Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh could be getting a new trial thanks to a South Carolina Supreme Court ruling this week.
The state Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling that said the former Colleton County Clerk who worked the trial didn’t tamper with the jury, as Murdaugh’s attorneys alleged. The new ruling could pave the way for Murdaugh to get a new trial, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/14/us-news/alex-murdaugh-could-face-new-murder-trial-as-south-carolina-supreme-court-drops-bombshell-decision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Before a new trial is granted, however, the state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for and against the decision.
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Murdaugh’s attorneys had requested a new trial last year after he was convicted of the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul. Their argument for a new trial stemmed from comments then-Colleton County Clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill made that Murdaugh’s attorneys said amounted to jury tampering.
Hill had a book deal to write about the Murdaugh case and trial. She discussed Murdaugh’s demeanor when he testified and made other comments about him to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-decision-denying-him-new-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least one juror</a>. She also allegedly allowed a photo of Murdaugh sitting in a holding cell to be taken so that she could use it to promote her book. Even though she resigned in March, she still <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/county-clerk-who-worked-alex-murdaugh-case-facing-76-ethics-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faces 76 counts</a> of ethics violations for her behavior, and many of those violations relate to her actions during Murdaugh’s trial.
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But in January, South Carolina Judge Jean Toal denied that Hill’s actions amounted to jury tampering, though she did admonish Hill for her behavior.
“She made comments about Murdaugh’s demeanor as he testified and she made some of those comments before he testified to at least one and maybe more jurors,” Toal said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/judge-jean-toal-murdaugh-jury-tampering-clerk-rebecca-hill/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>. “Did clerk of court Hill’s comments have any impact on the verdict of the jury? I find that the answer to this question is no.”
At least one juror testified that Hill made comments indicating she thought Murdaugh was guilty, which the juror said influenced her decision to convict. But that juror also told Judge Tol that she stood by an earlier sworn affidavit that said the other jurors influenced her to vote guilty more than Hill’s comments.
Even if Murdaugh gets a new trial and his conviction is overturned, he’s still likely to remain in prison for the rest of his life. While he’s always denied killing his wife and son, he has pleaded guilty to financial crimes and received a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-27-years-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">27-year sentence</a> from the state of South Carolina and an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-40-more-years-in-prison-for-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">additional 40 years</a> from the federal government to run concurrently. He is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-sentence-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appealing</a> the 40-year sentence.

Alex Murdaugh

Convicted Murderer Alex Murdaugh Could Get New Trial After SC Supreme Court Ruling

Crime

Murder

South Carolina

U.S.

Prosecutors with the Department of Justice have asked the court to deny convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of his sentence for financial crimes.
Federal prosecutors argued that part of Murdaugh’s plea deal included a stipulation that he sign away his right to appeal the sentence, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/doj-asks-court-toss-alex-murdaugh-appeal-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-sentence-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> in September 2023 to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-40-years-prison-federal-financial-crimes#:~:text=Murdaugh%20was%20a%20personal%20injury,from%20his%20personal%20injury%20clients.">22 counts</a> of fraud and other financial crimes after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
&#8220;For more than 15 years, he spun a complex web of exploitation, manipulation and deceit, preying on highly vulnerable victims in pursuit of his own financial gain,&#8221; federal prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in federal court last week, according to Fox.
Murdaugh’s attorneys and federal prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel for a 30-year sentence to run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year sentence for state financial crime and consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Instead, Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to 40 years in prison for the federal financial crimes, which Murdaugh’s attorneys <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-say-sentence-for-financial-crime-constitutes-cruel-and-unusual-punishment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have called</a> cruel and unusual punishment. In appealing the sentence, Murdaugh’s attorneys argued that the 40-year sentence is effectively a life sentence, given Murdaugh’s age, WCSC <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2024/07/12/murdaugh-attorneys-claim-federal-sentence-financial-crimes-unconstitutional/?outputType=amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Murdaugh, who is 55, is required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, which amounts to 34 years. However, the life expectancy of a 55-year-old man is only another 24 years, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Social Security Administration</a>.
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Murdaugh’s appeal said the state guidelines should have sentenced him between 17 and 22 years for the crimes and cites three similar cases with median sentences of 17.5 years.
Judge Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to the longer term, stating in his ruling that Murdaugh stole money from “the most needy, vulnerable people.” This included a client who was left without the use of his arms or legs after a crash and a trust fund for children whose parents had been killed in a car crash.
Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his previous law firm and its clients and, in addition to prison time, was ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.
&nbsp;

