Alex Murdaugh, an infamous figure from South Carolina, is one step closer in the pursuit of a new murder trial, thanks to the South Carolina Court of Appeals. The court has granted Murdaugh’s motion to suspend his conviction appeal, herewith tasking the circuit court with the thorough investigation of allegations implying jury tampering by a Colleton County clerk.
This decision marks a significant legal victory for Murdaugh, who in March was convicted for the murder of his wife and son. Murdaugh’s attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, warmly welcomed the decision to stay the appeal and remand the case for a new hearing. Murdaugh’s plain intention, as expressed by his attorneys, is a “full blown evidentiary hearing” that addresses the serious allegations of improper jury communications by the Clerk of Court.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Murdaugh himself seem to be committed to continuing the legal battle; the office vowed to respond to the recent turn of events “through the legal process at the appropriate time.”
It was in the wake of a six-week trial that Murdaugh, 55, vastly appealed the convictions that have him serving two consecutive life sentences in state prison for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Moreover, Murdaugh pleaded guilty last month to nearly two dozen fraud and money laundering charges, brought in a federal courtroom in Charleston.
The accusations compound a progressively complex narrative about a man who was once a personal injury attorney and part of a dynastic family in the region. Murdaugh is charged with orchestrating a fraudulent scheme where he, along with a bank employee, defrauded personal injury clients and laundered over $7 million funds, spending on personal loans and other personal expenses.
In an attempt to secure a new trial, Murdaugh’s attorneys last month suspended the murder conviction appeal. They have alleged that the Colleton County Clerk of Court interfered with the jury’s verdict, promoting a quick guilty verdict on undeniably simmering grounds for a new trial.
In a saga filled with narrative complexities, the lawyers have suggested Clerk’s motivation might have been a self-serving one – they claim she sought a book deal and media stardom that would not happen in the event of a mistrial. They substantiate such a claim by citing excerpts from her book, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” which was published over the summer.
The puzzling Murdaugh case has been emblematic of strangest truths with allegations of misappropriated funds, a supposed suicide-for-hire & insurance fraud, drug addiction rehab stays, multiple financial felonies, and his ultimate disbarment from practicing law.
The severity of the charges culminates with a maximum federal sentence of 20 years for most, while four of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years. A final sentencing of Murdaugh remains pending.
