Murder in the Family: Familial True Crime from Lizzie Bordon to Alex Murdaugh





Schedule: Mondays, 6pm - 7:45 p.m.

Start Date: January 27, 2025

Location: Carter Center for Health Sciences, Room 114, 200 W Evans St, Florence, SC 29501

Faculty: Dr. Rebecca Flannagan

Credits: 3

Many murders are committed by an acquaintance of the victim, but a significant percentage of cases, both historical and contemporary, involve murderers who are "literally" in the family. In this iteration of Murder Monday, we will read about family annihilators such as John List and Chris Watts, matricide and patricide in the continuing saga of the Menendez brothers, the tragic cases of Laci Peterson and Caylee Anthony, and at least one case unique to South Carolina, that of Hampton County's Alex Murdaugh.

In this class we will read and discuss a variety of true crime books as we probe these seemingly improbable crimes. Does familiarity breed contempt? Does a family member's animosities, hidden crimes, hubris, and/or secrets create this peculiar recipe for violence?




No periods were set for this course