The oldest of eight children, Gloria Satterfield was the type of person who would help anyone in need.
Whether it was volunteering once a month at a local food bank or staying late at the home of South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, his wife Maggie and their two sons Paul and Buster, where she worked as a housekeeper, the outgoing mother of two adult sons always made herself available.
“She loved Maggie and Alex and Paul and Buster just awfully,” Satterfield’s son, Tony, 34, tells PEOPLE. “She loved what she did, her job. She took pride in it. She talked highly of them.”
Brice W. Herndon and Sons Funeral Home
After Gloria, 57, died from a fall at the Murdaughs' Moselle property on Feb. 2, 2018, Alex Murdaugh approached the family after the funeral suggesting they sue his homeowners insurance providers.
“He said he would make sure the boys were taken care of,” Gloria’s younger sister Ginger Hadwin tells PEOPLE. “He was just looking out for the boys because he thought a lot of Gloria and he was just going to make sure [her sons] Brian and Tony were taken care of, and to show his appreciation for all the years that Gloria had shown her love, looking out for his family and his boys.”
Alex Murdaugh.Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty
Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty
To help them file the wrongful death and survival claims, Murdaugh recommended his former roommate for the job. Ginger says she “thought that everything was good, everything was going according to plan. I thought it was going to be good for the boys.”
“Every now and then, he would reach out and see how we were doing,” says Tony. “And kind of update us and say, ‘It’s a hard case, we’re still working on it. Time’s on your side.’”
To their later shock, Satterfield’s family discovered their case had been settled for more than $4 million — but Murdaugh had never told them about it.
“It made me sick to my stomach,” Tony says.
Ginger Hadwin.Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP
Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP
Murdaugh was arrested in Oct. 2021 for stealing the settlement funds. The disgraced lawyer was charged with more than 100 financial crimes, meaning that Satterfield’s family members were far from the only victims.
Last month, Murdaugh, who is serving a life sentence for the killing of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, in June of 2021, pleaded guilty to 22 financial crimes, which included money laundering, breach of trust and financial fraud.
Maggie Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh.Maggie Murdaugh/ Facebook
Maggie Murdaugh/ Facebook
Prosecutors said he bilked more than 18 clients of millions of dollars over the period of a decade.
Creighton Waters, the lead prosecutor on Murdaugh’s financial crimes case as well as his murder case, told PEOPLE after the sentencing for the financial crimes that Murdaugh used “trust” as a “weapon.”
“The wreckage that was left is unprecedented,” Waters said. “This was as egregious as it comes."
Creighton Waters and Tony Satterfield.Sam Wolfe/The State, Pool via AP
Sam Wolfe/The State, Pool via AP
“Everyone would always describe Alex as a charismatic, friendly person," he said. “He was able to speak to and develop relationships with people, regardless of economic status or race or any sort of demographic. And he used that to his advantage because he is so very good at that.”
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Referencing the Satterfield case, Waters said, “Gloria had served that family for so long, and Alex went to the family, went to those sons, and promised that he was going to help them, and then just stole every single bit of the money that he didn’t let his friend keep. And so that one was particularly egregious.”
Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years for the financial crimes, on top of his life terms without parole for the murders he committed.
He is a “fraudster and a liar and a thief,” Satterfield family attorney Eric Bland tells PEOPLE. “He hit the home run as a double-murderer and he should be on the Mount Rushmore of all criminals.”
Gloria Satterfield’s Legacy of Giving
Gloria Satterfield’s family.Drew Martin /The Island Packet via AP
Drew Martin /The Island Packet via AP
“Gloria would’ve given Alex anything she had,” Ginger adds. “If Alex would’ve asked her for whatever she would’ve given the shirt off her back to help him. You can’t have a soul to do what he did. He’s a shell of a man.”
Ginger and Tony are looking to the future and want Gloria to be remembered for her kindness and giving nature. Last year, in her memory, Gloria’s family started a foundation called Gloria’s Gifts with a goal of making sure needy children get at least one gift for Christmas.
“We just want to help people because she struggled and we just want to help people that struggle,” says Ginger.
“It’s her legacy,” says Bland. “It shows that she didn’t die in vain, that her death had a purpose. Now we can smile when we hear the name Gloria.”
source: people.com
