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

[rescuemom]

About those smoke breaks….

Maybe a juror asked about smoke breaks when they went to deliberate and
“in jest” she made a comment like no smoke breaks until a verdict….then that comment got twisted when Griffen & Co talked to the juror.

I’d be interested to hear what the other 8 jurors had to say about that.

In the coming days, I wonder if more jurors will comment publicly. If I was a juror and this was now happening I would want to talk to either confirm or deny. IMO, the jury was turned off by the defense team and it would make me angry that my vote was being sabotaged in some way.

 

[rescuemom]

I've lost all respect for Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, especially JG after his own latest debacle, he needs to be sanctioned too IMO. He's riding the Murdaugh blood money train just like everyone else. Like he didn't know he couldn't record AM on an Attorney/Client Privileged call??? Please....

<snipped>

Prison officials found Griffin recorded Murdaugh, who read excerpts from a journal he kept while standing trial earlier this year for killing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, Paul, in 2021.

Griffin intended to use information from the recordings for a three-part Fox docuseries titled “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh,” which featured an interview with Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, according to a report.

“Your actions, whether you intended or not, assisted Mr. Murdaugh in violating our policy and could jeopardize your telephonic communications with him in the future,” said Dennis Patterson, SCDOC assistant deputy director of operations, in an email to Griffin dated Aug. 30.

Alex Murdaugh loses prison phone, tablet privileges after lawyer records phone call for documentary

ALL MOO

JG, friend and all with AM, protesteth too much, IMO. Wonder if he "owes" AM for something???

 

[rescuemom]

If there is a new trial, his prior testimony comes in

If JG had been this enthusiastic during closing.....???

 

[rescuemom]

Attorney Jim Griffin, Fox Nation respond: Alex Murdaugh convicted of violating prison rules

Even locked away inside a maximum security state prison serving life, convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is finding a way to get into legal trouble.

www.greenvilleonline.com

Aug 31, 2023

While officially Murdaugh is being detained in an "undisclosed" maximum security location, it has been widely reported that he is being held at the state prison in McCormick, S.C., and recent federal court filings confirm that.

[..]

According to prison officials, Murdaugh provided media interview information to one of his attorneys through a legal call. Legal calls are not recorded or monitored on the inmate phone system per attorney/client privilege. Attorney Jim Griffin recorded Murdaugh reading the information, entries from the inmate's daily journal, and provided it to the media, stated the SCDC.

[..]

According to the release, Murdaugh's recorded statements were then provided by Griffin to Fox Nation for its docuseries, "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," that released Thursday, Aug. 31, a day after Murdaugh's charges were announced.

According to a Fox Nation news release, their three-hour, three-part series includes exclusive, first-time interviews with Murdaughs's surviving son, Richard "Buster" Murdaugh Jr., as well as "exclusive access to Alex Murdaugh’s defense team Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, behind-the-scenes footage before and during the trial, never-before-seen home movies, as well as intimate prison revelations from Alex himself."

[..]

Alexandra Coscia, a spokesperson for Fox Nation, declined to comment on the prison violations, deferring the matter to Murdaugh's attorneys, but did confirm that the docuseries went live on Thursday.

The docuseries was originally slated to be released in mid-September, but Fox bumped up the release date to Aug. 31. It is unclear if this move was related to the prison violations, however.

[..]

According to SCDC policy, inmates in their custody are not allowed to do interviews for legitimate reasons - to protect victims.

"SCDC’s interview policy is rooted in victims’ rights and is longstanding," stated the SCDC release. "The department believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family member on the news. Inmates lose the privilege of speaking to the news media when they enter SCDC."

Sadly we know how well AM, JG and DH play by the rules

 

[rescuemom]

Author and columnist Ronda Rich. She wrote the forward to Hill's book.

I saw that but have never heard of her.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/thestate/status/1699535527437824468?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

A day after being hit with accusations that she unlawfully tampered with the jury that found Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder, Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill has retained two high-profile South Carolina lawyers, one of the lawyers said Wednesday.

One is state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, known for representing various victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes. Bamberg, the son of two law enforcement officers, is also known for representing families of African-American men who were shot by police in cases that received national attention.

The other is Will Lewis, a former assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted a variety of white collar crimes, including helping send former 5th Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson to prison in 2019 for wire fraud in connection with Johnson’s thefts from government. Wilson’s mother is U.S. Judge Mary Lewis.



