Alex Murdaugh’s alleged co-conspirator shares convicted killer’s bombshell confession in documentary - live
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients.
In Monday’s agreement, he will plead guilty to 22 federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
He will appear in court on Thursday to enter his plea – marking the first time he has ever pleaded guilty to a crime.
This comes as the new series of Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal was released on Wednesday, revealing Curtis Eddie Smith – Murdaugh’s alleged co-conspirator in the bizarre hitman plot – making a bombshell claim.
When he asked Murdaugh why he wanted him to fatally shoot him, Mr Smith claims he told him: “Because they’re going to be able to prove that I’m responsible for Maggie and Paul.”
The show also hears from Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill – who is now at the centre of jury tampering accusations brought by Murdaugh’s attorneys in their bid for a new murder trial. A random Georgia man’s now-deleted Facebook rant about his wife’s aunt is at the centre of the bid.
Key point
Revealed: Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot
Court clerk accused of jury tampering in Murdaugh trial says daughter was ‘excited’ to be on jury
As he faced charges for deadly crash, Paul Murdaugh hosted booze-fueled boat party just before his murder
Alex Murdaugh to plead guilty to committing crime for first time
Random husband’s Facebook rant at centre of bid for new trial
Key revelations from season two of Netflix documentary ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’
As he faced charges for deadly crash, Paul Murdaugh hosted booze-fueled boat party just before his murder
10:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Paul Murdaugh was pulled over by police for hosting a booze-fuelled boat party just days before he was brutally murdered by his father – and at a time when he was awaiting trial over a 2019 deadly boat wreck.
In the new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, released on Wednesday, housekeeper and family friend Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson revealed that the 22-year-old had a fresh brush with the law in the run-up to the 7 June 2021 murders.
His father Alex Murdaugh was said to be taking care of the matter.
The incident took place around a week before Memorial Day weekend when Ms Turrubiate-Simpson said Maggie told her that “Paul got in trouble again”.
Rachel Sharp has the story...
Paul Murdaugh’s booze-fueled boat party days before his murder revealed
Revealed: Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot
09:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith has claimed that Alex Murdaugh made a bombshell confession about his wife and son’s murders before orchestrating the now-infamous botched hitman plot.
Mr Smith – a former law firm client, distant cousin and alleged drug dealer of Murdaugh – is facing a string of charges over the 4 September 2021 incident where he allegedly shot the double murderer in the head along the side of a road in Hampton County.
Now, in the new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, released on Wednesday, the 62-year-old revealed never-before-heard details about the bizarre encounter.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Alex Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot revealed
Revealed: Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot
08:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith has claimed that Alex Murdaugh made a bombshell confession about his wife and son’s murders before orchestrating the now-infamous botched hitman plot.
Mr Smith – a former law firm client, distant cousin and alleged drug dealer of Murdaugh – is facing a string of charges over the 4 September 2021 incident where he allegedly shot the double murderer in the head along the side of a road in Hampton County.
Now, in the new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, released on Wednesday, the 62-year-old revealed never-before-heard details about the bizarre encounter.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Alex Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot revealed
How ‘Egg Juror’ came to be at heart of Murdaugh’s bid for new trial
07:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Juror number 785 remains something of a mystery.
She has never gone public with her identity and has never broken her silence by speaking to the press.
But, the mystery juror has caused quite a stir in the so-called “trial of the century”.
Juror number 785 first hit headlines back in March when she was ousted from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile double-murder trial just hours before deliberations began.
After sitting through six weeks of graphic testimony about the slayings of Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul, Judge Clifton Newman dismissed the juror for apparently speaking about the case to at least three people.
If her dismissal wasn’t enough to shock the nation glued to the notorious trial, the juror also gained infamy due to a comedic moment where she asked to retrieve a dozen eggs from the jury room.
After that, juror 785 earned a new alias as the “egg juror”.
Continued...
Key revelations from the bombshell Alex Murdaugh murder trial
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial?
06:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Speaking exclusively to The Independent’s Rachel Sharp, prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin explains that the allegations against court clerk Rebecca Hill are ‘extremely serious’ and that – if true – Murdaugh could and should be granted a new trial.