DOJ Asks Court To Deny Alex Murdaugh’s Appeal For Financial Crimes Sentence

DOJ Asks Court To Deny Alex Murdaugh's Appeal For Financial Crimes Sentence

Fraud

Multiple people, including a teenage boy, are dead after Hurricane Debby made landfall in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida</a> Monday, bringing torrential rain, flooding, and devastating winds. 
The small town of Steinhatchee <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/05/hurricane-debby-live-updates/74666168007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was hit</a> around 7:00 a.m. local time with 80-mile-per-hour winds. The storm then moved from the Big Bend coast of Florida through northern parts of the state before it was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm. 
This is the second time in less than a year that Steinhatchee has been hit by a hurricane, as Hurricane Idalia first made landfall about 20 miles away on August 26, 2023.
“Two in less than a year is pretty bad,” local resident Chris Williams <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-debby-flooding-storm-surge-high-winds-eb9fc50d578826784824f35ba943a6da" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press. “You do everything you can possibly do to prepare. And when you’ve done that, clean up and put it back together and move forward.”
Hundreds of thousands throughout Florida and Georgia are without power, and there is widespread flooding and other risks. Four people have already been reported dead due to storm conditions. 
Law enforcement in Levy County <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/hurricane-debby-path-tracker/?id=112553231" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that a tree fell on a mobile home there, killing a 13-year-old boy. 
&#8220;Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,&#8221; said the Levy County sheriff’s office. &#8220;We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage. Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards.&#8221;
A truck driver was also killed after the vehicle ended up in a bypass canal off of Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County. 
&#8220;We send our condolences to the driver&#8217;s family,&#8221; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HCSOSheriff/">said</a> Sheriff Chad Chronister. &#8220;Even the harshest conditions didn&#8217;t stop our deputies working swiftly in this tragic situation.&#8221;
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Two other people <a href="https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/weather/fhp-florida-12-year-old-boy-among-2-dead-after-driver-loses-control-during-hurricane-debby-in-dixie-county/77-bfb7b071-9e1a-4493-9c0f-4475cda2bc9c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were killed</a> Sunday night after a 38-year-old woman in Dixie County lost control of her vehicle “due to the inclement weather and wet roadway,” leading to her death and also killing a 12-year-old boy. A 14-year-old boy was also in the vehicle and hospitalized after the accident. 
Portions of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas are expected to be inundated with rain.
Florida officials are warning that floods could be a danger for days after the storm passes. Florida Division of Emergency Management executive director Kevin Guthrie said Monday that the chance of flooding &#8220;is probably going to be here for the next five to seven days, maybe as long as 10 days depending on how much rainfall we get.”
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis told people not to drive through flooded areas.
“When the water rises, when you have streets that can be flooded, that’s hazardous,” he said. “Don’t try to drive through this. We don’t want to see traffic fatalities adding up.”
About 272,000 customers are <a href="https://poweroutage.us/">without power</a> in Florida, and 24,000 have lost power in Georgia.

Hurricane Debby Heads Towards Florida’s Big Bend Region

Multiple Dead After Hurricane Debby Makes Landfall In Florida

Florida

Georgia

Hurricane

Ron DeSantis

Severe Weather

In their latest court filing, attorneys for convicted murderer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh argue that his 40-year sentence for financial crimes violates his Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment.
In April, Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-sentence-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> to 22 counts of fraud and other financial crimes after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Afterward, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, even though he and prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel for a 30-year sentence to run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year sentence for state financial crime and consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Murdaugh appealed the sentence, and his new filing argues that the lengthy sentence constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and is effectively a life sentence, given Murdaugh’s age, WCSC <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2024/07/12/murdaugh-attorneys-claim-federal-sentence-financial-crimes-unconstitutional/?outputType=amp">reported</a>. Murdaugh, who is 55, is required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, which amounts to 34 years. But Murdaugh’s life expectancy is only another 24 years, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Social Security Administration</a>.
Murdaugh’s filing says the state guidelines should have sentenced him between 17 and 22 years for the crimes and cites three similar cases with median sentences of 17.5 years.
Judge Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to the longer term, stating in his ruling that Murdaugh stole money from “the most needy, vulnerable people.” This included a client who was left without the use of his arms or legs after a crash and a trust fund for children whose parents had been killed in a car crash.
Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his previous law firm and its clients and, in addition to prison time, was ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.
“Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,” U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said in <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/alex-murdaugh-indicted-federal-conspiracy-wire-fraud-bank-fraud-and-money-laundering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> at the time. “South Carolinians turn to lawyers when they are at their most vulnerable, and in our state, those who abuse the public’s trust and enrich themselves by fraud, theft, and self-dealing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The sentencing hearing almost didn’t happen, as prosecutors filed a motion the week before trying to back out of their plea agreement with Murdaugh, claiming he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-reveal-reason-they-believe-client-failed-polygraph-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed a polygraph test</a> and was, therefore, lying about where the money was spent.
The federal government based its attempt to revoke the plea agreement on the failed polygraph test but asked the courts not to release the results. Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion last week opposing the federal prosecutors’ request.
“To allow the Government to publicly accuse Murdaugh of breaching his plea agreement while also allowing the Government to hide all purported evidence supporting that accusation from the public would violate the public’s right to the truth,” Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, wrote in their motion, <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/28/us/alex-murdaugh-lie-detector-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.
Polygraph tests are not permitted as evidence in court because they are unreliable.
The attorneys argued in court documents that the polygraph Murdaugh failed was not reliable because the administrator admitted to Murdaugh that he had just tested Joran van der Sloot, who admitted to killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
“There are legitimate questions as to whether the Government intentionally manipulated the results to void the plea agreement and achieve the prosecutors’ stated desire to ‘ensure that he’s never a free man again,’” the attorneys wrote previously, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alex-murdaugh-fbi-plea-deal-sentencing-6160a341f0adc6e3e17cf996bb1a8bce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>.

Alex Murdaugh’s Attorneys Say Sentence For Financial Crime Constitutes ‘Cruel And Unusual Punishment’

Alex Murdaugh's Attorneys Say Sentence For Financial Crime Constitutes Cruel And Unusual Punishment

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has asked the South Carolina State Supreme Court to review a decision earlier this year that denied him a new trial based on jury tampering allegations.
Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion this week requesting the state’s highest court review the lower court judge’s decision to deny Murdaugh a new trial, WYFF <a href="https://www.wyff4.com/article/murdaugh-trial-update-jury-tampering-south-carolina/61562365" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. He is also appealing his conviction to the state court of appeals.
Murdaugh was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-found-guilty-of-killing-wife-son" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty</a> in March 2023 for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Murdaugh’s allegations of jury tampering centered around former county clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who worked on Murdaugh’s murder trial and wrote a book about the case. Murdaugh claimed that Hill influenced the jury to find him guilty so that she could sell a book about the trial.
Murdaugh had attempted to use the allegations to get a new trial, but in January, Judge Jean Toal denied his bid even as she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/county-clerk-who-worked-alex-murdaugh-case-facing-76-ethics-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> Hill’s actions.
Toal said Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and that she “wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that as early as November 2022, long before the trial began.”
Hill has denied the allegations against her, but Toal determined that Hill had told another clerk and others of “her desire for a guilty verdict because it would sell books.”
“She made comments about Murdaugh’s demeanor as he testified and she made some of those comments before he testified to at least one and maybe more jurors,” Toal said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/judge-jean-toal-murdaugh-jury-tampering-clerk-rebecca-hill/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>. “Did clerk of court Hill’s comments have any impact on the verdict of the jury? I find that the answer to this question is no.”
Toal added that the jurors determined Murdaugh to be guilty “without fear or favor” but that Hill “allowed public attention of the moment to overcome her duty.”
“I simply do not believe that the authority of our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of courts,” Toal said, according to CNN.
But one juror answered “Yes, ma’am,” when the judge asked if Hill’s comments affected her vote. The juror later told the judge that she stood by an earlier sworn affidavit that said the other jurors influenced her to vote guilty more than Hill’s comments.
In his closing arguments, Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin cited case law while arguing that any communication from court staff to jurors is considered prejudicial, and that the defense proved Hill had prejudicial communications with jurors. He argued that “one of those jurors says it influenced my verdict. How is that not prejudice?”
Hill resigned from her position in March and is now facing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/county-clerk-who-worked-alex-murdaugh-case-facing-76-ethics-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">76 counts of ethics violations</a>, many pertaining to that trial.

Alex Murdaugh Asks State Supreme Court To Review Jury Tampering Decision

Buster Murdaugh, the only surviving son of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh, has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, Warner Bros., and others for defamation.
Buster, the older brother of Alex’s murdered son Paul, filed <a href="https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Hampton/PublicIndex/PIImageDisplay.aspx?ctagency=25002&amp;doctype=D&amp;docid=1718632583556-021&amp;HKey=6975568710966112116785777106701128710780737112249698711599477853897210478855379997710072971007885" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the suit</a> on Friday, alleging the defendants defamed him by insinuating he and Paul were behind the murder of a gay teen in South Carolina back in 2015.
The matter concerns the death of Stephen Smith, whose car ran out of gas on July 8, 2015. He was allegedly struck by a vehicle while walking along the road, but documentaries and news articles produced by the defendants alleged that Alex Murdaugh&#8217;s sons were behind the death. More recently, Buster says in his lawsuit, outlets have reported on other individuals being responsible for Smith’s death, and Buster has never been notified by anyone in law enforcement of any allegations against him for the killing.
Buster alleges that these claims were included in the documentary, “Murdaugh Murders; Deadly Dynasty,” produced by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and aired on the Investigation Discovery channel, as well as the Discovery+ streaming channel. Buster’s lawsuit claims that a 10-minute section of the documentary “falsely suggests and subtly accuses” Buster of murdering Smith.
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., and Warner Media Entertainment Pages, Inc., were also behind a three-part documentary titled “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty,” which Buster says suggested he and others killed Smith with a baseball bat because he was gay. This documentary also alleged that Buster and Smith had a romantic relationship, which Buster says is “untrue.”
Buster is suing Netflix over its own documentary series “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” which depicted a red-haired man with a baseball bat. Buster is known for his red hair. This documentary also included statements from participants saying, “Everyone keeps coming up to me and saying it was the Murdaugh boys” and “listening to these statements, it is pretty clear; Stephen’s death is intertwined with the Murdaughs,” according to Buster’s lawsuit. The series also suggests Buster and Smith were in a romantic relationship.
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In addition to these companies, Buster is also suing other companies involved in the production of these documentaries and Gannett Co., a major newspaper publisher that publishes The Hampton County Guardian. Buster is suing the Guardian&#8217;s editor over his statements in the Netflix documentary, which allude to Buster’s alleged involvement in Smith’s death.
Buster’s father, Alex, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-40-more-years-in-prison-for-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently serving</a> consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul. Murdaugh has denied killing his family members. In addition, Alex is serving decades-long sentences for financial crimes. Buster has not been charged with any crimes.

Alex Murdaugh’s Surviving Son Is Suing Netflix, Warner Bros. For Defamation

Alex Murdaugh's Surviving Son Is Suing Netflix, Warner Bros. For Defamation

Lawsuit

A former county clerk in South Carolina who worked on the Alex Murdaugh murder trial is facing 76 counts of ethics violations, many pertaining to that trial.
Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who resigned in March, faces the ethics charges in part for spending thousands of county dollars on bonuses, meals, and gifts, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alex-murdaugh-becky-hill-ethics-complaint-1d9acf592ae759f851059fbd11e28deb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Hill was the Colleton County Clerk of Court when Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
In a 25-page complaint obtained by the AP, Hill is accused of letting a photo of Murdaugh sitting in a holding cell be taken so that she could use it to promote her book on the trial. She’s also accused of using county money to give herself bonuses, and buy dozens of lunches for her staff, prosecutors, and even a vendor.
She also made an arrangement with a documentary maker to use the county courtroom in exchange for promoting her book, the AP reported. She later admitted that passages of the book were plagiarized.
A hearing will be held on the ethics violations in December, the AP reported, unless Hill and her attorneys settle the case earlier. Hill may have to reimburse the county for unethical transactions and may have to pay additional fines as well. If the commission believes she broke any laws through her actions, she may be referred to prosecutors.
The State Law Enforcement Division told the outlet that an investigation into whether Hill tampered with the Murdaugh jury is still underway. Murdaugh’s attorneys attempted to use claims of tampering to get him a new trial, but the request <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-loses-bid-for-new-trial-despite-juror-saying-county-clerk-influenced-verdict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was denied</a> in January.
South Carolina Judge Jean Toal denied Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial while condemning Hill in her remarks about her ruling, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/judge-jean-toal-murdaugh-jury-tampering-clerk-rebecca-hill/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Toal said Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity,” and that she “wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that as early as November 2022, long before the trial began.”
Hill has denied the allegations against her, but Toal determined that Hill had told another clerk and others of “her desire for a guilty verdict because it would sell books.”
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“She made comments about Murdaugh’s demeanor as he testified and she made some of those comments before he testified to at least one and maybe more jurors,” Toal said, according to CNN. “Did clerk of court Hill’s comments have any impact on the verdict of the jury? I find that the answer to this question is no.”
Toal added that the jurors determined Murdaugh to be guilty “without fear or favor,” but that Hill “allowed public attention of the moment to overcome her duty.”
“I simply do not believe that the authority of our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of courts,” Toal said, according to CNN.
Toal further explained that she had personally interviewed each juror and that 11 of them said that they either hadn’t heard any comments from Hill or, of those who had, that those comments did not affect their judgment. The 12th juror, according to Toal, was “ambivalent” during testimony and only said she felt pressure from other jurors.
That juror, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1227691743/alex-murdaugh-juror-says-clerk-made-him-seem-guilty-murder-appeal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NPR</a>, testified that Hill made comments that indicated that Hill thought Murdaugh was guilty. Brian Entin, senior national correspondent for NewsNation, <a href="https://twitter.com/brianentin/status/1751992831109947720?s=12&amp;t=zEuer7j4Ff8TVIcpiUO1KA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted on X</a> during the hearing that the juror “said her verdict WAS influenced by the clerk of court.”
CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-murdaugh-bid-to-prove-jury-tampering-murder-conviction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the juror, identified only as Juror Z, answered “Yes ma’am,” when the judge asked if Hill’s comments affected her vote. The juror later told the judge that she stood by an earlier sworn affidavit that said the other jurors influenced her to vote guilty more than Hill’s comments.
In his closing arguments, Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin cited case law while arguing that any communication from court staff to jurors is considered prejudicial, and that the defense proved Hill had prejudicial communications with jurors. He argued that “one of those jurors says it influenced my verdict. How is that not prejudice?”
Murdaugh, 55, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife and son. He has denied killing his wife and son, but pleaded guilty to various financial crimes and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-27-years-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was sentenced</a> to 27 years in prison. In addition, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-40-more-years-in-prison-for-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was sentenced</a> to 40 years in federal prison for various financial crimes. He is appealing that sentence along with the murder conviction.

Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill

County Clerk Who Worked Alex Murdaugh Case Facing 76 Ethics Violations

Ethics

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court</a> upheld Republican-backed electoral maps in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina</a> in a 6-3 decision on Thursday, arguing that those suing to overturn the maps had not proven they were racially drawn.
A lower United States district court <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-upholds-gop-drawn-voting-map-south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously</a> ruled that maps approved by the Republican-controlled South Carolina legislature were unconstitutional after they were challenged by a chapter of the NAACP and the ACLU. The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, said that the district court had ruled wrongly and that the maps could stand.
“When partisanship and race correlate, it naturally follows that a map that has been gerrymandered to achieve a partisan end can look very similar to a racially gerrymandered map,” Alito <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-807_3e04.pdf#&amp;_intcmp=fnhpbt3_1,hp1bt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “In other words, the plaintiffs failed to meet the high bar for a racial-gerrymandering claim by failing to produce, among other things, an alternative map showing that a rational legislature sincerely driven by its professed partisan goals would have drawn a different map with greater racial balance.”
Alito’s decision was joined by Justices John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barret, and Brett Kavanugh, with Clarence Thomas adding a concurring opinion.
Thomas wrote that the court had no authority to be intervening in disputes over electoral districts.
“In my view, the Court has no power to decide these types of claims,” he wrote in his concurrence. “Drawing political districts is a task for politicians, not federal judges. There are no judicially manageable standards for resolving claims about districting, and, regardless, the Constitution commits those issues exclusively to the political branches.”
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The liberal wing of the court, including Justice Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said they agreed with the lower court in their dissent and said that it was “more than plausible” that South Carolina had done race-based districting.
&#8220;In every way, the majority today stacks the deck against the Challengers. They must lose, the majority says, because the State had a &#8216;possible&#8217; story to tell about not considering race — even if the opposite story was the more credible,” they wrote.
The challenged map was already slated to be used for the 2024 election due to the ongoing court deliberations over the case.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Announces His Retirement

Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Republican-Backed South Carolina Election Maps

