Alex Murdaugh apologizes, sentenced. Victims speak out: 'Do you not have a soul?'

BEAUFORT, S.C. — For the confessed crimes of stealing millions from people who trusted him for more than a decade — clients, family, law partners, the vulnerable, the injured, the grieving, even the dead — disgraced and disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years in state prison Tuesday.

Before being sentenced, Murdaugh spoke at length to apologize for his crimes, as did his victims, but the judge had the final say.

"I have dealt with this case for more than two years now," said Judge Clifton Newman, who sentenced Murdaugh just 35 days before Newman's retirement. "We started out with over a hundred charges with various folks... Now I'm happy to turn the page and turn you... over to someone else."

Newman called Murdaugh an enigma and compared him to another "heartless, empty" criminal he once sentenced. He called Murdaugh's crimes "unimaginable" for "preying upon" those of a "perceived lower estate."

Facing more than a hundred criminal charges for crimes that theoretically total almost a thousand years of consecutive prison time, Murdaugh signed a guilty plea agreement offered by the S.C. Attorney General on Nov. 17 before S.C. Circuit Judge Newman in Beaufort County.

This agreement, given final approval by Judge Newman Tuesday, allowed Murdaugh to plead guilty to 22 of the S.C. State Grand Jury charges against him in exchange for a lighter, "negotiated," prison sentence and the dismissal of all other S.C. State Grand Jury charges.

According to this agreement, the AG's Office recommended that Murdaugh serve the maximum prison term for each charge he pleaded to; but as mostly concurrent sentences with a net total of 27 years. By law, because of the type of crimes committed, Murdaugh must serve 85 percent of that sentence or at least 22.95 years.

Murdaugh will get credit for at least some of his time already served in prison, to be determined later, and will be subjected to pay a restitution amount to be determined later.

According to the plea agreement, Murdaugh will be allowed to serve this sentence concurrently with the two life sentences he received on March 3 after being convicted of murdering his wife and younger son.

Victims attorneys speak out on damage caused by Alex Murdaugh

Newman had accepted Murdaugh's verbal guilty plea during the previous hearing and then accepted the total plea agreement and negotiated sentence when Murdaugh returned for sentencing Nov. 28.

Except this time, Murdaugh's victims had the opportunity to speak out before sentencing in keeping with the Victim's Bill of Rights law.

One by one, those in attendance looked Alex Murdaugh in the eye and expressed a mixture of emotions.

Tony Satterfield, whose mother, the late Gloria Satterfield, worked for Murdaugh, said, "You lied, you stole, you betrayed me, my mom and my family," but added, "I forgive you, and I'll pray for you."

Gloria's sister, Ginger Harriott Hadwin, told Murdaugh that her sister now has a more positive legacy through the creation of the Gloria's Gift Foundation, which helps local families at Christmas, "so that Gloria would be remembered forever."

"Do you not have a soul?" she added. "I don't understand it. You are not the person I thought I knew."

Attorney Justin Bamberg, who represents several of Murdaugh's victims, said that today's sentencing shows victims that "dragons can be slain." "This is one of the worst nightmares, one of the worst fairy tales, they ever had to live, and it needs to end."

One of his clients, Pamela Pinckney, the mother of the late Hakeem Pinckney, cited the 23rd Psalm and said she forgave Murdaugh while thanking God for giving her the strength to get through this ordeal.

An emotional J.J. Jinks, victim and lifelong Murdaugh friend wept as he said, "I've been waiting on this day to look you in your eyes... I trusted you with everything... what kind of animal are you?"

Jinks added, "I'm not crying because of what you stole from me, I'm crying because of what you did to everybody... those children."

Alex Murdaugh apologizes to victim, family, law firm

Prior to sentencing, Murdaugh, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled, spoke for more than 40 minutes. At times he cried, at times he rocked and uttered "Whew!" at emotional times. Reporters lost count of the number of times he said "I'm so sorry." He said he was "bothered" and "disturbed" by his actions and their impact.

Murdaugh apologized to all of his victims while denying he killed his family, blaming his drug addiction, and criticizing some of the media and others on social media for their treatment of his family, namely his surviving son, Buster.

"I want each and every one of you to know that I listened to you and I heard you," Murdaugh said after hearing from his victims. "Despite the things I did, I care about each and every one of you..."

Murdaugh addressed some of his victims directly and by name, recalling good times spent with them, telling them he and/or his late wife loved them. Then, to victim and longtime friend J.J. Jinks, he said, "You are dead wrong about one thing. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul."

The soon-to-be sentenced fraudster apologized in depth to his family, his son Buster, his brother Randy, and his former partners at the family law firm. He stated how proud he was of his son.

"I'm so sorry that I went to such lengths to hide my addiction and my criminal actions from you," he said. "I'm so sorry that I let each of you down, and I'm so sorry I humiliated each of you... and destroyed our family's reputation... and destroyed our law firm."

