SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #3

[Sustained]

The Murdaughs have been called and praised as a SC dynasty in so many article. I think syndicate, usually a word associated more with not so reputable organized ventures, might be a better word myself. Isn't it a bit ironic?


"As nouns the difference between syndicate and dynasty is that:

a syndicate is a group of individuals or companies formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest; a self-coordinating group

while a dynasty is a series of rulers or dynasts from one family."

The first one sounds very legit and lawyerly.

The second sounds anything but legal and the rule of law.

I disagree with your statement that the fault is not on the Murdaughs for using their power. That would be like saying any ruling dynasty had no blame in what they did to their less fortunate citizens...like the Huns, the Romans, the ever present North Korea. MOO

What have they done to less fortunate citizens that you have proof of or they have been charged with ?

PM is the only Murdaugh I'm aware of that was charged criminally for his actions.

Some or all of the "less fortunate" citizens benefitted from :

• The Murdaughs putting 1000s of criminals in jail over their tenure as solicitors making the community safer
• The Murdaughs creating jobs in the community through their various businesses
• The Murdaughs winning settlements for some of the citizens against large corporations
• The Murdaughs reportedly investing $ back into the community

I would think if the citizens so vehemently opposed the Murdaughs, they would have not re-elected one of them as 14th Circuit Solicitor for all those years.

 

[shefner]

What have they done to less fortunate citizens that you have proof of or they have been charged with ?

PM is the only Murdaugh I'm aware of that was charged criminally for his actions.

In all fairness, the truth is just now coming to light so we will have to give it time. At least one case has been reopened as a result of new evidence that has materialized from recent events.

You know what they say: The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.

 

[sunshineray]

What have they done to less fortunate citizens that you have proof of or they have been charged with ?

PM is the only Murdaugh I'm aware of that was charged criminally for his actions.

Just what I've read about the ongoing investigations, it paints a picture, IMO

Edit: I will update this to include that I've never read anything but good opinions about MM and some very good ones about Buster also.

 

[Sustained]

In all fairness, the truth is just now coming to light so we will have to give it time. At least one case has been reopened as a result of new evidence that has materialized from recent events.

You know what they say: The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.

True, but I'm not willing to convict the whole clan in the court of public opinion other than PM for his responsibility in the boat accident. All AM/MM are guilty of at this point is enabling a son with alcohol issues.

 

[stmarysmead]

What have they done to less fortunate citizens that you have proof of or they have been charged with ?

PM is the only Murdaugh I'm aware of that was charged criminally for his actions.

There is also the reopening of the SS investigation that is linked by LE to the crime we are discussing. There may be no proof as any wrongdoing because there is none.

Or there may be no proof because people are afraid to come forward. In one article, a local referred to the M family as ‘the law around here” and mentioned the TV character Boss Hogg.

I might argue that the perception of inequality before the law is harmful itself whether true or not. One only has to listen to SS’s mother to see the harm and grief that perception, while it may NOT be the truth, has done to her. The ‘little bit of favoritism’ as openly reported in local media at the time of the boat crash…again intensifies the despair.

I accept your premise that favoritism has always existed and in some form, probably always will. But when it’s blatant public knowledge, in your face, it must be addressed.

The M’s may have a spotless history operating only within their excellent knowledge of the law…but when that courtroom scene described by the Island Packet became public knowledge….it made all the rumors unfortunately a little more believable.

Hopefully, this new investigation will reassure the citizens of that area…of its integrity in how it is proceeding.
My opinions only as always.

 

[Sustained]

The M’s may have a spotless letter operating only within their excellent knowledge of the law…but when that courtroom scene described by the Island Packet became public knowledge….it made all the rumors unfortunately a little more believable.

Snipped and BBM

Not to me - I need to see proof. The public can speculate all day that AM was having an affair and he had MM/PM killed, that PM pushed GS down the stairs, that PM/BM beat SS to death with a baseball bat - all of it is made up BS some by the media and some by the general public. And I have a sincere distrust of the media these days ...

