ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Blanca Turrubiate Simpson & Mary Frances “Fran Weaver
Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson was born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1967. After high school graduation, at the age of seventeen, she left her hometown to join the US Navy. The highlight of her career was steering a ship across the Atlantic Ocean. After leaving the Navy, Blanca became a correctional officer at Ridgeland Correctional Institution in Ridgeland, SC, and later transitioned to employment with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Estill, SC. Her bilingual skills secured her a job as a Special Investigation Support Technician in the Special Investigative Office. Her skill at profiling Hispanic gang activity within the prison earned her a spot in an investigative training school in Colorado, which led to swift promotions.
Blanca met Alex Murdaugh while assisting a Hispanic friend with a legal matter at the law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, and Detrick (PMPED) in Hampton County, SC. On an as-needed basis, Blanca worked as a translator for Alex.
Soon after, Blanca began working for Maggie Mudaugh, Alex’s wife, as a housekeeper and personal assistant. For more than a decade, Blanca worked for the Murdaughs, earning Maggie’s trust, respect, and friendship. After suffering a stroke in 2015, Blanca took a leave of absence from her employment to receive medical attention and rehabilitation. Shortly after Paul’s boat accident, she resumed her part-time responsibilities with the Murdaugh family.
Since the murders of Maggie and Paul, Blanca has become a recluse, rarely venturing far from home. She and her family adopted Bubba, the beloved dog of Maggie and Paul, who played a critical role in Alex Murdaugh being found guilty of their murders. After four years of much thought and prayer, she chose to write a book that humanizes and honors Maggie and Paul.
Mary Frances “Fran” Abernathy Weaver grew up in Morganton, North Carolina, and attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she earned her undergraduate degree in education and her graduate degree in rehabilitative counseling. She has served as a crime victim advocate and a lobbyist for educators in both South Carolina and Georgia. Fran was the lobbyist who successfully led the movement in Georgia for legislation to reward educators, both monetarily and professionally, for achieving National Board Certification.
Fran was also a specialist in curriculum software, serving as the Southeast Regional Director for a national curriculum company located in Chicago. Most recently, Fran worked with CrisisAlert, the nationally recognized and leading company for school safety, located in Atlanta. Now retired, she continues to do consulting work.
Her fascination with high-profile criminal cases at the state and national levels drew her into the true crime phenomenon. Now living in South Carolina and loving the Lowcountry, she was especially interested in the crimes of Alex Murdaugh in Hampton County, South Carolina, having known some of the players in the saga.
Fran lives with her husband on Lake Murray in Chapin, South Carolina, and enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. Since her retirement, she has enjoyed traveling, entertaining, spending time in Hilton Head, and indulging in her favorite pastime—writing