ACLU

Clarence Thomas

Elections

NAACP

Samuel Alito

Supreme Court

The wife of a South Carolina pastor who warned her sister he may shoot her died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a medical examiner has ruled.
Mica Miller, 30, made various claims of harassment and abuse in the weeks and months before she was found with a gunshot wound to the head on April 27. One of those claims, according to her sister, Sierra Francis, was that Miller’s husband, John-Paul, was to blame if she was found with a fatal head wound, The Christian Post <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/mica-miller-said-her-husband-would-shoot-her-sister-claims.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Francis made the claim in <a href="https://twitter.com/Protestia/status/1787319801825673723" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a sworn affidavit</a> as part of her bid to serve as special administrator for Miller’s estate. Francis also said in the affidavit that Miller had served her husband divorce papers just two days before her death.
“My sister also expressed to me that she was fearful that she would not make it to the divorce and that her life would be taken from her. It is my belief, based on conversations with my sister, that she told multiple people, including other family members,” Francis said in the affidavit.
“Mica stated to me on many occasions ‘if I end up with a bullet in my head, it was not by me, it was JP.’ Mica forwarded a family group text message notifying us that Mr. Miller was served the divorce papers on April 25, 2024,” Francis added. “On April 27, 2024, my sister, Mica A. Miller, was found dead as a result of a gunshot wound in Lumberton, North Carolina.”
ABC 15 <a href="https://wpde.com/news/local/mica-miller-john-paul-pastor-jp-wife-solid-rock-church-new-reports-car-theft-grooming-marriage-divorce-suicide-myrtle-beach-robeson-county-lumber-river-state-park-mental-health-episodes-hospitalized-south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested</a> reports from the Myrtle Beach Police Department listing Miller as a victim and received one. It also received another report listing her as the offender.
In the first report, Miller claimed John-Paul stole her car while she was “involuntarily hospitalized” between February 8 and 10. When she was released, she was told her husband had picked up her keys and purse from the hospital. She returned to the parking lot where she had left her car prior to her hospitalization and discovered it wasn’t there, so she reported it missing and accused her husband of stealing it, saying they had been separated since January 2023.
Police contacted John-Paul, who said he and his wife weren’t legally separated and that he had her car but that it was marital property. He also told police that his wife “suffers from mental health disorders” and would have yearly “episodes” around Christmas, causing her to become &#8220;reckless&#8221; and spend &#8220;large amounts of money when she stops taking her prescribed medication.&#8221; He told police he wouldn’t return the car for another month, which is how long the “reckless episodes” usually lasted.
Police determined that no criminal offense had been committed since the couple was legally married.
In the second police report tied to Miller, an employee of the Solid Rock Church, where John-Paul was a pastor at the time, accused Miller of stealing donations totaling $1,199 from the church’s 501C3. The police report indicates an investigation would follow the complaint, but it is not clear if that happened.
Miller also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nTUsZjo9ulc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made claims</a> about being harassed prior to her death, according to ABC 15.
Ultimately, Miller took her own life. Police on Tuesday revealed that John-Paul was at an athletic event during the time of Miller’s death, and surveillance footage showed her purchasing a 9mm handgun that same morning, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/mica-miller-911-call-reveals-final-moments-before-her-death-nc-authorities-challenge-conspiracy-theories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
On a 911 call released this week, Miller can be heard asking a 911 dispatcher if they could track her location.
&#8220;I&#8217;m about to kill myself, and I just want my family to know where to find me,&#8221; Miller told the dispatcher.
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&#8220;This incident has garnered much attention from across the Carolinas and beyond. I want to assure everyone that a very methodical investigation was conducted by our Criminal Investigations Team and Crime Scene Investigative Team,&#8221; Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a statement Tuesday, according to Fox. &#8220;Unfortunately, rumors and conspiracy theories were spreading quickly, and assumptions were being made.”
&#8220;However, in the end, we must make decisions based on the facts and evidence that has been gathered,” Wilkins added. “While I know it’s not what many people wanted to hear, the evidence is quite clear and compelling, and we are as saddened as anyone that this occurred. There are many factors that we have reviewed that occurred over an extended period of time that are probably related to the reason for this investigation, but in the end, sadly, a tragic decision was made by Mica that ended her life.&#8221;
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to <a href="http://speakingofsuicide.com/resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources</a> for a list of additional resources.

Gravestone

Pastor’s Wife Found Dead After Claiming Husband Might Shoot Her. Her Death Has Been Ruled A Suicide.

Pastor's Wife Found Dead After Claiming Husband Might Shoot Her. Her Death Has Been Ruled A Suicide.