When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul back in March, his legal team insisted that the fight wasn’t over.
Six months on, his attorneys — Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin — approached the South Carolina Court of Appeals in Columbia and filed a motion calling for a new trial.
Motions for appeals or new trials are hardly uncommon in criminal cases.
But, the foundation for the request from Murdaugh’s attorneys is.
In the bombshell 65-page filing, Murdaugh has accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of breaking her oath by allegedly tampering with the jury in the case, pressuring them into returning a guilty verdict against him.
Lifetime and Bill Pullman give Murdaugh the Hollywood treatment
04:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Six months after former attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder, the Lifetime Network announced a new movie about the once-prominent South Carolina dynasty that came crashing down following a fatal boating accident, a slew of financial crimes and the brutal slayings of his wife and son.
Lifetime’s 500th original movie Murdaugh Murders: The Movie is set to air in a two-night event next month and stepping into the role of the convicted killer is 69-year-old actor Bill Pullman.
First-look images from the movie obtained by Entertainment Weekly - and posted to social media by Lifetime - show a chilling Pullman, his reddish-blonde slicked back, violently grabbing actor Curtis Tweedie, who is portraying his slain son Paul Murdaugh. Lauren Robek plays his wife Maggie.
Andrea Cavallier has the story...
Alex Murdaugh is getting the Hollywood treatment - in a new Lifetime movie
Here’s a first: Murdaugh pleads guilty to crime...
02:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Convicted killer and disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients for his own personal benefit.
In the agreement, signed and filed in South Carolina US District Court on Monday, the double murderer confirmed he will plead guilty to 22 federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.
While Murdaugh admitted to stealing millions from clients during bombshell courtroom testimony at his murder trial, this marks the first time that he has ever pleaded guilty to committing a crime.
Now, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison on some of the charges.
Rachel Sharp has the details.
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to committing crime for first time
Watch: Season two trailer of Netflix’s ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal'
Thursday 21 September 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell
An angry husband’s Facebook rant has complicated Murdaugh’s request for new trial
Wednesday 20 September 2023 22:30 , Rachel Sharp
The saga surrounding Alex Murdaugh has taken yet another dramatic twist after a random Georgia man was thrust into the centre of the convicted killer’s bid for a new murder trial thanks to his now-deleted Facebook rant about his wife’s aunt.
Back on 15 February, Timothy Stone took to his Facebook page to fume that the family member had been “sticking her nose in my business”, according to court documents.
Mr Stone said he made the post in response to a private argument between the pair and then later felt “terrible” about it and deleted it the next day.
He then posted an apology on his account the next day, saying that he was driven by “Satan”.
Citing his lawyers’ TV interviews, prosecutors cast doubt on Alex Murdaugh’s jury tampering claims
Wednesday 20 September 2023 21:30 , Andrea Cavallier
Prosecutors have responded to Alex Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial on the grounds of jury tampering allegations at his murder trial, stating that South Carolina investigators have found “significant factual disputes” with the claims.
The response filed on Friday by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson concedes a hearing may be needed to decide if the convicted killer should get a new trial - but moved to dismiss the motion for a “procedural defect” in the filing.
It’s the state’s first response to the bombshell motion filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian last week that accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict earlier this year.
Continued...
Murdaugh’s jury tampering claims have ‘significant’ factual disputes, prosecutors say
Murdaugh smiles at court in shackles as trial date set in financial fraud case
Wednesday 20 September 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Alex Murdaugh appeared before a judge in a South Carolina courtroom on financial fraud charges for the first time since he was hauled away after being sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul earlier this year.
The disgraced attorney was shackled and handcuffed but smiled as he entered the courtroom in Beaufort County on Thursday before he shuffled to the defence table wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.
Murdaugh shook hands with members of his defence team and to the shock of many online, state Rep Todd Rutherford stood up and greeted the convicted killer with a handshake. Rutherford is one of the attorneys representing former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte - and alleged co-conspirator in Murdaugh’s financial crimes who is also appearing at the hearing.
Andrea Cavallier reports...
Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears in court in shackles as trial date set
Outrage as South Carolina lawmaker shakes hands with convicted killer Murdaugh
Wednesday 20 September 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Social media users were outraged watching Alex Murdaugh’s first court appearance since his double murder conviction when he was warmly greeted by a South Carolina state representative.
Mandy Matney, who has closely tracked Murdaugh’s case for her podcast, screenshotted the moment and was incredulous on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“WOW.... this is @RepRutherford — who works for the PEOPLE OF SC — STANDING UP TO GREET murderer Alex Murdaugh in court today,” she wrote.
“These people are unreal. They don’t even hide their gross alliances. VOTE THEM OUT.”
ICYMI: Murdaugh trial court clerk ducks question about whether she tampered with jury
Wednesday 20 September 2023 18:30 , Andrea Cavallier
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill had nothing to say when she was spotted on Thursday for the first time since being accused of tampering with the jury in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial.
Ms Hill clutched her cell phone, a drink and a stack of papers in one hand as she crossed the street in Walterboro, South Carolina, around 10am and walked into the courthouse through a back gate.
In a video posted by Fox News, a photographer could be heard asking her, “Did you tamper with the jurors?”
The court clerk glanced over at the photographer, but ignored the comment and kept walking.
Alex Murdaugh trial court clerk ducks question about whether she tampered with jury
A shock confession, spiteful obituary and boozy boat party
Wednesday 20 September 2023 18:00 , Rachel Sharp
Over the last few weeks, the sprawling crime saga surrounding Alex Murdaugh has once again been catapulted into the spotlight.
Six months after he was convicted of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul on 7 June 2021, Murdaugh filed a motion demanding a new trial based on a damning accusation against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill.
His attorneys claim that Ms Hill tampered with the jury, pressuring them to find him guilty and breaking her oath as an elected official.
New details continue to emerge about this – including a random Georgia man’s unlikely links to the case – and legal experts have warned that if the allegations are in fact true, a new trial is almost certain.
At the same time, Murdaugh’s other criminal charges are progressing through the courts.
He appeared in court on 14 September for a hearing on a slew of state financial charges – marking his first court appearance since his murder trial sentencing.
On Thursday, he is slated to appear in court to plead guilty to 22 federal financial criminal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering – after signing a plea deal with prosecutors on Monday.
Now, Netflix has dropped its second series of “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” – bringing new details and claims about the Murdaugh saga to light.
Here are some of the key revelations from the new series:
Murdaugh Murders: Key revelations from new Netflix series
Court clerk accused of jury tampering in Murdaugh trial says daughter was ‘excited’ to be on jury
Wednesday 20 September 2023 17:30 , Rachel Sharp
The South Carolina court official at the centre of Alex Murdaugh’s bid for a new murder trial has revealed that her own daughter was “excited” at the prospect of becoming a juror in the high-profile case.
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill is the first-person interview viewers hear from in the second series of Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, released on Wednesday.
Describing herself as a “native of Walterboro” who does “love my county and love my job”, Ms Hill spoke of the magnitude of the so-called trial of the century being held in the close, tight-knit Lowcountry.
“Preparing for the trial of Alex Murdaugh was huge,” she said.
“It’s been a long time since a trial of this magnitude had happened to a small town in South Carolina. We knew that we had to get together as a county and be prepared for anything that might come up.”
In a bizarre twist indicating how interconnected the local community is, she revealed that her own daughter was almost seated as a juror in the case.
“So my daughter almost became a juror,” she said, adding: “She was so excited.”
Continued...
Alex Murdaugh court clerk accused of jury tampering reveals new ties to case
Key revelations from Alex Murdaugh’s trial
Wednesday 20 September 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh is currently serving two life sentences at a maximum security prison in South Carolina after he was convicted of the brutal double murder of his wife and adult son at his bombshell six-week trial.
Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were both shot dead at the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of 7 June 2021.
Murdaugh, 55, claimed that he returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find the victims’ bodies at the dog kennels on the land.
This kicked off a dramatic saga surrounding the legal dynasty family including murder, a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and a series of unexplained deaths.
For more than a year after Maggie and Paul’s killings, no arrests were made. Until – in July 2022 – Murdaugh was charged with their murders.
At his high-profile murder trial, prosecutors told the court that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to distract from the growing number of scandals and crimes swirling around him.
