Alex Murdaugh begs judge to lower bail while alleged victim tells of stolen money
Alex Murdaugh, accused of stealing millions of dollars from clients, can’t afford to post his own bail, his lawyers argued Monday.
Attorneys for the disgraced South Carolina lawyer told a judge that his $7 million bail — and the fact that he can’t pay it — has made fair legal representation impossible due to the jail’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Investigators believe Murdaugh stole more than $3.7 million since 2015, but have been unable to track most of it. In his name are three bank accounts with $10,000, a retirement account with more than $2 million, an Edisto Island beach house and the family’s Colleton County estate, where wife Maggie and son Paul were found dead in June.
One of the lawyers representing Murdaugh’s alleged victims, Justin Bamberg, argued that the bail should remain, as “committing suicide is the ultimate attempt to flee,” referring to Murdaugh’s failed staged murder plot.
Judge Alison Renee Lee said she would issue a written ruling on her decision at a later date.
The Murdaugh family mysteries: a timeline of murders, cryptic deaths, scandals and power
Monday’s hearing also included the testimony of Thomas Moore, a lieutenant with the state Highway Patrol, who claims that Murdaugh stole $100,000 in insurance money from him after an on-duty car crash that left him with a neck injury and monthly medical bills.
“But here’s the problem: He treated me that nice, and he stole every dime I had from the injury I incurred,” Moore told the judge Monday.
The shooting deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh set in motion the downfall of Alex Murdaugh last summer, unraveling alleged insurance fraud, multiple suspicious deaths and embezzlement from his own law firm.
With News Wire Services