 

[stmarysmead]

True, but I'm not willing to convict the whole clan in the court of public opinion other than PM for his responsibility in the boat accident. All AM/MM are guilty of at this point is enabling a son with alcohol issues.

I think that when powerful people either facilitate…or even allow their loved ones to receive special handling BEFORE THE LAW, they are guilty of damaging the faith other citizens have in that process.

If others who needed to travel for work, but lost jobs over a travel restriction, lost their livelihood, their ability to support their family, how would that Island Packet article feel to them?

If some other similarly charged person had to drop out of school, undermining his future…how would PM’s treatment, as described by the Island Packet, feel to them?

I d0n’t believe that it’s “convicting the whole clan” to say that they, at the least, accepted special handling for PM.

All this is my opinion only.

Snipped and BBM

Not to me - I need to see proof. The public can speculate all day that AM was having an affair and he had MM/PM killed, that PM pushed GS down the stairs, that PM/BM beat SS to death with a baseball bat - all of it is made up BS some by the media and some by the general public. And I have a sincere distrust of the media these days ...

I join you in your mistrust of the media. My point is that the way the boating case was handled, the fact that even in reputable media it was mocked, fed the perception that other rumors COULD be true. That may have led to this tragedy.

If everyone could trust that FACTS WOULD come out, that proof would not be covered up, we wouldnt have vigilante justice.

 

[Elley Mae]

Snipped and BBM

Not to me - I need to see proof. The public can speculate all day that AM was having an affair and he had MM/PM killed, that PM pushed GS down the stairs, that PM/BM beat SS to death with a baseball bat - all of it is made up BS some by the media and some by the general public. And I have a sincere distrust of the media these days ...

Well if the general public can’t be trusted who will serve on a grand jury?

 

[Sustained]

Well if the general public can’t be trusted who will serve on a grand jury?

Grand juries are presented with evidence, not rumors.

 

[sunshineray]

Snipped and BBM

Not to me - I need to see proof. The public can speculate all day that AM was having an affair and he had MM/PM killed, that PM pushed GS down the stairs, that PM/BM beat SS to death with a baseball bat - all of it is made up BS some by the media and some by the general public. And I have a sincere distrust of the media these days ...

I've got to ask...wasn't that prosecutor's actions an instance of favoritism at work in open court? A court officer was stopped, waved off from doing his normal job. I find that blatant and upsetting and I don't live within the circumstances, imagine if you did. It could foster much ill will. JMO

 

[Elley Mae]

Grand juries are presented with evidence, not rumors.

If the gp have been living for decades under the guise of a law firm being “law around here” and knowing what they have seen and heard they may see things a little differnt then outsiders.

Jmo

 

[zencompass]

Nancy discusses the case:

(This link is Spotify, but I'm sure it's on other sites that host podcasts. Should be on Youtube shortly.)

Murdaugh mom and son murders still a mystery

Thank you so much for the link to this podcast, @swedeheart !

There were good experts and news reporters on this podcast. In my opinion, they covered everything.

This is a podcast well worth listening to.

JMO

 

[stmarysmead]

Grand juries are presented with evidence, not rumors.

But someone decides what is ‘evidence”…what the jury is shown and NOT shown. Any of you follow the Duke Lacrosse case, with ex-DA Nifong now relieved of his law license?

 

[Sustained]

If the gp have been living for decades under the guise of a law firm being “law around here” and knowing what they have seen and heard they may see things a little differnt then outsiders.

Jmo

IIRC, the grand jury was convened in Beaufort County while PMPED is based in Hampton County.

 

[Sustained]

But someone decides what is ‘evidence”…what the jury is shown and NOT shown. Any of you follow the Duke Lacrosse case, with ex-DA Nifong now relieved of his law license?

No doubt there are cases of prosecutorial misconduct, but at some point you have to trust the process or no judicial proceedings would ever be "fair".

 

[Warwick7]

I’m posting this article because it demonstrates that the accusations of alleged Murdaugh favoritism and privilege…that may have fueled the motive for these murders…was not confined to social media.

When we discuss an airline crash, we cannot ignore the weather. This article reports the storm building in that area over two years ago.

