Attorney Jim Griffin, Fox Nation respond: Alex Murdaugh convicted of violating prison rules

Even locked away inside a maximum security state prison serving two life sentences, convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is finding a way to get into legal trouble, and those closest to him, who are tasked with defending him and advising him on all matters of law - are alleged aiding in his schemes.

On Aug. 30 - a day before Fox Nation released a docuseries on Murdaugh's crime saga and his family - South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) officials announced that the violent felon had been convicted of violating prison rules - namely participating in media interviews from inside his jail cell without SCDC knowledge or permission.

According to the Aug. 30 SCDC statement, inmate Murdaugh was convicted of two internal disciplinarycharges – "Abuse of Privileges" and "Unauthorized Use of an Inmate’s PIN Number" during a prison disciplinary hearing on Aug. 28,

The charges involve providing information to be delivered to the news media for an interview and also using a fellow inmate’s PIN number to make a telephone call. These charges violate SCDC’s inmate policy, stated the release.

While these transgressions are not a violation of law, said the SCDC, they are punishable inside the prison system and could result in a loss of many privileges. As a result, Murdaugh lost his telephone and canteen privileges for 30 days, and has lost computer tablet privileges indefinitely.

When the SCDC learned about the phone interview on Aug. 8, Murdaugh’s tablet and phone privileges were immediately revoked, pending a review of the incidents. After his phone privileges were revoked, Murdaugh allegedly used a fellow inmate’s PIN number to make a telephone call, which is prohibited by SCDC policy OP-22.14.

While officially Murdaugh is being detained in an "undisclosed" maximum security location, it has been widely reported that he is being held at the state prison in McCormick, S.C., and recent federal court filings confirm that.

What information did Alex Murdaugh share from prison, and with whom?

According to prison officials, Murdaugh provided media interview information to one of his attorneys through a legal call. Legal calls are not recorded or monitored on the inmate phone system per attorney/client privilege. Attorney Jim Griffin recorded Murdaugh reading the information, entries from the inmate's daily journal, and provided it to the media, stated the SCDC.

According to the release, Murdaugh's recorded statements were then provided by Griffin to Fox Nation for its docuseries, "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," that released Thursday, Aug. 31, a day after Murdaugh's charges were announced.

According to a Fox Nation news release, their three-hour, three-part series includes exclusive, first-time interviews with Murdaughs's surviving son, Richard "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., as well as "exclusive access to Alex Murdaugh’s defense team Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, behind-the-scenes footage before and during the trial, never-before-seen home movies, as well as intimate prison revelations from Alex himself."

The SCDC statement adds that Griffin admitted he provided the recorded interview to Fox, and that Murdaugh knowingly and willfully abused his privileges and conducted the interview for "his own gain."

Other interviews for this docuseries were reportedly conducted in Walterboro, where the Murdaugh double murder trial was held, and at Griffin's vacation house on Daufuskie Island.

Griffin, Fox Nation respond to Alex Murdaugh prison charges

On Aug. 30, the SCDC sent a letter to Griffin explaining that his conduct is prohibited by policy and warning him of the possible consequences.

When contacted Thursday by The Hampton County Guardian for comment, Griffin responded, "I am not commenting on the action taken by the Department, other than to say that I have the highest respect for Director Stirling and the job he is doing."

Bryan P. Stirling is the director of the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Alexandra Coscia, a spokesperson for Fox Nation, declined to comment on the prison violations, deferring the matter to Murdaugh's attorneys, but did confirm that the docuseries went live on Thursday.

The docuseries was originally slated to be released in mid-September, but Fox bumped up the release date to Aug. 31. It is unclear if this move was related to the prison violations, however.

This is not the first time Griffin, Murdaugh family have been chastised

Aside from Alex Murdaugh's many confirmed and alleged crimes, this is not the first time he, his family and his attorneys have gotten into legal mischief.

During Murdaugh's six-week murder trial in Walterboro, Judge Clifton Newman chastised Griffin in open court for sharing a tweet on Twitter that Newman deemed inappropriate.

Multiple media outlets also reported that during the same trial, Murdaugh was charged with violating courthouse security rules, and his family members were chastised and moved farther away from him in the courtroom, over allegations that a Murdaugh family member illegally passed a contraband book to Alex by handing it to one of his attorneys.

Why is this a serious matter, and what happens to Alex Murdaugh?

The SCDC letter to Griffin put the defense attorney "on notice" and cautioned him from further violations, adding that this conduct could jeopardize future telephone consultations with his client Murdaugh.

According to SCDC policy, inmates in their custody are not allowed to do interviews for legitimate reasons - to protect victims.

"SCDC’s interview policy is rooted in victims’ rights and is longstanding," stated the SCDC release. "The department believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family member on the news. Inmates lose the privilege of speaking to the news media when they enter SCDC."

The released added that inmate computer tablets are designed and secured for correctional use. They are considered a privilege. The department will determine when and if inmate Murdaugh will earn the opportunity to be issued a tablet again.

Follow Michael DeWitt's reporting as The Hampton County Guardian/Greenville News and the USA Today Network continue to follow cases related to the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Facebook and on Twitter at @mmdewittjr for the latest updates.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Murdaugh attorney, Fox Nation respond to Alex's prison conviction