As a federal prosecutor, Lewis, now in private practice, also helped successfully prosecute perpetrators of a mail-order bomb plot in which a deep cover FBI agent posed as a bomb maker on the Internet’s Dark Web. The FBI described the incident as a domestic terrorism plot.

Neither Bamberg nor Lewis were available for interviews. Bamberg confirmed in a text to The State newspaper that they were representing Hill.

[…]

https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article279029214.html

 

[Seattle1]

From the live trial blog, in open court, Judge Newman explained why the juror (egg lady) was being removed, and it was totally independent of allegations about her former husband and FB.

In fact, he wasn't even mentioned in open court. Instead, Judge Newman cited a complaint from the public indicating the juror had improper communications with parties not associated with the case and received two affidavits presented before both the prosecutor and the defense legal teams!

Ultimately, Judge Newman stated he must replace her in the interest of fairness and integrity of the trial.

LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 28: Defense presents closing arguments​

3/2/23

Thursday​

Judge Clifton Newman started the day by excusing a juror due to improper communication.

"We have to deal with an issue involving the removal of a juror. A few days ago I received a complaint from a member of the public indicating a juror had engaged in improper conversations with parties not associated with the case," he said.

The female juror was suspected of having conversations about the case. Those individuals she reportedly talked with were interviewed and provided an affidavit regarding the contact that the juror had with them.

Those two people were brought in to chambers with counsel present and a recorded interview was given. A third person was

Dick Harpootlian noted that a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agent who is a witness in the trial conducted the investigation into the juror who discussed the case with outside individuals. He said it's another example of SLED's failures in the case.

The juror was brought in front of the court and publicly dismissed by Judge Newman.

"Despite my order to not discuss the case with anyone outside , that intentionally or unintentionally you've had some discussion with some folks not on the jury which is going to require me to remove you from the jury. You have been by all account great juror, smiles consistently and are seemingly been attentive to the case and performed well," Newman said

"You have been by all accounts a great juror, been attentive to the case, performed well and I'm sure with all the time you invested you intended to continue, or maybe you're ready to go, I thank you for your service. I'm not suggesting you intentionally did anything wrong," he continued.

He said he must replace her in the interest of fairness and integrity of the trial.

Funny note, the juror is asked if she left anything in the jury room. She notes another juror brought in fresh eggs for everyone this morning, and she would like her dozen eggs.

Judge Newman, amused said: "We get a lot of interesting things, but now a dozen eggs. This is certainly interesting."

An alternate was chosen at random to take her place, leaving the court with just one alternate.

Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 28: Closing arguments completed on both sides

Thursday could likely be the last day in the Murdaugh murder trial before the jury begins deliberations.Read More:PODCAST: Murdaugh Day 27 Recap I Unsolved So

abcnews4.com

 

[iridized]

She's an elected official. Not sure who would fire her. I'm assuming there are procedures to remove an official of that level from office, but I don't know what they are, other than the obvious, which is to wait for the next election or that she resigns.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

jmo

<modsnip: no link> So I would imagine it would depend on state law.

 

[Seattle1]

Naturally, DH blamed SLED for the removal of the juror (egg lady). Bringing her back into the fold for the allegations against the Clerk is certainly rich....

Live embed authored by Drew Tripp.

06:43

Judge Newman announces a juror has been removed for discussing the case and her opinion of the evidence / testimony with outside parties.

• Comment

06:47

Dick Harpootlian notes that a SLED agent who is a witness in the trial conducted the investigation into the juror who discussed the case with outside individuals. He says it's another example of SLED's failures in the case.

• Comment

06:49

Judge Newman notes this juror has been attentive and invested, and hates to see her go -- doesn't question her fairness -- but he must replace her in the interest of fairness and integrity of the trial.

• Comment

06:51

Funny note, the juror is asked if she left anything in the jury room. She notes another juror brought in fresh eggs for everyone this morning, and she would like her dozen eggs.

• Comment

06:52

An alternate, Juror 254, has been chosen to replace the removed juror.

• Comment

06:54

Judge Newman, amused: "We get a lot of interesting things, but now a dozen eggs. This is certainly interesting."

• Comment

 

[aafromaa]

Who is Juror #741? I don’t mean what is her name but who is she?

The affidavit by Holli Miller regarding her conversation says she was the first former juror to provide information that the Clerk made statements to the jurors.

So who is Juror #741? I went back and watched the video of the jury being polled after the verdict and I was surprised to realize that Juror #741 was not one of the 12 jurors that delivered the guilty verdict.

There was one remaining alternate and that was a female. Was that Juror #741? Or was #741 one of the ones who left earlier in the trial for medical reasons or positive Covid tests?

