The new owner of attorney Alex Murdaugh‘s murder home is a South Carolina businessman and father of two who is in the process of completing extensive renovations on the scandal-ridden property, Realtor.com® can exclusively reveal.
The 21-acre Moselle Estate House in Islandton, SC, was purchased by Alexander Wallace Blair, who paid $1 million for the Murdaugh family’s four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home at an auction in February 2024, property records show.
The original 1,700-acre estate—where Murdaugh brutally executed his wife, Maggie, 52, and son, Paul, 22—first came on the market in 2023, when it was sold to two local businessmen for $3.9 million in March of that year.
Just a few months later, those buyers, James Ayer and Jeffrey Godley, chose to carve up the land and put the Murdaugh family home and its surrounding 21 acres back on the market for $1.95 million.
Ayer and Godley retained the bulk of the land that they bought at auction, including the kennels where Maggie and Paul were found shot to death.
The new owner of Alex Murdaugh’s murder house is Alexander Wallace Blair, a South Carolina businessman and father of two, Realtor.com can reveal.(Facebook)
Blair purchased the Murdaughs’ former family home, known as the Moselle Estate House, at auction for $1 million.(Facebook)
Blair—whose identity was not revealed at the time of the purchase—reportedly planned to use the 21-acre property as a location for his horse farm.(Facebook)
However, images shared on his Facebook account reveal that he is carrying out an extensive overhaul of the home itself, including adding a large extension (seen left).(Facebook)
Murdaugh is currently serving two life sentences after he was convicted of killing his wife and son at their family estate.(Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
At the time, Godley explained in a statement that they had no need for the house itself and were interested only in the land, which they planned to use for hunting, farming, and timber. However, both he and Ayer were locals in the area, and wanted to ensure that the homebuyer would serve as a good “neighbor.”
“I am a next-door neighbor, with our home about a mile from this house,” Godley explained. “We seek a new neighbor to enjoy this gorgeous house and land.”
The original listing suggested the home could be used as a “family residence or compound,” a site for “equestrian pursuits,” a potential “hobby farm,” or a “weekend retreat destination.”
Despite being placed on the market, the home was ultimately sold at auction. Reports at the time revealed that Blair, who was not named, planned to use the estate as a new location for his horse farm.
The deed for the home was transferred to Blair in May 2024, records show. Since then, he has shared the progress of the extensive renovations to the property on his Facebook account.
On July 9, he posted photos of the interior and exterior of the property, revealing that work had already begun inside the 5,275-square-foot home.
“Moselle will be a completely different looking home in a few short months,” he said.
Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son Paul (seen together center) on the grounds of the original estate.(Facebook)
In July, Blair shared images of the home’s original interior on his Facebook account. In a matter of months, it would look like “a completely different home,” he said.(Facebook)
The home’s original wood-paneled interior was still intact in photos Blair shared. He has since gutted the property.(Facebook)
It is unclear whether Blair has been using the home as a residence. However, artwork and other decorative items were seen inside it.(Facebook)
Those images showed the wood-paneled interior of the kitchen with artwork on the walls. However, the main living space had been gutted and a new fireplace was in the process of being installed.
Several of the original wood-paneled walls had been whitewashed, and the floors also appear to have been replaced.
A second update, shared on Aug. 24, was simply captioned, “Moselle photo dump.” It showed that Blair was in the process of adding a sizable extension to the property.
The kitchen had also been gutted and renovated, with chic white tiling installed in place of the original wood paneling. Brick walls had also been installed, replacing the original wooden interior.
The fireplace was also taking shape, having gone from a simple wooden structure to a bricked chimney that extends up one wall of the sizable living room.
Blair has plenty of experience in home renovations as the owner of a business that offers “a wide range of water, fire and smoke, mold and storm damage services” to homeowners and business owners.
The first major project appears to have been a gut renovation of the main living space, with plans for a large fireplace and chimney.(Facebook)
Designs for the main living space will be more open and airy.(Facebook)
Many of the original wood panels were either stripped out or whitewashed.(Facebook)
Blair is adding a large extension to the home, which originally offered four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.(Facebook)
The original structure measured 5,275 square feet.(Facebook)
Blair founded the company, RestoPros, in Charlotte, NC, in 2018, and has since expanded and franchised its services in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, and Indiana, among other states.
Blair’s wife, Kendra, states on her Facebook account that she owns Freeman’s Dry Cleaners in Rock Hill, SC, where the pair tied the knot in 2019. She and her husband appear to have purchased the company in 2022.
It’s unclear whether the couple plan to use the Murdaughs’ former home as a primary residence for their family of four, or whether they will put the property back on the market when renovations are completed.
Blair’s Facebook posts reveal him to be an avid hunter and outdoorsman, with multiple images showing him proudly posing with his kills and enjoying horseback riding in the South Carolina countryside.
Realtor.com has contacted Blair and his wife for comment.
Meanwhile, Murdaugh, the home’s former owner, is currently serving two life sentences for killing his wife and son on June 7, 2021. A crime scene expert determined he ambushed Paul in the dog kennels and shot him twice.
An August 2024 Facebook post revealed extensive updates to the kitchen.(Facebook)
The images also showed that the brick fireplace had been completed.(Facebook)
Brick walls have replaced the original wood panels.(Facebook)
The extension was also showcased in Blair’s latest Facebook update.(Facebook)
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenny Kinsey said Murdaugh then shot his wife five times, delivering the final shots after she fell to her knees. Murdaugh has vehemently denied killing them and launched an appeal of his murder convictions.
Prosecutors claimed his motive was to draw attention away from his fraud scheme and buy some time before it was exposed. In 2023, Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering for ripping off clients and the estate of his late housekeeper. The money was used to pay for his drug addiction.
He was also accused of hiring a hit man to kill him so his surviving son, Richard “Buster” Murdaugh, would receive his $10 million life insurance policy.
Earlier this month, Murdaugh settled a wrongful death lawsuit that was brought by the family of a teenage girl who was killed in a boat crash involving his youngest son, Paul, whom he later killed. Prosecutors had claimed during Murdaugh’s trial that it was this lawsuit that first provoked the father of two to murder his wife and child.
The lawsuit was brought by the family of Mallory Beach, who died at the age of 19 after a boat that was being driven by Paul crashed into a bridge in February 2019. Several other people were injured in the incident that claimed Beach’s life.
At the time of the crash, Paul was found to have had a blood alcohol level above 0.28%, according to CBS, which is more than three times the legal limit. He was later charged with felony boating under the influence.
