SC judge denies issuing gag order in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial of wife and son
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Alex Murdaugh Coverage
The Murdaugh family saga has dominated the news after another shooting, a resignation and criminal accusations — with Alex Murdaugh at the center of it all. Here are the latest updates on Alex Murdaugh.
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A state judge has denied a request for a gag order in the high-profile Alex Murdaugh murder case, meaning legal filings will not be sealed, nor will people involved in the case be barred from discussion outside the courtroom.
In an order signed Monday, Circuit Judge Clifton Newman said rules about saying too much before a trial already extend to prosecutors, law enforcement and others. So there was no need to seal records or add more limitations on “extra-judicial statements,’’ the order said.
Newman’s order had not been filed in state court Tuesday, a court official said. But it was shared with attorneys involved in the case. One of Murdaugh’s attorneys, Dick Harpootlian, provided a copy to The State, but said he could not comment.
Clifton’s order said the defendant has a right to a fair trial but the public has a right to know.
“The right of the defendant to a fair trial must be balanced against these rights and the issuance of such an order would likely constitute the improper closure of the courtroom,’’ the judge wrote.
“It is commendable that the parties have expressed a desire to have this case tried in the courtroom and not in the media,’’ the order continued. “The existing rules require them to do so.’’
Murdaugh faces charges in the deaths of his wife and son. They were shot and their bodies were found last summer on the Murdaugh plantation in rural Colleton County.
He has denied he killed his wife and son, and will fight the charges. Murdaugh faces an array of other charges involving his handling of clients’ money. He remains in the Richland County jail, unable to make a $7 million bond on the financial charges. Murdaugh and his attorneys did not ask for bond in the criminal case.
Both prosecution and defense attorneys sought the gag order to limit information in a sensational case that has drawn media attention worldwide. Murdaugh is from a longtime Lowcountry family of attorneys that for decades was among the most powerful in Hampton County.
Not only has Murdaugh been charged with murder, but before the killings occurred, his now deceased son, Paul, faced charges in a boating death that involved a young woman, Mallory Beach.
After Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed in June 2021, Alex Murdaugh was shot in the head by another man in what appeared to be a failed suicide attempt, so that Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, could collect on a $10 million life insurance policy. The injuries to Alex Murdaugh were minor.
Staff Writer John Monk contributed.
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 5:23 PM with the headline "SC judge denies issuing gag order in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial of wife and son."
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