Look at a map of Colleton County, South Carolina, and you’ll see plenty of green space. It’s swampy. It’s quiet. It’s the kind of place where people go to disappear into the woods for a weekend of hunting. But for several years now, one specific address—4147 Moselle Road Islandton SC—has become a morbid landmark for true crime junkies and legal scholars alike. Honestly, it’s a weird feeling driving past it. You expect it to look like a movie set, but it’s just a gate, some trees, and a lot of heavy history.
People call it "Moselle." It’s a sprawling 1,700-acre estate that once belonged to the Murdaugh family, a legal dynasty that basically ran the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for nearly a century. But since the night of June 7, 2021, the property hasn't been known for its hunting prestige or high-society parties. It’s known as the site of a double homicide that gripped the entire world.
What actually happened at 4147 Moselle Road?
The details are messy. On that June night, Alex Murdaugh called 911, sounding frantic. He claimed he’d just returned home to find his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, shot to death near the property’s dog kennels. The kennels are located quite a distance from the main house—a detail that became crucial during the trial because it meant sound didn't travel easily between the two locations.
Investigators found two different weapons were used. Paul was killed with a shotgun. Maggie was killed with a rifle. It was a brutal scene. For months, rumors swirled around Islandton. Was it a revenge killing related to the 2019 boat crash Paul was involved in? Was it a random hit? The reality turned out to be much closer to home. Eventually, the evidence—including a pivotal Snapchat video Paul filmed minutes before his death—placed Alex at the scene, despite his repeated claims that he was elsewhere.
The layout of the Moselle estate
You can't really understand the case without understanding the geography of 4147 Moselle Road Islandton SC. It’s not just a house. It’s a massive tract of land that straddles the line between Colleton and Hampton counties.
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The "Main House" is a 5,200-square-foot home with four bedrooms. It’s nice, sure, but it’s built for utility—big porches, mudrooms, and plenty of space for gear. Then you have the "Cabin," which is a secondary structure. But the focus of the criminal investigation was always the kennel area.
To get to the kennels from the main house, you have to travel down a long, unpaved road. On the night of the murders, the prosecution argued that Alex drove his SUV down there, committed the acts, and then drove back to the house to create an alibi. The sheer size of the property was his biggest defense and, paradoxically, part of his undoing. GPS data from his Suburban and his phone’s step-counter gave away his movements in ways he didn't expect.
Life in Islandton after the trial
Islandton is a tiny community. Everyone knows everyone, or at least they know whose grandfather owned which plot of land. When the trial ended and Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison, the town didn't just snap back to normal.
The property at 4147 Moselle Road Islandton SC went up for sale. It was eventually purchased in early 2023 for roughly $3.9 million. The buyers? James Ayer and Jeffrey Godley. They weren't looking to build a museum or a tourist trap. They bought it for the timber and the hunting land. Most of the furniture and personal items from the Murdaugh era were auctioned off—everything from lamps to camouflage hunting jackets. People paid thousands of dollars for mundane items just because of the dark association. It’s a bit macabre, really.
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Why people still search for this address
Search traffic for this specific address spikes every time a new documentary hits Netflix or HBO. People want to see the "Black Water" of the Salkehatchie River that borders the property. They want to see the gate.
But there’s a real-world impact to this curiosity. Locals have had to deal with "disaster tourists" blocking the road or trying to sneak onto the property. If you're planning a drive-by, honestly, don't. It’s private property now, and the new owners are understandably keen on their privacy. The house has changed hands, the kennels have been cleaned, and the land is being used for its original purpose again: farming and hunting.
Separating fact from internet fiction
There are a few things people get wrong about the Moselle property:
- The "Secret" Tunnels: No, there are no secret tunnels under the house used for smuggling. That’s a YouTube conspiracy.
- The Haunted Status: While people love a ghost story, the locals don't talk about it being "haunted." They talk about it being a tragedy.
- The Price Tag: Some reports say it sold for $1. But that was a legal maneuver involving the estate earlier on. The actual market sale was in the millions.
The sale of the property was actually a huge part of the "restitution" for the victims of Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes. The money from the sale didn't go to him; it went into a fund to pay back the people he stole from over the decades—clients like the family of Gloria Satterfield, his long-time housekeeper who also died on the property after a fall in 2018.
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What’s next for the property?
The saga of 4147 Moselle Road Islandton SC is mostly closed in the eyes of the law. The appeals will drag on for years, but the land itself has been untethered from the Murdaugh name. It’s a working piece of South Carolina lowcountry again.
If you are looking into this for the history, the best thing you can do is stick to the court transcripts and the official surveys. The land tells a story of a family that had everything and threw it away, but the soil itself is just South Carolina dirt—sandy, wet, and indifferent to the people who walk on it.
Actionable insights for those following the case
- Respect the current owners: The property is now a private residence and business. Trespassing is a crime and is strictly enforced in Colleton County.
- Verify with property records: If you're curious about ownership changes or specific acreage, the Colleton County Tax Assessor’s website is the only 100% accurate source.
- Focus on the victims: Beyond the "true crime" allure of the address, remember that the site represents a loss of life.
- Study the forensics: For those interested in the legal side, the Moselle case is a masterclass in how "cell site simulators" and "automotive digital forensics" are used in modern trials.
The story of Moselle isn't really about a house. It’s about what happens when a long-standing power structure collapses in a small town. The address is just the coordinate where it all finally fell apart.