SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton *Guilty* #42

[aafromaa]

Judges usually ask jurors throughout a trial if they have talked with anybody about the case. Why didn't they speak up then?

If I could have “liked” this post 100 times I would have! I really have trouble with the fact that no one addressed this at the time and especially about Juror #630 saying she had questions about Murdaugh’s guilt but voted guilty because she felt pressured. Not only did she vote guilty but she affirmed it when polled in open court

 

[Seattle1]

With the question of the clerks authority or how she was perceived we have to remember that this is the person enforces family court orders with child support and such and she’s usually seated in front of or near the judge.

Absolutely. I believe the SC State Constitution governs the role of the Clerk:

Clerks of Court

Each county has a popularly elected Clerk of Court who serves a four year term. The Clerk of Court serves both the Circuit Court and the Family Court. The Clerks of Court are charged with docket management, receipt of fees, fines and costs, maintenance of all court records, and submission of reports to a variety of state and federal agencies. In Circuit Court, the Clerk of Court is responsible for both criminal and civil matters, and some of these duties include receipt of criminal warrants and transmission to the solicitor, receipt of bail, compilation of trial lists, jury management and staffing the courtroom while the court is in session. Among the duties a Clerk of Court is responsible for in Family Court are the collection and disbursement of court-ordered child support payments, issuance of Rules to Show Cause in cases where court orders have not been followed, and filing of Orders of Protection and transmittal of these orders to the appropriate local law enforcement agencies. The Clerk of Court also serves as the Register of Deeds, formerly called Register of Mesne Conveyances, in some counties. The Register of Deeds is responsible for recording all property transactions and records as required by state law. In some counties, the Register of Deeds is an elected or appointed position, and is a separate office from the Clerk of Court. (See Chapter 8 for more detail.)

SC Judicial Department

 

[ch_13]

Alex Murdaugh 'extremely angry' about jury tampering allegations

Aired by attorney Jim Griffin Wednesday, the assertion was made just hours after he filed a motion demanding a new trial - based on allegations a clerk tampered with the jury.

www.dailymail.co.uk

'I spoke with Alex today,' the jurist continued. 'He is extremely angry and he's thankful for everything that we continue to do on his behalf.

The idiot double murderer, family annihilator, and witness tamperer needs to stfu.

'He thought that Becky Hill was a friend of his. He has known her while he was practicing law.'

Unbelievable! He lied to his friends, cheated and stole from them. It's pretty rich that he's now claiming that he feels betrayed by a friend.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/mmdewittjr/status/1699919610319888629?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

By now most of us have seen the Lifetime photos: "Hollywood" actors playing the roles of the tragic Alex Murdaugh family in an upcoming film, the father grasping the son in a violent, abusive-looking embrace.

But for the people who live in the South Carolina Lowcountry, especially those who know the Murdaughs and those affected by the now notorious Alex, those promo images meant to entice future audiences hit home in a different way.

[…]

Sara Holstein Graves, a local historian, genealogist and Hampton County native, is also a friend of the Murdaugh family, as well as a friend to some of the people impacted by that family, such as the Cooks involved in the fatal 2019 Murdaugh boat crash and the Satterfield/Harriott families victimized by Alex Murdaugh's insurance scheme.

"It's disappointing that my hometown is heading up Lifetime's "Ripped From the Headlines" lineup," said Graves. "I'm also sad to see yet another title that includes the entire family, as the title and content should really only focus on Alex; his family has caught enough shrapnel for things they didn't do. I cringe when I think of the victims, co-workers and family members who will be dramatized by actors at the height of tragedy for the entertainment of others. I understand books and documentaries that look into the factual events that lead up to these crimes, but there is a huge difference between trying to learn and understand versus using a tragedy for the entertainment of others."

[…]

She was not alone. Another Hampton County native and friend to both the Murdaugh family and other families impacted by the story expressed doubts and concerns.

"Based on the promotional materials released thus far, it’s obvious that Lifetime wasn’t interested in telling these stories accurately," said Aubrey Dempsey. "Considering the amount of pain and sadness suffered by all involved it’s a shame that Lifetime would add to that by dramatizing the tragedy in the interest of ratings."

[…]

SC reactions: Lifetime keeps dark spotlight on Lowcountry with Murdaugh Murders: The Movie

 

[worm]

'He thought that Becky Hill was a friend of his. He has known her while he was practicing law.'

Unbelievable! He lied to his friends, cheated and stole from them. It's pretty rich that he's now claiming that he feels betrayed by a friend.

I wouldn’t doubt it if AM had half of the county in his pocket at one time. A guy who ropes bankers and lawyers into his cheating has some connections.

 

[aafromaa]

snipped by AAFromAA

The issue before the Court of Appeals is jury tampering and potential violation of a defendant's constitutional rights.

Ok I think I may be a little confused here…. I thought that this motion for new trial due to jury tampering etc was before the Court of General Sessions (14th circuit) not the Court of Appeals and that all the defense asked the Court of Appeals was permission to hold off on the appeal while the motion for new trial is heard in the Court of General Sessions as an appeal would no longer be necessary if the motion for a new trial is successful.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/mpowersnorrell/status/1699950241837920736?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Jurisprudence]

Ok I think I may be a little confused here…. I thought that this motion for new trial due to jury tampering etc was before the Court of General Sessions (14th circuit) not the Court of Appeals and that all the defense asked the Court of Appeals was permission to hold off on the appeal while the motion for new trial is heard in the Court of General Sessions as an appeal would no longer be necessary if the motion for a new trial is successful.

Moo No, that's correct. They had to ask the CA for leave to set it aside and file the motion

jmo

ETA: I just realized I kept saying Court of Appeals but my posts are past edit. Thanks for this. I have to remember not to repeat this.

 

[aafromaa]

I think the closing of the EC letter has an interesting detail - “please be advised that you are prohibited from using any confidential information, as that term is defined in Section 8-13-100(7), in furtherance of your own economic interest.”

"Confidential information" means information, whether transmitted orally or in writing, which is obtained by reason of the public position or office held and is of such nature that it is not, at the time of transmission, a matter of public record or public knowledge. Source

in just one of several parts of book she writes about a conversation she heard while being present in Judge’s chambers. I am not sure if that falls within the “confidential information” as the public would not normally know what happened in there, and her position allowed her to be present for that. In my amateur opinion, including details like that in a book being sold (“own economic interest”) sadly seems to go against what the Ethics Commission is mentioning. That information shared, I think, was only possible because of her public position; going by the very definition written in the law but JMOO.

I’m curious about the next sentence or two from the page of the book that you posted….Could you tell me what she said she learned the day of the flight to NY? TIA

 

[Cindizzi]

[…]

The law enforcement investigation was opened at the request of the South Carolina attorney general, Alan Wilson, whose office prosecuted the case. It is yet another unexpected development in a yearslong legal saga that began when Mr. Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, were shot to death on the family’s rural hunting estate in June 2021.

[…]

On the night that Mr. Murdaugh was convicted, Mr. Wilson had addressed reporters outside the Colleton County courthouse and singled out the court clerk as one of the people he wanted to thank.

“I call her Becky-Boo, that’s her nickname, but Madame Clerk, wherever you are tonight —” Mr. Wilson began, searching for Ms. Hill. A woman’s voice came from above: “General …” It was Ms. Hill, standing on the second-floor balcony of the courthouse with her dog, Gizmo, nearby.

The elected court clerk handles mainly administrative matters, such as ordering food for jurors and overseeing logistics for trials, but Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers offered affidavits suggesting that Ms. Hill had personal interactions with several jurors that may have inappropriately influenced the outcome of the case.


[…]

The four affidavits described the accounts of four jurors: two who were on the panel that convicted Mr. Murdaugh, one who sat through the trial as an alternate juror and one who was excused just before the jury began its deliberations. Two jurors signed affidavits themselves, while two were signed by a paralegal who described recent conversations between the two other jurors and Mr. Murdaugh’s legal team.

