from his personal checking account.
Martin informed FITSNews in an email that the paper trail discovered by the receivership team simply documented a simple act of favor by his attorney, revealing that Murdaugh never actually owned the funeral home.
Martin did not explain why he had not responded to the certified letter that warned of court action if the requested records by the end of March were not produced.
FITSNews could not confirm on its own that the PDFs provided by Martin demonstrate that Murdaugh had been reimbursed the funds.
The PDFs provided by Martin included a letter dated April 28, signed by John Martin, addressed to “To Whom It May Concern” on a simple piece of paper. Additionally, there was a proof of service indicating that the subpoena had been delivered to him, a copy of the subpoena itself which requested “any and all documents in your possession regarding the mentioned transaction, including but not restricted to any correspondence, text messages or emails,” and a certified letter from the receivers dated January 27, 2022, which accompanied the subpoena.
Please provide the necessary documents to prove that Alexander Murdaugh did not own any shares in Estill LLC, a funeral home in Brunswick, Georgia or South Carolina.
As per their promise, the bank returned the money to demonstrate that the enclosed documents will finalize our business agreement in Brunswick. In order to repay the bank, we both withdrew $79,000 from our retirement accounts on January 21, 2022 [SIC]. Our previous employees [SIC] can be traced back to our retired educators who both possess retirement accounts. Palmetto State Bank was the financial institution I used, which Attorney Murdaugh requested to handle this transaction. Due to a deadline I had to meet, I was out of town and Alex Murdaugh has been my personal lawyer for many years.
Additionally, the PDFs contained bits of information that mostly appear to corroborate Martin’s assertions in his letter. These pieces of information were:
The co-receivers retracted their motion to force him and the funeral home soon after we received Martin’s email, but it is uncertain if Martin supplied additional details to the team overseeing the receivership.
Another Link to Murdaugh
After we published our first story about the odd twist in the Murdaugh saga, another apparent week immediately became apparent, involving the purchase of a funeral home.
Accused of pilfering over $9 million, Murdaugh is just one of several clients from whom Deon Martin, the father of Martin, is.
In the case of Deon Martin, the purported theft amounts to nearly $600,000, stemming from various transactions in 2015 and 2016.
In other words, Murdaugh allegedly stood for over $110,000 from a family from whom he had supposedly stolen over half a million dollars years ago, in order to potentially grow their small business.
Then, according to the family, they – the supposed victims – reimbursed that amount to him – the alleged burglar.
John Martin, who was accused by FITSNews last week of revealing information about his son’s “settlement” and endangering his son, has countered the accusation. The information regarding Deon Martin’s case initially came to light in November and was subsequently made public by various news sources. It resurfaced again when a more severe indictment was issued in January of this year.
To clarify, FITSNews did not publish the total amount of the settlement received by Deon Martin from his 2013 personal injury case, as it has not been made public or disclosed. However, according to the indictments issued by the state grand jury, we did publish the specific amounts that Alex Murdaugh is accused of stealing, along with the details surrounding those alleged thefts.
Now … The Lower Limbs
The acquisition of a funeral home in Georgia in 2020 is not the initial instance of Martin’s Funeral Home expanding its business.
In August 2009, Martin Funeral Services took over Allendale’s Cave Funeral Home, a family-owned business that had been operating for nearly 50 years. It is shocking to know that this act resulted in the closure of the home after just one month.
James Hines was a 60-year-old preacher from Allendale — and a one-time funk musician — who died of skin cancer in 2004.
Cave Funeral Services managed the preparations.
During the funeral, Hines’ remains were showcased in a conventional coffin. Only the upper part of his body was visible.
Utilizing an electrical saw, a non-certified staff member of the mortuary – Charlie Cave, who happened to be Michael Cave’s father, the director of the mortuary – had amputated Hines’ lower limbs, unbeknownst to Hines’ relatives during that period.
Hines, who stood at a height of 6-foot-7-inches, did not fit in a regular coffin.
However, the employees of Funeral Cave Services never informed the Hines family that they suggested purchasing a larger casket, as per reports.
Instead, in June 2009, the calf and ankle between Hines’ legs were cut and placed back in the casket, as reported by the AP Associated Press.
For years, rumors circulated about how the burial managed to accommodate Hines inside the coffin.
In 2007, the Hines family lodged a grievance against Charlie Cave and Cave Funeral Services at Allendale County Courthouse.
Samuel Svalina, an attorney from Beaufort, acted as legal counsel for the plaintiffs. Rebecca Laffitte, an attorney from Columbia who has familial ties to the family that possesses Palmetto State Bank, and I.S. Leevy Johnson, another attorney from Columbia, served as representatives for the defendants. The presiding judge in this case was Carmen Mullen.
According to a story by NBC News in April 2009, the settlement agreement of widow Hines’ barred sharing was paid much, demonstrating how the case was resolved quickly and within the same year, as stated in the public index.
Although the legal matter was ongoing since 2007, the real reckoning did not come until April 2009, when the coroner and the board began investigating the incident and exhumed Hines’ body from the funeral home state.
As reported at the time, it was a former employee of Cave Funeral Services who confirmed the details.
The body was exhumed, the lid was opened by the coroner’s office, “undesirable evidence” was photographed, and then the body was reinterred.
The event was additionally distressing to the family of Hines.
Ann Hines informed The Associated Press, “However, at this moment, it feels as if I am commencing from scratch. I was somewhat in the process of making things more harmonious. It’s akin to removing the scab from an ancient wound.”
Due to this occurrence, the state board revoked Michael Cave’s license and closed the funeral home.
After one month, John Martin assumed control of the Allendale site and renamed it in honor of his Estill funeral home.
In endorsing Martin’s proposal, the state committee prohibited Martin from hiring Michael and Charlie Cave.
However, by 2015, Martin would lose his license and the Allendale establishment would be taken over by new proprietors.
Despite receiving multiple requests, the Department of Environmental and Health Control in South Carolina did not discipline a woman for failing to file a death certificate for over a year. Additionally, the state board found that Martin continued to work at the Allendale location of Caves, despite defying their order.
Martin challenged the state’s ruling and was unsuccessful.