Murdaugh attorneys seeking new trial based on ‘discovered evidence’

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Attorneys representing disbarred Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh will reveal details of a motion they intend to file that seeks a new trial.

A jury convicted Murdaugh in March in the June 7, 2021, killings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh.

Attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, who represented Murdaugh during the murder trial, scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon in Columbia, according to a spokesperson for Harpootlian and Griffin. That motion is based on “discovered evidence.” They are expected to discuss what led to the motion they plan to file.

No further details have been provided so far on the nature of the evidence.

The motion has not yet been filed, the spokesperson said.

SPECIAL SECTION: The Murdaugh Cases

The news conference on the new motion is set for Tuesday afternoon in Columbia during which the motion will be released, the spokesperson said.

A jury convicted Murdaugh on March 2 of the deadly shootings at the family’s hunting property in the Islandton community of Colleton County after hearing nearly six weeks of testimony.

Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to two life sentences in prison for the killings.

Most recently, Murdaugh faced two internal disciplinary charges involving a news interview and using another inmate’s PIN number to make a call, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Officials say Murdaugh had a disciplinary hearing for these charges Monday, and they say he lost his telephone and canteen privileges for 30 days. These charges were based on violations of the corrections department’s inmate interview policy and its policy against inmates sharing PIN numbers. They are not a violation of law.

They say Griffin recorded Murdaugh reading the information and provided it to the media. When information reached the department on Aug. 8 about the interview, Murdaugh’s tablet and phone privileges were immediately revoked, pending a review of the incidents.

After his phone privileges were revoked, they say Murdaugh used a fellow inmate’s PIN number to make a telephone call, which is prohibited by the policy. Inmates lose the privilege of speaking to the news media when they enter SCDC. The department says it will determine when and if inmate Murdaugh will earn the opportunity to be issued a tablet again.

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