The now-disbarred attorney denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After six weeks of dramatic testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, the jury took less than three hours to return their verdict on 2 March convicting him on all charges.
Murdaugh was then sentenced to life in prison and is now behind bars at the McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
Here are the key revelations from the trial...
How ‘Egg Juror’ came to be at heart of Murdaugh’s bid for new trial
Wednesday 20 September 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Juror number 785 remains something of a mystery.
She has never gone public with her identity and has never broken her silence by speaking to the press.
But, the mystery juror has caused quite a stir in the so-called “trial of the century”.
Juror number 785 first hit headlines back in March when she was ousted from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile double-murder trial just hours before deliberations began.
After sitting through six weeks of graphic testimony about the slayings of Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul, Judge Clifton Newman dismissed the juror for apparently speaking about the case to at least three people.
If her dismissal wasn’t enough to shock the nation glued to the notorious trial, the juror also gained infamy due to a comedic moment where she asked to retrieve a dozen eggs from the jury room.
After that, juror 785 earned a new alias as the “egg juror”.
Continued...
Alex Murdaugh’s infamous ‘egg juror’ is at the centre of his bid for a new trial
As he faced charges for deadly crash, Paul Murdaugh hosted booze-fueled boat party just before his murder
Wednesday 20 September 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Paul Murdaugh was pulled over by police for hosting a booze-fuelled boat party just days before he was brutally murdered by his father – and at a time when he was awaiting trial over a 2019 deadly boat wreck.
In the new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, released on Wednesday, housekeeper and family friend Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson revealed that the 22-year-old had a fresh brush with the law in the run-up to the 7 June 2021 murders.
His father Alex Murdaugh was said to be taking care of the matter.
The incident took place around a week before Memorial Day weekend, when Ms Turrubiate-Simpson said Maggie told her that “Paul got in trouble again”.
Rachel Sharp has the story...
Paul Murdaugh’s booze-fueled boat party weeks before his murder revealed
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial?
Wednesday 20 September 2023 15:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Speaking exclusively to The Independent’s Rachel Sharp, prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin explains that the allegations against court clerk Rebecca Hill are ‘extremely serious’ and that – if true – Murdaugh could and should be granted a new trial.
When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul back in March, his legal team insisted that the fight wasn’t over.
Six months on, his attorneys — Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin — approached the South Carolina Court of Appeals in Columbia and filed a motion calling for a new trial.
Motions for appeals or new trials are hardly uncommon in criminal cases.
But, the foundation for the request from Murdaugh’s attorneys is.
In the bombshell 65-page filing, Murdaugh has accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of breaking her oath by allegedly tampering with the jury in the case, pressuring them into returning a guilty verdict against him.
Lifetime and Bill Pullman give Murdaugh the Hollywood treatment
Wednesday 20 September 2023 15:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Six months after former attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder, the Lifetime Network announced a new movie about the once prominent South Carolina dynasty that came crashing down following a fatal boating accident, a slew of financial crimes and the brutal slayings of his wife and son.
Lifetime’s 500th original movie Murdaugh Murders: The Movie is set to air in a two-night event next month and stepping into the role of the convicted killer is 69-year-old actor Bill Pullman.
First-look images from the movie obtained by Entertainment Weekly - and posted to social media by Lifetime - show a chilling Pullman, his reddish-blonde slicked back, violently grabbing actor Curtis Tweedie, who is portraying his slain son Paul Murdaugh. Lauren Robek plays his wife Maggie.
Andrea Cavallier has the story...
Alex Murdaugh is getting the Hollywood treatment - in a new Lifetime movie
Here’s a first: Murdaugh pleads guilty to crime...
Wednesday 20 September 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Convicted killer and disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients for his own personal benefit.
In the agreement, signed and filed in South Carolina US District Court on Monday, the double murderer confirmed he will plead guilty to 22 federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.
While Murdaugh admitted to stealing millions from clients during bombshell courtroom testimony at his murder trial, this marks the first time that he has ever pleaded guilty to committing a crime.
Now, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison on some of the charges.
Rachel Sharp has the details.
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to committing crime for first time
Watch: Trailer for season two of ‘Murdaugh Murders’ on Netflix
Wednesday 20 September 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Revealed: Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot
Wednesday 20 September 2023 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith has claimed that Alex Murdaugh made a bombshell confession about his wife and son’s murders before orchestrating the now-infamous botched hitman plot.
Mr Smith – a former law firm client, distant cousin and alleged drug dealer of Murdaugh – is facing a string of charges over the 4 September 2021 incident where he allegedly shot the double murderer in the head along the side of a road in Hampton County.
Now, in the new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”, released on Wednesday, the 62-year-old revealed never-before-heard details about the bizarre encounter.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Alex Murdaugh’s bombshell confession before infamous botched hitman plot revealed
Murdaugh new trial request complicated by angry husband’s Facebook rant
Wednesday 20 September 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell
The saga surrounding Alex Murdaugh has taken yet another dramatic twist after a random Georgia man was thrust into the centre of the convicted killer’s bid for a new murder trial thanks to his now-deleted Facebook rant about his wife’s aunt.
Back on 15 February, Timothy Stone took to his Facebook page to fume that the family member had been “sticking her nose in my business”, according to court documents.
Mr Stone said he made the post in response to a private argument between the pair and then later felt “terrible” about it and deleted it the next day.
He then posted an apology on his account the next day, saying that he was driven by “Satan”.
Rachel Sharp has the story...
Random man’s Facebook rant at centre of Alex Murdaugh’s bid for new murder trial
Key revelations from Alex Murdaugh’s trial
Wednesday 20 September 2023 13:10 , Rachel Sharp
Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh is currently serving two life sentences at a maximum security prison in South Carolina after he was convicted of the brutal double murder of his wife and adult son at his bombshell six-week trial.
Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were both shot dead at the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of 7 June 2021.
Murdaugh, 55, claimed that he returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find the victims’ bodies at the dog kennels on the land.
This kicked off a dramatic saga surrounding the legal dynasty family including murder, a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and a series of unexplained deaths.
For more than a year after Maggie and Paul’s killings, no arrests were made. Until – in July 2022 – Murdaugh was charged with their murders.
At his high-profile murder trial, prosecutors told the court that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to distract from the growing number of scandals and crimes swirling around him.
The now-disbarred attorney denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After six weeks of dramatic testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, the jury took less than three hours to return their verdict on 2 March convicting him on all charges.
Murdaugh was then sentenced to life in prison and is now behind bars at the McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
Here are the key revelations from the trial...
How ‘Egg Juror’ came to be at heart of Murdaugh’s bid for new trial
Wednesday 20 September 2023 12:40 , Rachel Sharp
Juror number 785 remains something of a mystery.
She has never gone public with her identity and has never broken her silence by speaking to the press.
But, the mystery juror has caused quite a stir in the so-called “trial of the century”.
Juror number 785 first hit headlines back in March when she was ousted from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile double-murder trial just hours before deliberations began.
After sitting through six weeks of graphic testimony about the slayings of Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul, Judge Clifton Newman dismissed the juror for apparently speaking about the case to at least three people.
If her dismissal wasn’t enough to shock the nation glued to the notorious trial, the juror also gained infamy due to a comedic moment where she asked to retrieve a dozen eggs from the jury room.
After that, juror 785 earned a new alias as the “egg juror”.
Continued...
Alex Murdaugh’s infamous ‘egg juror’ is at the centre of his bid for a new trial
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial?
Wednesday 20 September 2023 12:20 , Oliver O'Connell
Speaking exclusively to The Independent’s Rachel Sharp, prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin explains that the allegations against court clerk Rebecca Hill are ‘extremely serious’ and that – if true – Murdaugh could and should be granted a new trial.
When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul back in March, his legal team insisted that the fight wasn’t over.
Six months on, his attorneys — Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin — approached the South Carolina Court of Appeals in Columbia and filed a motion calling for a new trial.
Motions for appeals or new trials are hardly uncommon in criminal cases.
But, the foundation for the request from Murdaugh’s attorneys is.
In the bombshell 65-page filing, Murdaugh has accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of breaking her oath by allegedly tampering with the jury in the case, pressuring them into returning a guilty verdict against him.
