Murdaugh Housekeeper Compared Her Relationship with Maggie to a Movie — and Said Maggie Was Being ‘Shunned’

Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson compares her friendship with her late employer, Maggie Murdaugh, to the relationship between the sweet-hearted housewife and her maid in the 2011 movie The Help. In that film, a Black housekeeper named Minnie befriends Celia, a young woman ostracized by her social circle.

“They become friends. That’s a similar situation to me and Maggie,” Simpson says.

Her new memoir, Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship — Blanca and Maggie, co-written with Mary Frances Weaver, dives into that relationship and her years inside the Murdaugh home.

Simpson recalls feeling unsure in 2007 when she began working as a housekeeper for Maggie. She had previously worked with Maggie’s husband, attorney Alex Murdaugh, helping translate for Spanish-speaking clients, but she had only seen Maggie from afar. The Murdaughs were a powerful family in South Carolina’s Lowcountry — respected for generations as prosecutors and prominent attorneys — and Maggie carried an air of local recognition. “Everybody knew who Maggie was,” Simpson writes.

Rumors suggested that Maggie might be cold or distant. Instead, Simpson met a warm woman who immediately put her at ease when she welcomed her into their Hampton home.

Simpson says she has often faced judgment because she is Mexican-American and a housekeeper. But inside the Murdaugh household — Alex, Maggie and their sons Buster and Paul — she says she was treated with dignity and kindness.

“They always looked out for me,” she says.

Out in public, Simpson sometimes noticed others looking down on her. Maggie never reacted to those moments, never distanced herself or acted embarrassed. “She never flinched,” Simpson recalls. That loyalty meant a great deal.

As years passed, the two women grew from employer-employee into close friends.

Their connection became even stronger after the tragic 2019 boat crash involving Paul, which killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Simpson says members of the community began to “shun” the Murdaughs, believing Paul benefited from his family’s influence in the legal system. Maggie found herself increasingly isolated.

“She realized she could depend on me, and we developed more of a friendship,” Simpson explains.

She describes Maggie as funny and loud — someone who loved to laugh and enjoyed small moments. Simpson recalls Maggie joking with her husband about their long workdays or sharing desserts snapped in photos. Even simple errands, like picking up their vehicles after maintenance, would turn into lighthearted conversations and laughter.

In March 2023, Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering Maggie and Paul and received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He has been convicted of numerous financial crimes as well, and he is currently appealing the murder conviction.

Simpson says writing the book was her way of honoring Maggie — of reminding the world that behind the headlines was a warm, generous woman who formed a meaningful friendship with someone many would have overlooked.

“Hopefully this will touch the hearts of some people,” she says.

Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship — Blanca and Maggie is available now wherever books are sold.