The circus begins: Alex Murdaugh murder trial kicks off in the Lowcountry

Before one of the biggest trials in South Carolina history gets underway this week, the circus came to Walterboro.

The double murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh will take place at the Colleton County Courthouse. The killing of Murdaugh’s wife and youngest son on the prominent Lowcountry family’s rural estate has attracted media attention from around the world, and reporters descended on the small Lowcountry town Monday as jury selection began.

As of Monday morning, the city had issued 80 media parking passes, Walterboro Tourism Director Scott Grooms said. Most of the holders of those passes had their cameras pointed at the whitewashed portico of the 200-year-old courthouse before the defendant, attorneys and prospective jurors had even arrived.

Inside the courtroom, seats were reserved for CNN, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and every broadcast TV network. The trial will be shown live on Court TV, but Judge Clifton Newman blocked the network from showing potential jurors, whose identities are being closely guarded ahead of the high-profile trial.

Newman convened court Monday morning for the process of excluding jurors one at a time based on various exemptions, such as age, prior jury service or childcare conflicts. Newman asked jurors to stand if they had heard or read about the case. An audio-only stream of the selection process made clear a number of jurors had heard about Murdaugh.

Many jurors said they had heard about the case on local TV news, read about it in newspapers and on social media.

At least two jurors told Newman they had familial ties to the defendant.

Jury selection was ongoing at press time Monday.

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Prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty for Murdaugh, accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son Paul to death. He reported finding their bodies near the dog kennels on their Colleton County property on June 7, 2021.

The state alleges that Murdaugh — the son, grandson, great-grandson of powerful former solicitors for South Carolina’s 14th Circuit — killed his family to buy sympathy and time to cover up a string of financial fraud schemes that Murdaugh is also accused of masterminding. He will be tried separately on those charges, but the defense team of Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin pushed for a speedy trial on the murder charge.

Ordinarily, those charges would not be admitted into Murdaugh’s murder trial, but prosecutors want to argue that these alleged financial crimes precipitated the murders.

If Murdaugh is convicted, prosecutors will seek a sentence of life without parole. The minimum sentence for the charges against Murdaugh is 30 years.

The scene outside of court

Outside the courthouse Monday, Van Cummings stood in a shirt that said “Obey Jesus” as he carried a cross with “Repent” written on the crossbeam. He said he came to share a message of forgiveness and redemption — but added that forgiveness for Murdaugh is “dependent on what he does.”

A group of five people showed up with signs solely to take advantage of the media presence to protest plans to add a halfway house that would include registered sex offenders in their community. “Don’t shield pedophiles in the ‘boro,” one sign read.

Nearby, a fleet of six food trucks lined up to feed the expected gawkers. J.J. Lamb, owner of Shorty’s Smokin Butts, said he plans to add a new menu item for every day of the trial.

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Walterboro-Colleton Chamber of Commerce President Mark Wysong has heard from people who plan to come to spectate, but don’t plan to come to town until the trial actually begins.

“It’s going to be a lot for the city regardless. The question is by how much is it going to be a lot,” Wysong said.

Grooms said he had heard Vanity Fair and the New Yorker were sending people to the trial, and was told Dr. Phil is in town, although he hadn’t seen the TV host in person.

But he doesn’t expect downtown Walterboro to be overwhelmed by spectators as any trial “gets boring very quickly.”

“You’re gonna have the protesters, you’re gonna have the media, but I think realistically it’s not gonna be as bad as people think,” he said.

This is a developing story. It may be updated. Check back for updates.