Amidst the March 3 sentencing of disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, many netizens have asked about Anthony Cook, the former boyfriend of Mallory Beach, the teenage girl reportedly killed in a boating accident that has been blamed on the Murdaugh family.
According to Yahoo News, Anthony Cook lives in the American South, where he is employed as an electrical lineman. As per ABC News, he was present during the boat accident that led to the death of his then-girlfriend. He claimed to authorities that the incident had been caused by Alex Murdaugh's late younger son, Paul, allegedly operating the boat while drunk.
Speaking to filmmakers in the Netflix documentary Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, Anthony Cook said the incident left him with PTSD. His testimony against the Murdaugh family allegedly aided the prosecution of Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted of the June 2021 double homicide of Paul and his wife, Maggie.
Where was Anthony Cook when Mallory Beach died?
As reported by ABC, the death of Mallory Beach occurred during a get-together in Lowcountry, South Carolina, on February 24, 2019. Anthony Cook told authorities that after a house party, he and Mallory Beach joined Paul Murdaugh and their other friends on a boat.
Anthony Beach claimed that before entering the boat, they had all had a considerable amount of alcohol allegedly supplied by then-19-year-old Paul Murdaugh, who was accused of illegally using his brother Buster's ID to purchase the drinks from a convenience store. Anthony Cook claimed that Paul insisted on operating the boat despite being visibly inebriated. He said that while he initially considered leaving with Mallory Beach in an Uber, he was convinced to stay on the boat.
He stated that during the boat ride, Paul argued with one of their friends and began operating the vehicle at full speed. The boat reportedly crashed into a bridge, leading to several passengers getting ejected.
As per Yahoo, Anthony Cook wrote on Facebook:
"I have to live the rest of my life with the memory of getting thrown into the freezing pitch black water with the love of my life in my arms.I had to swim against that current for 15 minutes in a panic screaming her name begging her to answer me. I had to swim to shore without her to save my own life and live in regret of that forever."The body of Mallory Beach was recovered one week after the accident. The Daily Beast reported that while Paul Murdaugh was accused of drunkenly operating the boat, the local authorities were supposedly pressured by his family to cease the investigation against him.
As of 2023, Cook is reportedly attempting to lie low amidst the sensational coverage of the Alex Murdaugh trial. Besides the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, the Murdaugh family has been linked to multiple other deaths, including those of former housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and local teen Stephen Smith.
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