Alex Murdaugh to face court for first time since murder trial sentencing as jury tampering update looms – live
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Alex Murdaugh is set to appear in court this week to face a string of financial fraud charges – in what marks his first court appearance since he was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
The convicted killer will attend a status conference before Judge Clifton Newman in Beaufort County on Thursday morning.
Two former friends and alleged co-conspirators in his financial crimes – former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte and former attorney Corey Fleming – are also due in court after they were previously convicted of charges.
Murdaugh is facing more than 100 state and federal charges over his alleged financial crimes – many of which he admitted to on the witness stand at his murder trial.
The court appearance comes as the deadline is looming for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to respond to a bombshell motion filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys last week in which they demand a new trial and accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict against him.
The AG’s office had 10 days to respond to this motion – giving them until Friday.
Key points
Alex Murdaugh to appear in court for first time since trial sentencing
Convicted killer faces slew of financial fraud charges
Co-conspirators Russell Laffitte and Corey Fleming face sentencing
Deadline looms for prosecutors to respond to jury tampering allegations
Murdaugh seeks new murder trial and accuses court clerk of pressuring jurors in case
EXCLUSIVE: Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial? Legal expert weighs in
Wednesday 13 September 2023 17:45 , Rachel Sharp
When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul back in March, his legal team insisted that the fight wasn’t over.
Six months on, his attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin descended on the South Carolina court of appeals in Columbia and filed a motion calling for a new trial and accusing the clerk of court of jury tampering.
So just how serious are these allegations? And will this now pave the way for Murdaugh – a man convicted of killing his wife and son in cold blood, a man facing another 700 years behind bars on 100 financial fraud charges and a man embroiled in a sprawling saga of mystery deaths – to be granted a new trial?
Prominent attorney Duncan Levin speaks to The Independent:
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial? Legal expert weighs in
Deadline looms for prosecutors to respond to jury tampering allegations
Wednesday 13 September 2023 17:25 , Rachel Sharp
The deadline is looming for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to respond to a bombshell motion filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys last week in which they demanded a new trial and accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict against him.
In the motion filed on 5 September, 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.
The AG’s office had 10 days to respond to this motion – giving them until this Friday.
Alex Murdaugh to appear in court for first time since trial sentencing
Wednesday 13 September 2023 17:05 , Rachel Sharp
Alex Murdaugh is set to appear in court this week to face a string of financial fraud charges – in what marks his first court appearance since he was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
The convicted killer will attend a status conference before Judge Clifton Newman in Beaufort County on Thursday morning.
Two of his former friends and alleged co-conspirators in his financial crimes – former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte and former attorney Corey Fleming – are also due in court after they were previously convicted of charges.
Murdaugh is facing more than 100 state and federal charges over his alleged financial crimes, many of which he admitted to on the witness stand at his murder trial.
Welcome to The Independent’s live blog
Wednesday 13 September 2023 16:55 , Rachel Sharp
Follow updates as convicted killer Alex Murdaugh is set to appear in court on financial fraud charges and the deadline looms for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to respond to his attorneys’ bombshell motion claiming jury tampering in his murder trial
Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at his murder trial
Wednesday 13 September 2023 17:54 , Rachel Sharp
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”.
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Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at murder trial
