Key facts
- Homes with criminal ties are often listed for sale.
- The South Carolina estate where Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife and son was relisted for $2.75 million before being lowered to $2.2 million.
- The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum in Massachusetts continues to operate as a tourist attraction.
- The LaBianca family home in Los Angeles sold for $1.875 million in June 2021.
- The Murdaugh family estate in South Carolina sold for $1 million in 2024.
Properties with dark histories, including sites of notorious crimes and homes once owned by infamous criminals, are frequently listed for sale. While some of these properties find buyers without difficulty, others face challenges in the market, with prices adjusted or properties taken off the market altogether.
The South Carolina estate where prosecutors say Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul, was sold after the crime. However, its new owner has struggled to resell it. In February, the property was delisted after failing to attract a buyer at its $2.2 million asking price. The estate, known as Moselle, last sold at auction in 2024 for $1 million to Alex Blair, a North Carolina businessman, according to Realtor.com. Blair renovated it and relisted it for $2.75 million before lowering the asking price to $2.2 million. It was later taken off the market.
In contrast, the Los Angeles home where Charles Manson's followers murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 sold for $1.875 million in 2021. The property was purchased by "Ghost Adventures" host Zak Bagans, who listed it for $2.2 million in 2021 before reducing the asking price to $2 million. It sold that June for $1.875 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Massachusetts home where Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in 1892 is now a popular tourist attraction and operates as the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum. In 2004, Donald Woods and Leann Wilbur purchased the home and operated the museum for more than 15 years. They sold the property to Lance Zaal, founder of US Ghost Adventures, for $1.8 million in 2021. Guests can rent a single room for $249 a night.
Other properties with criminal ties, such as the Los Angeles condo where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered in 1994, have been listed twice after the crime but have not always sold easily.