‘It’s an ambush trial’: Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh accuse prosecutors of hiding evidence – including blood spatter and phone records – and leaking information to the press about the murders of his wife and son
- Alex Murdaugh, 54, is charged with the murder of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, who were killed on June 7, 2021
- His lawyers are now accusing the public prosecutor’s office of allegedly having concealed evidence
- They also accuse them of leaking information about the case to the press
- The violent murders were the culmination of the family’s long, dark history
- Before his death, Paul crashed a boat killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach
- In 2018, the family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died after a mysterious fall
- Alex Murdaugh attempted to stage his own murder in order to get his surviving son, Buster, a life insurance payout
Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh are charging prosecutors with allegedly hiding evidence — including blood spatter and phone records — and leaking information about the South Carolina family murders to the press ahead of Murdaugh’s upcoming trial.
“It’s an ambush process,” attorney Dick Harpootlian said in a news conference on Wednesday. “Give us the stuff. I don’t have a piece of paper. I have no email. I don’t have an exhibition. I have no evidence.’
Murdaugh, 54, was charged in July with the murder of his wife Maggie, 52, and their son Paul, 22, who were killed at the family home on June 7, 2021. He has adamantly denied killing her.
The trial of the disfellowshipped South Carolina attorney for the double murders isn’t scheduled to take place until next year, but the courtroom drama is already well underway.
Murdaugh’s legal team has blasted prosecutors for leaking details to the media instead of turning them over to the defense as requested. They also claim they have never received reports of blood spatter or evidence found on phones.
“We are ready to work. Ready to hire investigators, ready to hire experts,” he said. “I only know what I read on some blog. I’ve never seen evidence of blood spatter. I’ve never seen cell phone downloads. I’ve never seen any witness testimony. Thirty-two days after we made the request, we still have nothing.”
The defense has filed a motion asking the judge to compel the state to immediately release the evidence and unseal the details of the indictment against the grand jury.
In a response message, the state called the request a “blatant attempt to create drama where there previously was none, and says the state has no desire to bar the defense from discovery and they will broadcast it if the court.” gives the green light for it. ‘
“This made-up drama is just a known part of the defense attorney’s playbook,” the attorney general’s office responded to the defense in legal papers.
If convicted of murder, Murdaugh faces 30 years of life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors could also choose to seek the death penalty under state law because more than one person was killed, but have given no indication of what they might do.
Alex Murdaugh is escorted out of the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, SC on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. His lawyers are now accusing prosecutors of hiding evidence and leaking information to the press about the murders of his wife and son
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found dead at the family home on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh called 911 and claimed he found her there shot dead
The June 2021 deaths prompted authorities to investigate every corner of Murdaugh’s life. At least half a dozen investigations led to charges that he stole $8.5 million from people who hired him and that he lied to police by saying he was shot by a roadside stranger.
Officials say he actually asked a friend to kill him so his surviving son could get a $10 million life insurance policy just days after the family business discovered he was stealing money. The friend said the gun went off while trying to wrestle it from the grip of a suicidal Murdaugh.
Murdaugh is familiar with legal wrangling. His family has dominated the legal scene in tiny neighboring Hampton County for nearly a century, with his father, grandfather and great-grandfather all having been the area’s elected prosecutors for 87 consecutive years.
Defense attorneys want to bring Murdaugh to justice as soon as possible to clear his name. Both sides appear to have reached an agreement in January, with Harpootlian saying at the press conference outside his law firm that he intends to stick to that schedule, “come hell or high tide,” and will let attorneys and the rest of his firm do whatever is necessary to check you the evidence, whether it’s five pages or 5 million pages.
SCHEDULE OF THE MURDAUGH FAMILY MURDERS, SCANDALS AND CRIMES
JUNE 7, 2021: Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are found shot to death at the family home. Alex claims he found her dead outside the dog kennel and calls 911
JUNE 17: Alex Murdaugh’s brothers take to Good Morning America to plead his innocence.
The family later offers a $100,000 reward for information
SEPTEMBER 3: Alex Murdaugh quietly resigns from his law practice
SEPTEMBER 4: Murdaugh calls 911 and claims he was shot in the head
SEPTEMBER 6: Murdaugh publicly announces his retirement and enters rehab.
The law firm then reveals that he stole millions during the years he worked there
SEPTEMBER 14: Curtis Smith is accused of aiding Murdaugh in a staged assassination plot. He tells police Murdaugh hired him to shoot him on September 4 as part of a plan to kill him and pay his son Buster $10 million in life insurance
SEPTEMBER 15: Cops open an investigation into the 2018 death of housekeeper Gloria Satterfield
SEPTEMBER 16: Murdaugh surrenders to police
OCTOBER 14: Murdaugh is accused of stealing life insurance funds from housekeeper Gloria Satterfield’s children
JULY 14, 2022: Murdaugh is charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul