Alex Murdaugh trial latest: Prosecution finds ‘significant disputes’ in convicted murderer’s jury tampering claims
Follow updates after convicted killer appears in court on financial fraud charges
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Prosecutors have responded to Alex Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial on the grounds of jury tampering allegations at his murder trial, stating that South Carolina investigators have found “significant factual disputes” with the claims.
The response filed on Friday by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson concedes a hearing may be needed to decide if the killer should get a new trial - but moved to dismiss the motion for a “procedural defect” in the filing.
It’s the state’s first response to the bombshell motion filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian last week that accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict.
An investigation was launched by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which the AG claims is still ongoing, but has said has “revealed significant factual disputes as to claims in (Murdaugh’s) motion.”
On Thursday, a smiling Murdaugh appeared in court for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, this time to face a string of financial fraud charges.
Judge Clifton Newman set a trial date for 27 November.
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Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at his murder trial
What to expect in court on Thursday?
Alex Murdaugh is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning for a status hearing in his criminal case accusing him of a string of financial fraud charges.
At the hearing, a trial date is likely to be set for Murdaugh to face charges for stealing from the estate of his dead housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and from his family friend Jordan Jinks.
Despite his efforts to avoid it, Judge Clifton Newman ordered Murdaugh to attend in person.
Murdaugh will be joined at the courthouse by Corey Fleming and Russell Laffitte – his former friends and alleged co-conspirators in his financial crimes.
Fleming is expected to be sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to 23 counts.
Laffitte – who was convicted of federal charges in November – is also appearing for a status conference in his state case.
Who is Alex Murdaugh?
Alex Murdaugh was once a powerful figure in Hampton County, South Carolina, where his family has reigned over the local justice system for almost a century.
Three generations of the family – his father, grandfather and great-grandfather – all served as the solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit solicitor’s office.
His father Randy held the position until 2006 and was given the highest civilian award the Order of the Palmetto by the South Carolina governor in 2018 for his work. Randy died just three days after Maggie and Paul’s murders.
Due to the Murdaughs’ prominence in the judicial system in the lowcountry, the family held a reputation for being powerful and wielding their influence over matters.
Murdaugh continued with the family tradition working as an attorney in the local prosecutor’s office and also at his own law firm PMPED (the M standing for Murdaugh).
He was married to wife Maggie – whom he met at college - and the couple had two sons Buster and Paul.
After the murders of his wife and son, it transpired that Murdaugh had a two-decade-long opoiod addiction and he checked into rehab in September 2021.
VOICES: Alex Murdaugh has a new victim story. We should be paying attention
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh is once again claiming to be a victim in one of America’s most explosive murder cases.
The 65-year-old disgraced legal dynasty heir - currently serving life in prison for the brutal June 2021 slayings of his wife Maggie and son Paul - filed a motion for a new murder trial on the grounds of alleged jury tampering in his original trial.
This is hardly the first time we’ve seen Murdaugh take on a victim role. He put on his biggest performance on the witness stand during his trial, where he lamented over his last moments with his wife and son, and sobbed at the horror of finding their bodies as he pleaded for the real killer to be caught.
Megan Sheets writes:
Alex Murdaugh has a new victim story. We should be paying attention
There’s a predictable air of the Boy Who Called Wolf - but the seriousness of the allegations cannot be overstated
WATCH: Alex Murdaugh's attorneys demand new trial over allegations of jury tampering
ICYMI: Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith killing – and calls father Alex a ‘psychopath’
Buster Murdaugh has broken his silence to deny any involvement in the mysterious killing of gay teenager Stephen Smith – and insist that he still believes his father is innocent of the murders of his mother and brother.
Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son spoke out in his first TV interview since his family was propelled to national attention, for the new three-part FOX Nation documentary “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”.
In the interview, Buster slammed rumours that he too could have been involved in a heinous murder – that of 19-year-old Smith in July 2015 – and offered an alibi for his whereabouts on the night the teenager was killed.