Does anyone know how to find out? Am I the only one that finds it curious that the juror the defense said was the first to report this wasn’t one of the twelve who delivered the verdict?

 

[MTW2011]

Looking away from the Motion for new trial stuff and just looking at the ethics and judgement part of this for a moment. From page 63 of the Motion which I found here https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/alex-murdaugh-motion-new-trial.pdf

It appears to be an email from the Clerk (gov’t owned/operated/etc. if so) email address, trying to communicate an addendum to the Contract

In her own words she states (as we know) she is “an elected official” and she states “in exchange for a likeness of Rebecca Hill in an interview, a minimum of .05 second video and audio clip will accompany the usage on the first reference”. The page is signed with her name and title, as well as a signature that appears to be her name with the handwritten portion of the note.

Examining this through the lens of South Carolina Code Code § 8-13-700 “(A) No public official, public member, or public employee may knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to obtain an economic interest for himself, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated.”

If this is a message she communicated on government email and/or used her government title as part of requesting her personal book be shown in a film, how does that not cross into the “obtain an economic internet for himself/herself” territory? JMOO

2013 South Carolina Code of Laws :: Title 8 - Public Officers and Employees :: CHAPTER 13 - ETHICS, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY, AND CAMPAIGN REFORM :: SECTION 8-13-700. Use of official position or office for financial gain; disclosure of potential con

law.justia.com

 

[Seattle1]

Who is Juror #741? I don’t mean what is her name but who is she?

The affidavit by Holli Miller regarding her conversation says she was the first former juror to provide information that the Clerk made statements to the jurors.

So who is Juror #741? I went back and watched the video of the jury being polled after the verdict and I was surprised to realize that Juror #741 was not one of the 12 jurors that delivered the guilty verdict.

There was one remaining alternate and that was a female. Was that Juror #741? Or was #741 one of the ones who left earlier in the trial for medical reasons or positive Covid tests?

Does anyone know how to find out? Am I the only one that finds it curious that the juror the defense said was the first to report this wasn’t one of the twelve who delivered the verdict?

Good find on watching the jurors being polled.

When the egg lady juror was replaced (just before the defense delivered its closing), that left only one alternate.

If #741 was not on the panel polled, I'd say this was indeed the alternate. I'm not so interested in #741 for a couple of reasons -- the juror did not file an affidavit allegedly because it was inconvenient. Second, her alleged comment was very broad: Juror 741 was the first former juror to state how the Clerk made statements to jurors about the evidence before deliberations.

More importantly, DH's paralegal affirming comments made by jurors #741 and #326 is not an affidavit by the jurors. It's nothing more than hearsay!

Looking at the Exhibits -- I didn't find smoking guns but instead the affidavit of Juror 630 (Exh-A) and the Affidavit of the dismissed Juror 785 (Exh-H). No bombshells!

In Exhibit B, DH's assistant Ms. Miller affirms Juror 741 indicated she would sign an affidavit but they were unable to arrange a suitable time/place. Really? In other words, this affidavit is the defense's interpretation, and it also states that Juror 741 was the first former juror to state how the Clerk made statements to jurors about the evidence before deliberations.

In another affidavit, Ms. Miller also affirms discussions with Juror 326 who did not specifically recall the Clerk telling the Jurors not to let the defense mislead them (Exh-H), but provided he and others were discussing the case prior to deliberations. When asked if the Clerk was inserting herself in the trial process, Juror 326 responded "I could see this." No reason was given why Juror 326 did not agree to provide the defense with an affidavit.

IMO, AM's defense did what they do best -- blow more hot air than substance.

Nonetheless, I don't disagree that the Clerk should not have been expressing her personal opinion before or after the trial. But I also don't believe there was any intention by the Clerk to harm the case or cause a serious error. I don't think she's as worldly as she is being portrayed. She writes in her book that the trip with Jurors to NY was the first time she'd been on an airplane! (Exh-D). MOO

 

[Seattle1]

I think instructed is a strong word to use. Who is Judge Buckner?

^^rsbm

Prior to running for Clerk of the Court in 2020 to fill the vacancy after the Colleton County Clerk retired, Miss Becky was a court reporter for 12 years. According to the guest on Court TV, he recognized her as Judge Buckner's longtime, previous court reporter.

 

[aafromaa]

Snipped by AAfromAA

If #741 was not on the panel polled, I'd say this was indeed the alternate. I'm not so interested in #741 for a couple of reasons -- the juror did not file an affidavit allegedly because it was inconvenient. Second, her alleged comment was very broad:

….. It's nothing more than hearsay!

I agree that it is hearsay and broad and a bit ridiculous to think she just didn’t sign an affidavit because they couldn’t work out a time. Hmmm

But I am still very interested in #741 because she was supposedly the first to bring it up and because it seems as if #785 may be grinding an axe against the clerk for being removed and missing her 15 minutes of fame and that #741 may be sympathetic to #785 if she did indeed say these things which basically said all the others in our room were talking about the case before deliberations except me & #785.

I suspect #741 may have been ready to talk “gossip” on behalf of #785 but when they asked her to sign an affidavit she thought better of it knowing the things she’d said weren’t quite true.

I hope the hearing for this motion is soon and that it is televised but am curious about how they would protect jury identity if they call them all as witnesses. But I really want to hear from all of them regarding all of this.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/drewtripp/status/1699557579674853516?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Seattle1]

Looking away from the Motion for new trial stuff and just looking at the ethics and judgement part of this for a moment. From page 63 of the Motion which I found here https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/alex-murdaugh-motion-new-trial.pdf

It appears to be an email from the Clerk (gov’t owned/operated/etc. if so) email address, trying to communicate an addendum to the Contract

In her own words she states (as we know) she is “an elected official” and she states “in exchange for a likeness of Rebecca Hill in an interview, a minimum of .05 second video and audio clip will accompany the usage on the first reference”. The page is signed with her name and title, as well as a signature that appears to be her name with the handwritten portion of the note.

Examining this through the lens of South Carolina Code Code § 8-13-700 “(A) No public official, public member, or public employee may knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to obtain an economic interest for himself, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated.”

If this is a message she communicated on government email and/or used her government title as part of requesting her personal book be shown in a film, how does that not cross into the “obtain an economic internet for himself/herself” territory? JMOO

2013 South Carolina Code of Laws :: Title 8 - Public Officers and Employees :: CHAPTER 13 - ETHICS, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY, AND CAMPAIGN REFORM :: SECTION 8-13-700. Use of official position or office for financial gain; disclosure of potential con

law.justia.com

I disagree. The emailed document was clearly to negotiate payment directly to the Colleton County Treasurer for the use of the Courthouse facilities.

We have no idea what the handwritten note describing exchanging the use of her likeness for a 4-second video clip, to accompany the usage of the first reference, even means.

We don't even know if this handwritten note was ever transmitted to anybody. It couldn't be emailed as such. There's insufficient evidence to confirm there was an agreement or a benefit.

This was an Exhibit to a Motion by very skilled attorneys -- it's rubbish, and they know better. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

Drew Tripp's Report

Murdaugh Podcast Ep. 40: Jury tampering? Retrial?​

Sep 6, 2023 #alexmurdaugh #murdaughmurders #murdaughtrial

Bombshell new allegations in the Alex Murdaugh murder case. Alex Murdaugh's lawyers are demanding a retrial after several jurors who convicted their client of murdering his wife and son have suddenly come forward to accuse Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca ("Becky") Hill of impropriety. Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian say the testimony of these jurors points to potential misconduct in office by Hill, alleging she attempted to influence jurors against Alex Murdaugh and deprived him of a fair trial. Host Anne Emerson, legal analyst Charlie Condon and producer Drew Tripp break down the accusations and potential ramifications in an all-new episode.

 

[Jurisprudence]

I don't understand why there is so much anger directed at AM, his attorneys, the jurors who have come forward under oath, and people in the legal community that see the potentially grave issues here, and not instead directed at the Clerk. If this is true, and we do not know yet, the Clerk is the one who turned this case upside down. No one else.

jmo

 

[aafromaa]

A little bit off topic…but…who pays $30,000 to self-publish a book?

And by the way, don’t be fooled by the hype that it is an Amazon Best Seller…it is but only in a very unique category - white collar crime true accounts. I don’t think any others have come out in the last couple of years in this category other than ones on Murdaugh & cryptocurrency - so it makes sense that this one released only about a month ago would have more recent sales pushing it to the “best seller” level for that category. It still gives no indication of how many have sold - though I’m sure that more will sell with all this going on.

 

[Jurisprudence]

Hypothetically if there's a retrial, can his testimony from this trial be used as evidence?

Opinion only, probably - BUT, there should be a hearing on what if any of the excessive financial crimes evidence can be excluded. Not sure it'll happen but imo they should certainly try. That was one of his BEST issues on appeal. They protected the record well from my recollection.

jmo