Murdaugh also apologized to the people who loved his slain wife and son that his actions distracted state police from looking for the person or persons who he says really killed them.

Murdaugh concluded by bragging that he was 812 days clean from drugs, thanked his rehab treatment centers, and stated, "I am fully committed to trying to be a better person. I'm going to do as much good as possible and help as many people as I can while incarcerated."

Why did Alex Murdaugh get 27 years: was it a fair sentence?

State prosecutor Creighton Waters opened Tuesday's sentencing hearing with a roughly two-hour outline of Murdaugh's many victims and the crimes he pleaded guilty to.

Waters stated that Murdaugh was responsible for roughly $12.4 million in thefts or loss, with only $8.5 million of that offset by payouts from his former family law firm, now known as Parker Law Group.

Waters added that the 27-year punishment, despite the theoretical centuries of prison time Murdaugh was facing, was fair and just for several reasons: Murdaugh admitted his guilt, and it would spare the victims the ordeal of testifying while saving small S.C. counties the costs of trials.

"...With this result here today, we assure that Mr. Murdaugh will stay in prison for the remainder of his natural life," said Waters. "We can be assured he is not leaving S.C. state prison."

Waters added that this is perhaps one of the most severe "white collar" sentences ever handed down in South Carolina, greater than even the Enron crimes.

You can read more in-depth, follow-up coverage from today's hearing later this week in the Greenville News/The USA Today Network.

Watch Alex Murdaugh's sentencing for financial crimes today

Murdaugh's sentencing for financial crimes unfolds in court today. Watch it live here.

Murdaugh pleads guilty to both financial and drug crimes

From the fall of 2021 until early 2023, Murdaugh was struck with wave after wave of criminal indictments, each containing multiple charges, alleging that he orchestrated insurance scams and stole from his partners in the family law firm, as well as multiple clients across several S.C. Lowcountry counties.

It was a crime spree that led Murdaugh to shoot and kill two of his own family members, say state prosecutors.

Murdaugh, while denying the murder since his March 2 conviction, has acknowledged his guilt in his other crimes in many ways: in recorded interviews with state police, in court filings such as confessions of judgment, by pleading guilty in federal court, and even in tearful admissions on the witness stand during his double murder trial.

What charges is Alex Murdaugh being sentenced for today?

• Seven counts of money laundering, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the amount laundered, whichever is greater;

• Four counts of obtaining a signature by false pretenses, $10,000 or more, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of $500;

• Six counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, $10,000 or more, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, carrying a maximum sentence of five years;

• One count of forgery, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of computer crimes, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of criminal conspiracy, carrying a maximum sentence of five years;

• One count of willful attempt to evade or defeat a tax, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum of five years and/or a fine of $10,000.

Murdaugh pleaded guilty to crimes in multiple S.C. counties, including:

• Crimes connected to an insurance/wrongful death settlement scheme involving Murdaugh's late household employee, Gloria Satterfield, and her estate;

• Crimes connected to the estate and family of Hakeem Pinckney, a young deaf man who became a quadriplegic after a tragic car accident and later died;

• Crimes connected to the theft from several of Murdaugh's former legal clients, including Thomas Moore, a S.C. Highway Patrol officer injured and disabled in the line of duty;

• Crimes connected to the theft from Murdaugh's former law partners and former family law firm.

• Conspiracy crimes related to Murdaugh's multi-county narcotics distribution charges.

Did Alex Murdaugh get a good deal in the plea agreement?

Murdaugh, who was facing roughly 100 financial fraud-related charges from the state grand jury, pleaded guilty to only 22 of those crimes. The others will be dismissed.

Murdaugh was accused of stealing between $8.5 million to $10 million from various victims, organizations, and the state and federal government.

The crimes he pleaded guilty to last week include fines of only $1,750,000 for money laundering, or twice the amount laundered if that amount is greater; and at least $2,500 for other charges, a number which could be higher at the court's discretion.

Were there any special conditions in Murdaugh's plea?

The guilty plea agreement offers a "global and final resolution of criminal liability" as far as the SC Attorney General's Office is considered, and resolves all of Murdaugh's S.C. State Grand Jury indictments, including his drug-related charges.

Charges not specifically pleaded guilty to will be dismissed.

However, this has no impact on Murdaugh's pending county grand jury indictments related to a Labor Day 2021 weekend roadside shooting insurance scheme.

According to the plea agreement, Murdaugh must:

• Waive his rights to an appeal for his financial matters, as well as grand jury rights, trial rights, and post-conviction relief rights;

• Acknowledge and reveal facts and evidence about his financial crimes to the state;

• Be responsible for restitution to victims as determined by the court at a later date;

• Not be allowed special sentencing conditions after payment of restitution.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Alex Murdaugh sentenced Tuesday to 27 years for financial, drug crimes