Day 1: Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial has begun. Here’s what we learned

Alex Murdaugh, a once prominent Hampton-based attorney from a well-known politically-connected family, will go on trial starting Monday, Jan. 23, in the deaths of his wife and son.

Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty.

He is being represented by veteran trial attorneys, Dick Harpootlian, a state senator, and Jim Griffin. The prosecutors are Creighton Waters and Don Zelenka, both with the state Attorney General’s Office.

The trial started Monday with jury selection, and is expected, for now, to run through Feb. 10 in Walterboro.

How to watch the Murdaugh double murder trial, who to follow from The State, Island Packet

6:20 p.m. — Jury screening expected to resume Tuesday morning

Newman completes interviewing the third panel of potential jurors. He tells the group he will interview a fourth and final batch Tuesday morning.

This is the final update of Monday’s jury selection coverage. Check back Tuesday morning for more updates.

5:15 p.m. — Newman interviews third panel of potential jurors

After coming back from recess, Newman has now started interviewing a third batch of potential jurors. The judge says he plans to interview a total of four panels.

4:20 p.m. — Witness list signals scale of murder case

Newman once again read aloud the names of more than 200 people who may be called to testify in the murder case. The expansive list — which includes Murdaugh family members, S.C. lawyers, investigators and victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes — is an early indicator of the scope of the case.

Newman then asked several potential jurors to stay behind for further questioning. He excused the remaining prospective jurors until this evening — when they’ll be tasked with calling court employees to find out when to return. The potential jurors will likely head back to the courthouse either late Tuesday afternoon or early Wednesday, he said. He told them not to discuss the case or look it up online.

“Do not look at anything through the media,” he said. “You’re under oath and we need you to maintain that oath.”

3:15 p.m. — More than two dozen potential jurors say they’re aware of case

The highly publicized nature of the Murdaugh case is the next focus of jury selection. Newman asks the room full of prospective jurors to stand if they’ve “heard about this case, read about this case or know anything about this case.” More than 30 of the potential jurors stand.

Newman asks those who stood to explain how they know about the case. Some say they’ve read about it in their local newspaper. Others say documentaries. Some say town gossip.

2:40 p.m. — The search for jurors continues

After a lunch break, Judge Clifton Newman resumes jury selection. He points out that three prospective jurors were late arriving back to the courtroom and asks everyone to adhere to his instructions in the future.

Newman begins asking similar questions including if any of the potential jurors have criminal records, if they’ve served in law enforcement and whether they’ve served jury duty in the last two years.

1:20 p.m. — Jury selection breaks for lunch

After gradually whittling down the list of prospective jurors, Judge Clifton Newman has announced that jury selection will break for lunch — good news for the food truck owners lined outside of the courthouse.

Jury selection is scheduled to resume at 2:30 p.m.

Noon — Judge Newman details lengthy list of witnesses

Judge Clifton Newman began reading through a lengthy list of prospective witnesses in the case that includes Murdaugh family members Buster, John Marvin and Liz Murdaugh. Curtis Smith, who is accused of conspiring with Alex Murdaugh to fake Murdaugh’s botched suicide in September 2021, was also named. The list included S.C. Law Enforcement Division agents, local sheriff’s office employees and attorneys Mark Tinsley and Eric Bland.

Victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, including the sons of Gloria Satterfield, were also listed as potential witnesses. A person with the U.S. Secret Service was also named.

11:34 a.m. — John Meadors listed as part of prosecution team

Prosecutor Creighton Waters, with the S.C. Attorney General’s Office, told jurors Monday that attorney John Meadors is part of the prosecution team.

The S.C. Attorney General’s Office previously had not confirmed whether Meadors was going to be part of the prosecution team.

Meadors has prosecuted dozens of murder cases in the trial-by-fire arena of a courtroom. He also boasts another credential: He has beaten one of Murdaugh’s two top lawyers, Dick Harpootlian, in a high-profile murder case involving a prominent lawyer as a defendant.

In 2007, Meadors and then-5th Circuit Solicitor Barney Giese were pitted against Harpootlian, who represented Columbia attorney Dewain Herring, who was charged with fatally shooting a nightclub manager who ejected Herring from his strip club. Herring claimed the killing was an accident.

10:55 a.m. — Listen to jury selection live

Law & Crime Network is live streaming an audio feed of jury selection in the Murdaugh trial.

Judge Clifton Newman, who is overseeing the trial, appeared to be dismissing potential jurors based on several factors, including age, if they participated in a grand jury and if they have young kids at home.

Jurors were also asked whether they had heard about the case or read about it.

Many said they had, citing local TV news, newspapers and social media.

And Newman asked whether any jurors had already set aside an opinion about Murdaugh.

At least two jurors told Newman they have familial ties to Murdaugh.

10:41 a.m. — Wait-and-see

After an influx of reporters descended on Colleton County, the Alex Murdaugh trial entered into a quiet wait-and-see period Monday morning. Inside the courthouse, the more than 900 potential jurors filled out questionnaire forms to determine if they are able to serve.

Finding non-partial jurors will be a grueling and time-consuming process as the Murdaugh case has garnered international interest.

9:02 a.m. — Alex Murdaugh arrives

Disgraced former lawyer Alex Murdaugh arrived at the Colleton County Courthouse shortly after 9 a.m. Monday. Murdaugh walked into the courthouse flanked by deputies from the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.

The once-prominent attorney was wearing a white button up shirt and dark gray slacks. Reporters yelled out questions as he strolled into the courthouse building.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters from the S.C. Attorney General’s Office arrived just before 9 a.m.

Food trucks and a protest

Capitalizing on the publicity of the trial, a group of locals stood outside the Colleton County Courthouse Monday morning to protest the building of a halfway house in town. Some members of the group had been there since 6:15 a.m.

A series of food trucks — some selling smoked meats, others selling deep-fried food — lined a parking lot near the courthouse.

Phones barred from courthouse

Media covering the Murdaugh trial will be barred from using phones in the courthouse, Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill told The State.

The courtroom rules allow for hand-held digital recorders and laptops.

Reporters, and YouTubers, pour into Walterboro

Jury selection in the Murdaugh murder trial was set to begin 9 a.m. Monday. The process of selecting 12 jurors among a pool of 900 people is expected to take up most of the day, potentially spanning multiple days.

Reporters began to flock to the Colleton County Courthouse Monday morning. A least one traveling YouTuber who covers true crime was milling around the courthouse.

‘Alex looks forward to this opportunity to clear his name’

On the eve of the murder trial, Murdaugh’s legal team said in a statement that the embattled former attorney was looking forward to clearing his name. Murdaugh attorneys Harpootlian and Griffin said they would not be releasing any further statements.

It reads: “In order to preserve the integrity of the trial process, our team will not be providing any further statements or responses to anything that occurs at trial, which commences with jury selection tomorrow, Monday, January 23. We are fully prepared to challenge the State’s allegations, and to demonstrate the weaknesses in the State’s case before a Colleton County jury. Alex looks forward to this opportunity to clear his name of these heinous charges so that the Attorney General can finally begin looking for he actual killer or killers of Alex’s beloved wife and son.”