Alex Murdaugh faces court to plead guilty to stealing millions from clients

Murdaugh pleads guilty to a crime for the first time and Netflix releases season 2 of ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’

Murdaugh Murders on Netflix trailer

Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients.

Following Monday’s agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to 22 federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.

His appearance in court on Thursday morning marked the first time he has ever admitted to a crime.

This comes as the new series of Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal was released on Wednesday, revealing Curtis Eddie Smith – Murdaugh’s alleged co-conspirator in the bizarre hitman plot – making a bombshell claim.

When he asked Murdaugh why he wanted him to fatally shoot him, Mr Smith claims he told him: “Because they’re going to be able to prove that I’m responsible for Maggie and Paul.”

The show also hears from Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill – who is now at the centre of jury tampering accusations brought by Murdaugh’s attorneys in their bid for a new murder trial.

Murdaugh claims that Ms Hill advised the panel not to be “fooled by” Murdaugh’s testimony on the stand or “misled” by the defence’s evidence, pushed them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and misrepresented “critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense”.

A random Georgia man’s now-deleted Facebook rant about his wife’s aunt is at the centre of the bid.

On Thursday, attorneys for the convicted killer filed a new motion in which they accused the South Carolina Attorney General’s office of acting in “bad faith” in the state’s response to Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial.

“The State unfortunately has chosen to respond in bad faith to these serious allegations,” write attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin.

“[The state] wants Mr Murdaugh to spend weeks jumping through preposterous procedural hoops invented only for him.”

Key point

• Alex Murdaugh appears in court to plead guilty for first time
• Revealed: Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot
• Court clerk accused of jury tampering in Murdaugh trial says daughter was ‘excited’ to be on jury
• As he faced charges for deadly crash, Paul Murdaugh hosted booze-fueled boat party just before his murder

[22 September 2023 10:10 · Oliver O'Connell]

Financial crime victims’ lawyer slams Murdaugh plea deal

Attorney Justin Bamberg, who represents multiple victims of Alex Murdaugh, released the following statement regarding the plea deal:

Given the severity and callousness of his crimes, Alex Murdaugh should never receive any incentive-based deal from the government, be it federal or state, and we respectfully disagree with the federal government’s voluntary decision to concede to a concurrent sentence in exchange for his guilty plea and agreement to “cooperate”.

To use a sports analogy, plea deals with incentives are for the beginning of the game — not in the 4th quarter with 30 seconds left on the clock. At his murder trial and in an attempt to appear to acknowledge his many wrongdoings, Murdaugh testified that he did all of the financial crimes alone. Today, he pleaded guilty to working hand-in-hand with co-conspirators. Where fact begin and fiction end with Alex?

We trust that the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will remain steadfast in its commitment to hold Murdaugh accountable and will give him no breaks and offer no incentives; that ship sailed years ago. Murdaugh’s victims are looking forward to seeing him receive the individual sentences he earned via his own individual criminal conduct toward each of them under South Carolina law.

[22 September 2023 10:40 · Andrea Cavallier and Oliver O’Connell]

Full story: Murdaugh appears in court to plead guilty to financial crimes

Convicted killer and disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh appeared in federal court today where he pleaded guilty to a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients for his own personal benefit.

The double murderer stood before U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel at the J. Waties Waring Judicial Center in Charleston where he waived his right to a jury trial and confirmed to the court his wish to change his plea to guilty.

Murdaugh had confirmed earlier this week that he’d plead guilty to 22 federal charges, which include wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

“I’m pleading guilty of my own free will and because I am guilty, and for several other reasons,” Mudaugh said in court on Thursday.

Read more...

[22 September 2023 11:10 · Oliver O'Connell]

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Andrea Cavallier explains what to expect as America’s biggest true crime fanatics gearing up for their Super Bowl in Orlando this weekend.

[22 September 2023 11:40 · Oliver O'Connell]

Murdaugh co-conspirator granted delay to prison sentence – again

A federal judge has granted a motion that would postpone the start of a prison sentence for former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte.

South Carolina US District Judge Richard Gergel sentenced Laffitte to seven years in federal prison on 2 August for his role as an accomplice in convicted killer Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes.

Laffitte filed a motion to appeal on 8 August, followed by a motion for release pending that appeal on 14 August.

A week later he and prosecutors agreed to postpone the beginning of the prison term until 21 September, with the court saying it would give the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals an “adequate opportunity” to address the motion for release pending appeal, Live 5 WCSC reports. The appeals court has not yet ruled.

Continued...

[22 September 2023 12:10 · Oliver O'Connell]

What does the new Murdaugh Murders Netflix series reveal?

Over the last few weeks, the sprawling crime saga surrounding Alex Murdaugh has once again been catapulted into the spotlight.

Six months after he was convicted of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul on 7 June 2021, Murdaugh filed a motion demanding a new trial based on a damning accusation against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill.

His attorneys claim that Ms Hill tampered with the jury, pressuring them to find him guilty and breaking her oath as an elected official.

New details continue to emerge about this – including a random Georgia man’s unlikely links to the case – and legal experts have warned that if the allegations are in fact true, a new trial is almost certain.

At the same time, Murdaugh’s other criminal charges are progressing through the courts.

He appeared in court on 14 September for a hearing on a slew of state financial charges – marking his first court appearance since his murder trial sentencing.

On Thursday, he is slated to appear in court to plead guilty to 22 federal financial criminal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering – after signing a plea deal with prosecutors on Monday.

Now, Netflix has dropped its second series of “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” – bringing new details and claims about the Murdaugh saga to light.

Here’s what we found out...

[22 September 2023 12:40 · Oliver O'Connell]

Will Murdaugh be granted a new trial over murders of wife and son?

Speaking exclusively to The Independent’s Rachel Sharp, prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin says that the allegations against court clerk Rebecca Hill are ‘extremely serious’ and that – if true – Alex Murdaugh could and should be granted a new trial.