Alex Murdaugh files motion for change of venue, continuance of SC financial crimes trial
After making shocking jury tampering allegations against a court official and asking for the recusal of a veteran circuit court judge, attorneys for convicted murderer and fraudster lawyer Alex Murdaugh have now filed a motion for a change of venue or a continuance of Murdaugh's upcoming financial crimes trial.
Murdaugh, convicted of the June 2021 murders of his wife and child March 2 and sentenced to two life terms in state prison, still faces more than 100 financial and drug-related criminal charges. The disbarred South Carolina lawyer is scheduled to appear in Beaufort County Court of General Sessions the week of Nov. 27 to face the first of those financial charges.
But on Monday, Murdaugh attorneys Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin filed a motion with the S.C. State Grand Jury in Beaufort County for either a change of venue or a continuance of this pending trial.
The motion cites the "unprecedented media coverage" of the double murder trial in Walterboro which was broadcast live, "seen by millions" and inspired multiple documentaries and two recent movies —publicity which could impact Murdaugh's ability to get a fair trial, his lawyers argue.
The motion claims that, to date, 147 juror pretrial questionnaires have been returned stating those potential jurors have "prior knowledge" about Murdaugh and his criminal charges.
If a change of venue is approved, state law can authorize the courts to transfer the trial to another county in the 14th Judicial Circuit, or can even empanel a jury from other counties in the state and transport them to Beaufort County for the trial, cites the motion.
However, Murdaugh's attorneys contend that a change of venue to anywhere else in the 14th Circuit is not an option, as Beaufort, Hampton, Jasper, Colleton and Allendale counties have all been subjected to the same "exhaustive media coverage."
Murdaugh's counsel suggests that the trial could be moved to an Upstate county in S.C., where it is still doubtful that the "media climate" there would be less intense, but they would prefer a continuance.
Murdaugh's motion states that the "better course of action" would be to continue any and all of his financial crimes trials for at least one year after the conclusion of his murder trial.
Harpootlian and Griffin contend that there is no rush to try Murdaugh in state court because he has already pleaded guilty to the same crimes in federal court, and awaits sentencing there.
Meanwhile, there is much ado in the world of Murdaugh legal matters that remains undecided and full of import.
Murdaugh asked the state's higher courts to place his murder conviction appeal on hold while he levied jury tampering allegations against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill and further demanded a new trial.
Murdaugh has more recently filed a motion in state court requesting a hearing in hopes of getting a new murder trial, followed by a motion with the S.C. Supreme Court to have Judge Clifton Newman, who presided over his murder trial and sentenced him, recused from handling any further court proceedings involving Murdaugh.
Murder conviction aside, considering his recent federal guilty plea and the fact that Murdaugh confessed to his financial crimes on the witness stand on live television during his murder trial, it is probable that the former Hampton attorney will spend the rest of his life in prison - whether it be for murder or for fraud.
But as his attorneys file motion after motion, it also appears likely that his legal battles will rage on for months, possibly years, to come.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Alex Murdaugh files motion for change of venue, trial continuance