Mental Illness

Suicide

At least nine states have filed lawsuits against the Biden administration over its new Title IX rules forcing public schools to allow trans-identifying males to compete in women’s sports and use women’s bathrooms.
Earlier this month, the Education Department unveiled new Title IX regulations to prohibit schools from enforcing blanket bans on trans-identifying males in girls’ sports set to take effect in August.
Title IX is the 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools receiving federal funding.
As of Monday, Montana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Idaho, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina have all filed lawsuits over the administration&#8217;s interpretation of the civil rights law.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/DefendingEd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DefendingEd</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/IWF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IWF</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Speech_First?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Speech_First</a>, and the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina just filed a landmark lawsuit against the Biden Administration over their illegal Title IX rewrite.
The role of Cabinet agencies is to interpret laws as written by… <a href="https://t.co/hUqWrp9NIs">pic.twitter.com/hUqWrp9NIs</a>
&mdash; Nicki Neily (@nickineily) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickineily/status/1785020030268190877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Some of the states filed lawsuits together. Montana <a href="https://dojmt.gov/attorney-general-knudsen-leads-coalition-against-biden-administrations-attack-on-womens-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led</a> a coalition that included Louisiana, Mississippi, and Idaho. Likewise, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TitleIxLawsuit.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teamed</a> up to file a joint suit. Texas <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-administration-unlawfully-using-title-ix-mandate-radical#:~:text=“Texas%20will%20not%20allow%20Joe,undemocratic%2C%20and%20divorced%20from%20reality." target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> its own lawsuit.
“For 50 years Title IX has protected girls and women’s rights, but President Biden has abandoned those protections to appease the woke left,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen <a href="https://dojmt.gov/attorney-general-knudsen-leads-coalition-against-biden-administrations-attack-on-womens-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“This rule is not based in scientific reality. It redefines biological sex which will allow men to compete in women’s sports, violate women’s privacy, and put women and girls in dangerous situations on campus. I will continue to fight to protect women and uphold Montana’s laws against federal overreach,” the attorney general added.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the administration of attempting to twist the federal law’s meaning to align with “radical gender ideology.”
“Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX at whim, destroying legal protections for women in furtherance of his radical obsession with gender ideology,” Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-administration-unlawfully-using-title-ix-mandate-radical#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTexas%20will%20not%20allow%20Joe,undemocratic%2C%20and%20divorced%20from%20reality." target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a statement Monday. “This attempt to subvert federal law is plainly illegal, undemocratic, and divorced from reality. Texas will always take the lead to oppose Biden’s extremist, destructive policies that put women at risk.”
The Biden administration’s new regulations will apply to all public K-12 schools, colleges, and universities that receive federal funding.
The <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-us-department-educations-proposed-change-its-title-ix-regulations-students-eligibility-athletic-teams">new rules</a> state that schools that receive federal funding may not ban biological males in girls’ sports wholesale, but they may exclude them on a case-by-case basis.
“Sex-related criteria” at schools that would limit or ban a trans-identified student from playing on the team of their preferred gender must meet two standards. First, the criteria must be related to an “important educational objective,” and second, the criteria must also “minimize harms” to the trans-identified student.
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Preventing sports-related injuries would be an example of an “important educational objective,” the department noted.
High school girls have been injured playing with trans-identifying males. Last year in North Carolina, a female high school volleyball player <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/female-high-school-volleyball-athlete-suffers-serious-head-injury-after-transgender-player-throws-abnormally-fast-ball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered</a> severe trauma to her head and neck after a trans-identifying male player spiked a volleyball that hit her head.
Another example of an “important educational objective” would be “fairness in competition.”
Female athletes at high schools and colleges in several states have spoken out against competing against biological males.
The updated rules <a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-transgender-bathroom-bans-645b5564ce227a9efe2c05f883609ae8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may conflict</a> with laws in several states restricting trans-identifying students from playing on girls’ teams or using girls’ facilities.

Girl prepairing for workout

More States File Flurry Of Lawsuits Against Biden Admin Over Transgender Title IX Rules

