The South Carolina Attorney General’s office has issued a comprehensive 184-page document in response to Alex Murdaugh’s appeal, in which he argues that he was denied a fair trial.
It was filed in court Friday, Aug. 8, the last day paperwork was allowed.
It offers a response to all nine different claims made by the defense, and why the convicted double murderer should stay in a state prison.
The defense has criticized Colleton Clerk Becky Hill for allegedly influencing the jury by characterizing Murdaugh’s testimony during the trial as “fleeting and foolish”.
In their response, the AG’s office denies Hill said anything that would have changed the jury’s verdict.
Hill does face criminal charges of obstruction of justice for her conduct in office. She is not accused of jury tampering.
Murdaugh and his legal team have raised several concerns regarding Judge Clifton Newman’s decisions, especially his choice to permit testimony on Murdaugh’s financial crimes, which he later confessed to in federal court, to be included in his murder trial.
There were a total of 19 victims identified, at least $9 million stolen.
According to Wilson, judges have the authority to permit such testimony. This evidence and the witnesses presented align with the prosecution’s theory that Murdaugh killed his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021 to prevent the exposure of his financial misconduct.
These murders occurred shortly before further evidence and financial details were scheduled for release through a civil case related to the boat accident that resulted in Mallory Beach’s death.
In March 2020, Paul Murdaugh was operating the boat involved in the crash that ejected Beach into the water, leading to a nearly week-long search for her body.
Paul Murdaugh was criminally charged in that crash, and sued by the Beach family. Discovery in that case was due just days before the murders.
Alex Murdaugh is in a South Carolina state prison serving two life sentences. He has also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for a series of financial crimes.
The South Carolina Supreme Court has not set a date to hear his murder conviction appeal. A decision is not expected to come until at least next Spring.
