Family of Murdaugh Housekeeper Killed in 'Trip and Fall' Speaks Out: 'It's Like She Was a Nobody'

Alex Murdaugh is accused of stealing money from a settlement following housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's death

Family members of Alex Murdaugh's former housekeeper, whose mysterious "trip and fall" death allegedly led to a moneymaking scheme hatched by the once-prominent South Carolina attorney, are speaking out.

Murdaugh has been charged with stealing more than $2.7 million in insurance settlement funds after he allegedly encouraged Satterfield's sons to sue him in connection with their mother's 2018 death, which took place inside his home. In an interview with Dateline NBC, Satterfield's family members say they feel like Murdaugh, who employed their mother for more than 20 years, used her death to enrich himself.

"It's like she was a nobody, as much as she's done for him," Satterfield's brother, Eric Harriott, Jr., told NBC News' Craig Melvin. (An exclusive clip is shown below.)

Murdaugh had said Satterfield died after tripping over his family's dogs, Eric Bland, an attorney for Satterfield's sons, alleged to PEOPLE previously. Bland said that after Satterfield's funeral, Murdaugh approached the sons and encouraged them to sue him, using his friend as their lawyer — but the sons "never saw a dime" of the wrongful death settlement, Bland said.

On Dateline, Ginger Harriott Hadwin, Satterfield's sister, told Melvin, "Did he have that going through his mind that day when we buried Gloria, and thinking, 'Oh, how much money am I gonna get? How can I get this?'"

Gloria Satterfield. Brice W. Herndon and Sons Funeral Home

When Melvin asked if Murdaugh planned to keep the money from the moment he approached the sons, Harriott Hadwin responded, "Why would we not think that?"

Murdaugh is charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses in connection with the insurance proceeds from the settlement of the Satterfield family's lawsuit against him. Last week, he was denied bond, and is currently in jail in Richland County, S.C. He has not yet entered a plea.

Alex Murdaugh. Orange County Department of Corrections

His attorney Jim Griffin said at his bond hearing last week that Murdaugh had lived a "good fruitful life and a law-abiding life," until he got "hooked on opioids."

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Last Friday, another of Murdaugh's attorneys, Dick Harpootlian, appeared on Good Morning America, saying his client is going "to right every wrong, financial wrong and others that he may have committed."

Harpootlian also acknowledged that Murdaugh knows he'll go to prison for his actions involving the Satterfield insurance settlement. "He understands that," Harpootlian said. "He's a lawyer."

In September, South Carolina authorities announced they are opening a criminal investigation into the circumstances of Satterfield's death.

Other Accusations Against Murdaugh

The accusations against Murdaugh are part of a wild series of events that have captured the attention of the South Carolina low country, where the saga is taking place, as well as the rest of the nation.

On June 7, Murdaugh found his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, shot to death on the property of their hunting lodge in Islandton. Griffin, his attorney, has admitted Murdaugh is a person of interest in the murder case.

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Maggie Murdaugh Facebook

Three days after the murders, Murdaugh's father, Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., 81, died of cancer.

In early September, Murdaugh was fired from his job at his family's law firm after he was accused of embezzlement.

On Sept. 4, Murdaugh called 911 to report that he'd been shot in the head.

After being released from the hospital shortly after being treated for what doctors described as glancing wounds to the scalp, he entered rehab for an opioid addiction, his attorneys said.

Alex Murdaugh. Richland County Jail

But on Sept. 16, the reason for his shooting came to light when he was arrested for conspiring with a former client, Curtis Edward Smith, "to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance," the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) wrote in a release.

He allegedly wanted Smith to kill him so his oldest son Buster could cash in on a $10 million life insurance policy. He was charged with insurance fraud and filing a false police report, and Murdaugh's lawyers have admitted that the SLED allegations are true.

Curtis Edward Smith. Ap/Shutterstock

Smith was arrested on September 16 and charged with assisted suicide, aggravated assault and battery and insurance fraud in connection with the shooting. He has denied the allegations.

His attorney, Jonny McCoy, told Today on Thursday that his client was "set up by a person who is a drug addict who is going through horrific withdrawals, 20 years' opioids use, and I think that he is doing exactly what people with addict behavior do."

Dateline NBC airs Friday, Oct. 29 at 9 pm ET/8pm CT.