The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty

Based in North Carolina, Valerie Bauerlein is a national reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and she focuses on Southern US politics and culture, particularly in rural and small-town areas. Bauerlein is considered an authority on Alex Murdaugh’s criminal cases because she sat in the courtroom and reported on the proceedings for the full six weeks. Of all the reporters covering the trial, court officials chose Bauerlein as the single print reporter who could accompany the jurors to Moselle, along with a videographer and a photographer. Bauerlein constructs her narrative in a way that proves Alex’s guilt, and her disdain for the man’s callous actions is evident in her description of Alex in the “Major Characters” list that precedes the text, where she labels him a “[d]isgraced lawyer, convicted murderer, and serial thief” (xiv).

As a career reporter, Bauerlein uses the third person to recount the key events in Alex’s life, but her own arguments and opinions still shine through in her analyses of people and events, which she adds in between her reportage. For example, after quoting Randolph III’s statement about how he never considered another career path, Bauerlein adds her own interpretation, claiming, “The truth was, Randolph had not been allowed to consider another life” (96).