Randolph Murdaugh III (October 25, 1939–June 10, 2021) was an American attorney who served as the circuit solicitor of South Carolina's 14th judicial district from 1986 until 2006. The Murdaugh family had held the office since Randolph Murdaugh Sr.'s election in 1920; RandolphIII was the last Murdaugh to hold the office. He was the third patriarch of the Murdaugh family from the 1980s until he died in 2021.
Murdaugh succeeded his father, Randolph Murdaugh Jr., as circuit solicitor of South Carolina's 14th judicial district in 1986. He was president of the South Carolina Solicitor's Association between 1995 and 1996 and served on the National District Attorney's Association Board of Directors between 1998 and 2005. He ran unopposed for all five of his terms and held office until retiring in 2006. He was succeeded by Duffie Stone.
Murdaugh was married to Elizabeth Alexander and had four children including three sons, RandolphIV (called Randy) and Richard Alexander (called Alex; b.May 27, 1968), both of whom entered the family firm; and John Marvin. Murdaugh died of natural causes on June 10, 2021, three days after his son Alex allegedly murdered his wife, Margaret and his son, Paul. He was buried at Hampton Cemetery.