Who is Cousin Eddie?
Wednesday 20 September 2023 11:50 , Rachel Sharp
Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith is Murdaugh’s alleged co-conspirator in a wild botched hitman plot that became central to the prosecution’s case in the murder trial.
The 62-year-old trucker – a former legal client, distant cousin and alleged drug dealer of Murdaugh – was allegedly paid by Murdaugh to shoot him dead so that Buster could get a $10m life insurance windfall.
The saga unfolded on 4 September 2021 – three months on from Maggie and Paul’s murders and one day after Murdaugh’s law firm PMPED accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients.
Murdaugh called 911 to say he had been shot in a drive-by shooting while changing a tyre on his vehicle along a road in Hampton County.
He was treated at a hospital for what police called a “superficial gunshot wound to the head,” but his story quickly unravelled and he confessed to the assisted suicide plot with Mr Smith.
Mr Smith has been charged over the incident.
He was later hit with charges of helping Murdaugh with a drug and money laundering ring, with authorities alleging he receieved $2.4m in stolen checks from Murdaugh – some of it used to to buy Murdaugh opiates to feed his addiction.
Mr Smith insists that he did not shoot Murdaugh in the head but actually refused to be part of his hitman plot.
PICTURED: Murdaugh and financial crimes accomplices in court last week
Wednesday 20 September 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp
Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new trial complicated by angry husband’s Facebook rant
Wednesday 20 September 2023 11:10 , Rachel Sharp
The saga surrounding Alex Murdaugh has taken yet another dramatic twist after a random Georgia man was thrust into the centre of the convicted killer’s bid for a new murder trial thanks to his now-deleted Facebook rant about his wife’s aunt.
Back on 15 February, Timothy Stone took to his Facebook page to fume that the family member had been “sticking her nose in my business”, according to court documents.
Mr Stone said he made the post in response to a private argument between the pair and then later felt “terrible” about it and deleted it the next day.
He then posted an apology on his account the next day, saying that he was driven by “Satan”.
Little did Mr Stone know that this brief family spat would become central to the so-called “trial of the century” going on in Colleton County Courthouse – and efforts by convicted killer Murdaugh to be granted a new trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
Read on...
Random man’s Facebook rant at centre of Alex Murdaugh’s bid for new murder trial
Cousin Eddie makes shock claim in new Netflix series
Wednesday 20 September 2023 10:50 , Rachel Sharp
The new series of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” was released on Wednesday, revealing Curtis Eddie Smith – Murdaugh’s alleged co-conspirator in the bizarre hitman plot – making a bombshell claim.
Mr Smith is facing a string of charges over the 4 September 2021 incident where he allegedly shot Murdaugh along the side of a road in Hampton County in an assisted suicide scheme.
In the new series, he speaks out about the incident giving new details about his version of events that day.
He said that Murdaugh asked him to fatally shoot him in the head but he refused.
When he asked Murdaugh why he wanted him to fatally shoot him, Mr Smith claims the convicted killer made a startling confession.
“Because they’re going to be able to prove that I’m responsible for Maggie and Paul,” he said.
Murdaugh was convicted of Maggie and Paul’s murders in March but is fighting his conviction and continues to insist his innocence.
WATCH: Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders season 2 trailer
Wednesday 20 September 2023 10:40 , Oliver O'Connell
FULL STORY: Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to committing crime for first time
Wednesday 20 September 2023 10:30 , Rachel Sharp
Convicted killer and disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors on a string of financial fraud charges – admitting that he stole millions of dollars from law firm clients for his own personal benefit.
In the agreement, signed and filed in South Carolina US District Court on Monday, the double murderer confirmed he will plead guilty to 22 federal charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.
While Murdaugh admitted to stealing millions from clients during bombshell courtroom testimony at his murder trial, this marks the first time that he has ever pleaded guilty to committing a crime.
Now, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison on some of the charges.
Read the full story here:
Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to committing crime for first time
Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog on the latest in the Alex Murdaugh case
Wednesday 20 September 2023 10:22 , Rachel Sharp
Follow updates as Murdaugh pleads guilty to a crime for the first time and Netflix releases next series of “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal”