The issue was no longer just gossip on FB pages…it entered the realm of professional reporting and opinion editorial with a wide reach in the area. The Island Packet for example is owned by the McClatchy group…which owns the following SC newspapers.

The Beaufort Gazette, Beaufort

The State, Columbia

The Island Packet, Hilton Head Island

The Sun News, Myrtle Beach

The Herald, Rock Hill

We have discussed that the pandemic caused legal backups that help explain why PM had not yet gone to trial. But PM also had his travel restriction removed in his favor during this time….which could only have reinforced the feelings of his ‘special handling’ compared to the average person. Two years had passed…and, in my opinion, faith in the justice system treating him as any other citizen might have been treated, was vastly depleted.

The impact of the public sentiment from this first case has not dissipated in my opinion. Hopefully LE is being scrupulous to remove anyone who ever moved anywhere within the M influence circles…far away from the case. It is imperative that the public have full confidence THIS time. This is why I feel it is puzzling that the Solicitor does not step aside….if for nothing more…than to reassure the people he serves.

The description of the interaction in court describes what drives public concern…today…in this now internationally followed case.

https://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/liz-farrell/article230068069.html


“Someone did not get the memo on how things “normally” proceed at the Beaufort County Courthouse.

That person would be the detention center guard, who on Monday — after Judge Steven John set Paul Murdaugh’s bond at $50,000 — mistakenly took that as a cue to do his job and came jingle-jangling over to young Murdaugh to cuff him and take him to jail, where, ostensibly, Murdaugh would have been booked, processed and released like all the non-Murdaughs are after they’ve been charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence in a fatal boat crash.

The guard walked up to Murdaugh with the assuredness of someone who has done this many times before ... almost, dare I say, “routinely.”

Murdaugh, who is 20, regarded the man with the type of assessment you might give a cater waiter who has a raging case of pink eye but is still offering you a canape off his tray.

Actually, that’s not a good characterization.

Murdaugh’s expression was more like, “Handcuffs? No, no. There’s been some sort of mix-up. I’m not here to be arrested. I’m here to be ‘arrested.’ Like the summer intern version of arrested.”

For a moment, he appeared to be terrified that life was about to break a certain way for him, that several generations of the history, wealth, influence and power baked into his DNA were about to crumble away and expose the gooey, undercooked, terrible-tasting middle.

But fear not, all he had to do was wait four more seconds.

That’s when South Carolina Attorney General’s Office prosecutor Megan Burchstead — who works for you, by the way, and who never once said the name “Mallory Beach” out loud nor made any solid subject-verb request on behalf of the state when it came to Murdaugh’s bond, though she did hint that his potential alcohol consumption might be a “concern” for society — came through for the child and shooed away the overzealous guard.

Can you imagine the thought of getting handcuffed when you’re arrested?

Yes, you can.”

I am stunned!!
Are you kidding me!!!!
And that video!!!
Have I said I'm stunned yet?!!

 

[Warwick7]

Until the Murdaughs are charged with a crime, there is nothing to answer to. All we seem to have is a little judicial privilege afforded PM at this point.

Little?

 

[stmarysmead]

IIRC, the grand jury was convened in Beaufort County while PMPED is based in Hampton County.

The M’s have a home or homes in Beaufort County. One of the Investigators had attended their parties. He was eventually removed but was on the scene at critical times.

 

[Sustained]

Little?

Yep little - PM didn't have to wear a SCRAM ankle monitor and was able to travel to a few counties. People forget he was still facing trial on BUI charges, one of which involved causing a death.

 

[Warwick7]

Quite true. But norms in society change.

We recently watched “The Quiet Man” movie. Dragging one’s wife thru the fields, pushing her about…is not viewed with the same amused approval as when that film was made. We no longer are oblivious or amused by films with drunks driving home from parties….ha! ha! Too often it now makes us recall lives unnecessarily lost.

I do believe , in my opinion, that any disparity that exists in our justice system is no longer just passively accepted as ‘how things are done.’ I think we are seeing public pushback to what was just shrugged off as inevitable before.

Bam!