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Convicted killer and disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty in state court this week to nearly two dozen financial crimes – admitting for a third time that he stole millions of dollars from his former clients, friends, colleagues and family members.
Murdaugh’s first admission came as he testified during his double homicide trial in Walterboro, S.C. earlier this year. His second admission came when he pleaded guilty to similar financial charges in federal court back in September. His third admission took place Friday afternoon in the Beaufort County courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. when he told circuit court judge Clifton Newman he was indeed guilty of the 22 charges to which he was pleading.
“I am guilty, and I believe I would be found guilty,” Murdaugh told the judge, accepting state prosecutors’ recommendation for a 27-year prison sentence.
Here is our media outlet’s detailed report on Murdaugh’s state plea agreement, which closes yet another chapter in the accountability phase of this ongoing crime and corruption saga. And here is our live stream of the proceedings. …
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As the fallout from the Murdaugh saga continues to reverberate across the South Carolina judicial community, there is a major disconnect emerging between the justice that was done in his case – under a withering international spotlight – and the lack of justice consistently doled out by the Palmetto State court system. The same system deftly exploited by Murdaugh for so many years.
Our producer/ director Dylan Nolan joined me for a segment detailing the latest on efforts fix that broken system – specifically the ongoing push to change the way judges are selected in South Carolina.
To read Nolan’s latest reporting on those efforts, click here.
Thanks once again to everyone who tuned in this week as we filmed our show on location in Beaufort. As I mention often, your support is essential – enabling everything we do here at FITSNews. If you want to help us continue holding those in power accountable – to continue pushing for reforms that enhance accountability at the institutional level – please consider subscribing today.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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