Alabama

Courts

Gender

Ken Paxton

Montana

Politics

Texas

Transgender

Women

Women's sports

Convicted murderer and financial fraudster Alex Murdaugh has signaled he will appeal his 40-year federal prison sentence for financial crimes.
Murdaugh filed a notice of appeal on Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Walterboro Live <a href="https://walterborolive.com/stories/murdaugh-files-appeal-of-financial-crimes,110910" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The sentence was handed down earlier this month after Murdaugh reached <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-40-more-years-in-prison-for-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a plea agreement</a> with federal prosecutors.
At issue is that the defense and prosecution each asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel for a 30-year sentence, to run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year sentence for state financial crime and consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Instead, Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to a longer term, stating in his ruling that Murdaugh stole money from “the most needy, vulnerable people.” This included a client who was left without the use of his arms or legs after a crash and a trust fund for children whose parents had been killed in a car crash.
Murdaugh was accused of stealing millions of dollars from his previous law firm and its clients and, in addition to prison time, was ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.
“Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,” U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said in <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/alex-murdaugh-indicted-federal-conspiracy-wire-fraud-bank-fraud-and-money-laundering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a>. “South Carolinians turn to lawyers when they are at their most vulnerable, and in our state, those who abuse the public’s trust and enrich themselves by fraud, theft, and self-dealing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The sentencing hearing almost didn’t happen, as prosecutors filed a motion the week before trying to back out of their plea agreement with Murdaugh, claiming he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-reveal-reason-they-believe-client-failed-polygraph-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed a polygraph test</a> and was, therefore, lying about where the money was spent.
The federal government based its attempt to revoke the plea agreement on the failed polygraph test but asked the courts not to release the results. Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion last week opposing the federal prosecutors’ request.
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“To allow the Government to publicly accuse Murdaugh of breaching his plea agreement while also allowing the Government to hide all purported evidence supporting that accusation from the public would violate the public’s right to the truth,” Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, wrote in their motion, <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/28/us/alex-murdaugh-lie-detector-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.
Polygraph tests are not permitted as evidence in court because they are notoriously unreliable.
The attorneys argued in court documents that the polygraph Murdaugh failed was not reliable because the administrator admitted to Murdaugh that he had just tested Joran van der Sloot, who admitted to killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
“There are legitimate questions as to whether the Government intentionally manipulated the results to void the plea agreement and achieve the prosecutors’ stated desire to ‘ensure that he’s never a free man again,’” the attorneys wrote, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alex-murdaugh-fbi-plea-deal-sentencing-6160a341f0adc6e3e17cf996bb1a8bce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>.
Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-27-years-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> to stealing around $12 million from clients over the years after promising to help them with medical bills or pain and suffering. One victim, Jordan Jinks, had been a friend of Murdaugh’s since they were children. He asked Murdaugh to represent him after he incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills for a neck injury resulting from someone rear-ending his car.
Jinks paid the bills, assured that Murdaugh would obtain a settlement to refund him. When Murdaugh received that settlement, he kept the money for himself.
“The money you stole from me, I would have gave it to you,” Jinks said during Murdaugh’s sentencing. “Why bro? Why?”
While taking responsibility for the financial crimes, Murdaugh adamantly denies killing his wife and son.
“I want to take responsibility. I want my son to see me take responsibility. It’s my hope that by taking responsibility that the people I’ve hurt can begin to heal,” Murdaugh said when pleading guilty in September.
Harpootlian, his defense attorney, noted at the time: “There’s two things Alex will tell you. One, he stole the money. Two, he did not kill Maggie and Paul.”

Alex Murdaugh Appeals Sentence For Financial Crimes

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is appealing the court’s decision to deny him a new trial for killing his wife and son.
Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal on April 11, about a week after the disgraced South Carolina attorney received the written order that denied him a new trial, WCSC <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2024/04/12/alex-murdaugh-files-appeal-after-being-denied-new-trial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Murdaugh had previously requested a new trial based on alleged jury tampering by former Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/court-clerk-accused-of-influencing-alex-murdaugh-jury-resigns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned</a> in March, nearly two months after the allegations against her failed to get Murdaugh a new trial.
Murdaugh was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-loses-bid-for-new-trial-despite-juror-saying-county-clerk-influenced-verdict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> the new trial in court at the end of January but only received the official written denial earlier this month.
At the time, South Carolina Judge Jean Toal denied Murdaugh’s bid while condemning Hill in her remarks about her ruling, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/judge-jean-toal-murdaugh-jury-tampering-clerk-rebecca-hill/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Toal said Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and that she “wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that as early as November 2022, long before the trial began.”
Hill has denied the allegations against her, but Toal determined that Hill had told another clerk and others of “her desire for a guilty verdict because it would sell books.”
“She made comments about Murdaugh’s demeanor as he testified and she made some of those comments before he testified to at least one and maybe more jurors,” Toal said, according to CNN. “Did clerk of court Hill’s comments have any impact on the verdict of the jury? I find that the answer to this question is no.”
Toal further explained that she had personally interviewed each juror and that 11 of them said that they either hadn’t heard any comments from Hill or, of those who had, that those comments did not affect their judgment. The 12th juror, according to Toal, was “ambivalent” during testimony and only said she felt pressure from other jurors.
That juror, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1227691743/alex-murdaugh-juror-says-clerk-made-him-seem-guilty-murder-appeal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NPR</a>, testified that Hill made comments that indicated that Hill thought Murdaugh was guilty. Brian Entin, senior national correspondent for NewsNation, <a href="https://twitter.com/brianentin/status/1751992831109947720?s=12&amp;t=zEuer7j4Ff8TVIcpiUO1KA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted on X</a> during the hearing that the juror “said her verdict WAS influenced by the clerk of court.”
CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-murdaugh-bid-to-prove-jury-tampering-murder-conviction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the juror, identified only as Juror Z, answered “Yes ma’am,” when the judge asked if Hill’s comments affected her vote. The juror later told the judge that she stood by an earlier sworn affidavit that said the other jurors influenced her to vote guilty more than Hill’s comments.
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Murdaugh, 55, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and son but pleaded guilty to various financial crimes and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-27-years-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was sentenced</a> to 27 years in prison. He was also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-to-40-more-years-in-prison-for-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to 40 years in prison for federal financial crimes.

Alex Murdaugh Appeals Decision Denying Him New Trial

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