“I never had anything to do with his murder, and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level in any regard,” he said in a clip from the documentary, due for release on 31 August.
Read more...
Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith death and insists father is innocent
Despite insisting Alex Murdaugh didn’t kill Maggie and Paul, Buster said it was ‘a fair assessment’ to describe his father as a psychopath
Alex Murdaugh trial court clerk ducks question about whether she tampered with jury
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill had nothing to say when she was spotted on Thursday for the first time since being accused of tampering with the jury in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial.
Ms Hill clutched her cell phone, a drink and a stack of papers in one hand as she crossed the street in Walterboro, South Carolina, around 10am and walked into the courthouse through a back gate.
In a video posted by Fox News, a photographer could be heard asking her, “Did you tamper with the jurors?”
Read on...
Alex Murdaugh trial court clerk ducks question about whether she tampered with jury
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys have accused South Carolina Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of jury tampering and have called for a federal investigation into whether she violated Murdaugh’s civil rights
ICYMI: Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh loses prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has lost some of his prison privileges after he fed information to a Fox Nation documentary without permission.
South Carolina Corrections Department officials said on Wednesday that, during a jailhouse phone call on 10 June, Murdaugh’s lawyer Jim Griffin had recorded him reading aloud entries from the journal he had kept during his double murder trial.
Mr Griffin had then handed over the recordings to producers working on the new Fox Nation documentary about his high-profile case titled “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”, released today.
Read more:
Alex Murdaugh loses prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary
South Carolina prison officials said Murdaugh’s lawyer Jim Griffin recorded the killer reading aloud journal entries in a jailhouse call and then handed the recording to documentarymakers
WATCH: Craziest courthouse moments from the Alex Murdaugh trial
Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at his murder trial
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has accused a South Carolina court clerk of tampering with the jury at his high-profile double murder trial – because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal.
The disgraced legal scion and double murderer filed a motion on Tuesday requesting a new trial on the basis that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill allegedly pressured jurors on the case to return a guilty verdict against him.
In the motion, Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin claim that Ms Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense”.
Read the story here:
Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at murder trial
Much of the motion centres around juror number 785 – who became known as the egg juror when she was dismissed hours before the jury began deliberations
Why Murdaugh is calling for a new trial
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has accused a South Carolina court clerk of tampering with the jury at his high-profile double murder trial – because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal.
The disgraced legal scion and double murderer filed a motion last week requesting a new trial on the basis that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill allegedly pressured jurors on the case to return a guilty verdict against him.
In the motion, Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin claim that Ms Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense”.
Specifically, they claim that the clerk instructed jurors not to be “misled” by evidence presented by the defence and told jurors not to be “fooled by” Murdaugh’s testimony when he took the stand.
She allegedly instructed the jury to “watch him closely,” to “look at his actions,” and to “look at his movements” on the stand – something at least one juror said they understood to mean that Murdaugh was guilty.
Much of the motion centres around juror number 785 – who became infamous when she was dismissed from the panel just hours before jury deliberations began.
According to the motion, Ms Hill had gone to Judge Newman on 27 February – the day after Murdaugh testified – claiming that she had seen a post in local Facebook group “Walterboro Word of Mouth” from juror 785’s former husband Tim Stone.
The post purportedly claimed that the juror was drinking with her ex-husband and, when she became drunk, she expressed her views on whether Murdaugh was innocent or guilty.
A follow-up post from an account called Timothy Stone apologised for the post saying that he was driven by “Satan”.
When Ms Hill confronted the juror about the posts, the juror said she hadn’t seen her ex-husband in 10 years, the motion states.
Murdaugh’s attorneys claim that the original post was “fictitous” and that a download of Mr Stone’s Facebook shows he did not make either post.
They claim the clerk repeatedly asked the juror what her verdict would be – and “campaigned” to have her removed.