[…]

Police Investigating Whether Court Clerk Influenced Murdaugh Jurors

Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh said the clerk had told jurors not to be “fooled” by his defense before he was convicted of murdering his wife and son.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Seattle1]

If I could have “liked” this post 100 times I would have! I really have trouble with the fact that no one addressed this at the time and especially about Juror #630 saying she had questions about Murdaugh’s guilt but voted guilty because she felt pressured. Not only did she vote guilty but she affirmed it when polled in open court

What it comes down to is the 12 jurors voted AM guilty six months ago and went on about their lives.

It doesn't follow that if anything as egregious as jury tampering occurred in the jury room by the Court Clerk or anybody else, one or more of the jurors would have remained silent for six months!

Without hesitation, I agree that the optics of a book and promoting a book by a sitting Clerk of the Court does not look good and serves as an invitation for scrutiny as we are witnessing today, but I highly doubt that if the Clerk and her book were removed from the equation, that the verdict would be any different. To quote Judge Newman, "the verdict is supported by evidence."

I'm looking forward to seeing how the court will evaluate the allegations and determine if the errors are deemed irreversible.

IMO, with each day that passes, I think it's becoming more like retaliation against the Clerk by a couple of individuals who are upset because the Clerk might profit from telling her story than it is about a violation of AM's right to a fair trial.

Judge Newman thanks the jury after verdict (7 mins).​

Mar 2, 2023

 

[Simply Southern]

How could SLED issue a statement on jury tampering, lolol? Oh boy. Here we go. <-- This is why they need the Federal investigation.

jmo

Moo… They don’t want a federal agency messing in their business. Things roll differently in the low county. Always been that way.

The trial is a good example…just saying … it’s my opinion

 

[Seattle1]

This is an excellent reminder by Judge Newman of why the guilty verdict by the jurors is supported by the evidence.

He also reminds us here how the defense filed a motion back in November and even had a hearing about AM's alibi that he was elsewhere but when the evidence was proving otherwise, so went the alibi.

To quote AM -- what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive ...
I lied and kept on lying.

'The monster you've become': Judge criticizes Alex Murdaugh during sentencing (19 mins).​

 

[MTW2011]

I’m curious about the next sentence or two from the page of the book that you posted….Could you tell me what she said she learned the day of the flight to NY? TIA

Sorry, not the best photo, but she talks about how she learned his friends helped pay his salary (and that he was “financially strapped” b/c of jury duty). It’s one of several personal details about the lives of each juror
Included throughout the book. JMOO on how I’m reading it though.

 

[girlhasnoname]

'He thought that Becky Hill was a friend of his. He has known her while he was practicing law.'

Unbelievable! He lied to his friends, cheated and stole from them. It's pretty rich that he's now claiming that he feels betrayed by a friend.

Oh the irony, or should I say Karma?

 

[girlhasnoname]

I wouldn’t doubt it if AM had half of the county in his pocket at one time. A guy who ropes bankers and lawyers into his cheating has some connections.

Worm, I'd say AM and family had more than half of the county in his pocket at one time.

JMO

 

[Megnut]

I wouldn’t doubt it if AM had half of the county in his pocket at one time. A guy who ropes bankers and lawyers into his cheating has some connections.

Worm, I'd say AM and family had more than half of the county in his pocket at one time.

JMO

Deep pockets indeed.

For people. And money that wasn't his.

jmo

 

[worm]

Oh the irony, or should I say Karma?

As a reporter and clerk I’m not sure how valuable this lady was but I’m confident that if they needed her help there was an “anything I can do for ya” wink and nod.

 

[Diddian]

Deep pockets indeed.

For people. And money that wasn't his.

jmo

And yet... where IS the money? NO WAY did he ingest enough drugs to account for all that money he stole.

So, where did it go? Gambling problem? Multiple mistresses with good taste in the things money will buy but poor taste in men? Multiple politicians with scratchy palms?

Where is it?

 

[Seattle1]

Memories, recollections, differ? Imagine that...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700139603892535785