And that’s the point. The opportunity cost. Those guys can be working on something else that needs gettin’ dun.
As long as there’s no chance Murdaugh will get out on parole, then it is effectively a waste of money and resources.
Well, there might not be too much effort involved, he’s cooperating:
“We anticipate that the charges brought today will be quickly resolved without a trial,” they said.
Murdaugh’s lawyers are looking for a mistrial and suggesting jury tampering. They suggest that the county clerk tampered with evidence by making suggestions to the jury about his testimony and pressuring them to come to a quick verdict. “Two sources familiar with the motion told NBC News that at least two of the jurors have hired lawyers.” Story here: Alex Murdaugh's defense to seek new trial based on claims of jury tampering
The clerk in question published a book about the trial and her experiences with the family prior to it. A hung jury or finding of innocence would allegedly have screwed the book deal.
…and now those federal fraud charges look mighty useful to have around to keep him under watch.
The Fall of the House of Murdaugh is available on streaming on FOX, but I don’t get that. Looks like it has 3 episodes.
The Fall of the House of Murdaugh — https://m.imdb.com/title/tt28346209
Alex Murdaugh’s case is going back to circuit court due to allegations of jury tampering by a county clerk. Might get a new trial. I wasn’t sure from the article if it’s just his murder trial, or if all of the fraud things will be dragged in as well.
The two part Lifetime movie was actually pretty good, Bill Pullman does an amazing job of portraying Alex Murdaugh.
If Gary Busey were a decade or two younger, he’d have been my pick for the part.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
netflix added an update to the story.
Bumpdate
27 years for pleading guilty to 22 (of 101) state financial crimes; the others were dropped as part of the plea deal.
And it was. I don’t think it’s been that much of a best-seller, in part because everyone knew it was obsolete when it went to press.
So far, it’s a “no” to the request for a new trial:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-hearing/index.html
Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) — Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina attorney who was convicted last year of killing his wife and son, will not receive a new murder trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Murdaugh’s attorneys had asked for a new trial, alleging the court clerk tampered with the jury that found him guilty almost 11 months ago.
Judge Jean Toal, in announcing her decision as Murdaugh sat in orange prison clothes, held the clerk of court made improper comments to the jury but ruled the comments did not influence the verdict it reached.
Different victims.
Those who have been harmed by a crime deserve justice, even if the person who committed it is convicted and punished for other crimes they committed.
If someone stole from you after killing your neighbor, you’d probably still want to be made whole for the theft even as the neighbour’s family receives justice for the death. It does seem rather silly once you hit 100+ crimes and victims and several lifetimes worth of sentencing, but the fundamental principle makes sense to me.
Murdaugh’s plea deal is apparently in jeopardy because he failed a polygraph test.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/28/us/alex-murdaugh-lie-detector-test/index.html
The man’s undoubtedly a serial liar, but I don’t understand how this holds up. Polygraphs are basically pseudoscience and inadmissable as evidence, so how can the court punish him for failing one?
Law-talking-guys of the Dope, please fight my ignorance.
Alex Murdaugh gets 40 years for financial shenanigans.
This just in: Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son are still dead.
But so is the Clerk of Court’s career:
Good. It should be. What a disgrace to civil service.