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The chief legal counsel of South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) penned a pointed letter to a Columbia, S.C. attorney representing several of the jurors from the 2023 ‘Murdaugh Murders‘ double homicide trial.
Last week, attorney Joe McCulloch sent a letter to SLED accusing the agency of failing to diligently investigate documented jury tampering – and alleged jury rigging – in the double murder trial of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh.
The trial – an international true crime spectacle – was held between January and March 2023 in Walterboro, S.C., part of a sprawling, five-county region the powerful Murdaugh family ran as a fiefdom for decades. That empire came crashing down in July 2021 when Murdaugh’s wife and younger son were brutally murdered on his family hunting property – exposing a network of crime and corruption the depths of which have yet to be plumbed.
Unfortunately, justice has proven elusive… due in no small part to clear evidence of jury tampering and credible allegations that a juror was targeted for removal.
What has unfolded since, many allege, is a full-court press by prosecutors and investigators to protect the guilty verdicts against Murdaugh at all costs – even though they were clearly tainted.
Feeding that narrative is McCulloch, a longtime ally of the convicted killer’s lead attorney, former state senator Dick Harpootlian.
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“We have watched news reports of an investigation by SLED into allegations of jury tampering since the conclusion of the trial,” McCulloch wrote in his letter to SLED (.pdf) last week. “Despite SLED’s statements of an ‘ongoing investigation,’ my clients wonder how such an investigation can be conducted without an interview of jurors, all the jurors.”
According to McCulloch, his clients “stand ready to produce factual and honest information to SLED – if asked.”
“Please confirm in writing that you either intend to interview my clients or not and on what time frame,” McCulloch added. “I look forward to some explanation and visible activity as regards this jury tampering investigation so all parties, and the public, have a closure they can take comfort in, because the public can handle the truth.”
SLED’s reply letter pulled no punches in calling out McCulloch, accusing him of being responsible for the delay – at least prior to a bombshell evidentiary hearing held in January 2024 in front of former S.C. chief justice Jean Toal.
“We both know full well that you are the primary reason that your clients were not interviewed prior to the hearing before judge Toal back in January of 2024,” SLED’s general counsel Adam Whitsett wrote in the letter (.pdf). “This is despite SLED’s numerous attempts to schedule such interviews prior to that hearing, attempts dating back to October 2023.”
Whitsett further noted SLED’s records “indicate that these interviews were in fact scheduled for January 17, 2024, but your office notified us the day before that you were ‘unable’ to meet for the scheduled interviews and that you would be in touch to reschedule them.”
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RELATED | MURDAUGH JURY RIGGING: IS ANYONE INVESTIGATING?
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In fairness, news broke on January 23, 2024 that McCulloch had sustained a massive heart attack the previous day – although it’s unclear if his hospitalization impacted the discussions regarding the juror interviews.
Whitsett wasn’t done, though.
“Curiously, you have previously acknowledged SLED’s numerous attempts to schedule these interviews in previous communications, but somehow conveniently ‘forgot’ to acknowledge them in your recent letter,” he continued. “Hopefully, this was just an oversight given the age of these prior communications and not some intentional misrepresentation to disparage SLED to the media.”
Regarding allegations that SLED was slow-rolling or improperly directing its various inquiries to protect the guilty verdicts against Murdaugh, Whitsett wrote that the agency’s “only vested interest in this matter is – and has always been – seeking the truth.”
“SLED remains committed to conducting a fair and impartial investigation into this matter,” he added, urging McCulloch to call his office and schedule the interviews prior to Monday, April 28, 2025.
FITSNews has reached out to McCulloch to see if he has any reaction to SLED’s letter. In the event we receive a response, we will publish it for our audience to see.
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THE LETTER…
(SLED)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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6 comments
Good Ole Shyster Joe trying to lie and pull a fast one as usual. He and that other Bozo Harpo would not know the truth if it hit them square in the face.
Justice Toal did the right thing. Judge Newman polled each juror and they all said “Yes, that is my verdict”. Justice Toal then questioned them and they said it again. The one already coached by Joe tried to wobble, but Justice Toal had her say that that had been her verdict. Case closed
If they want to investigate Becky Hill go ahead because she was obviously out for herself
So, you insist you have an open mic but you do not let my comment through? Here it is again:
I often said, and this Good Friday is a good time to repeat it, that if sinners cannot repent then Jesus Christ would have been crucified for no reason.
Curiously, and the order of mentioning it is of no importance, Republicans are enthusiastic about J.D. Vance’s mother maintaining sobriety for ten years now after an almost life-long battle with addiction marked by many remissions and reversions. Democrats are enthusiastic about Hunter Biden maintaining sobriety after an equivalent life-long battle with addiction with its similar share of remissions and reversions.
But no one wants to believe that Richard Alexandre Murdaugh (“RAM”) was addicted (although I believe that most of the pills he was sold were most likely Grade-A placebos of he would have died), has been sober since the summer of 2021, has-thank God-maintained that sobriety for four years now, AND deserves a second chance at life, truth, AND grand-father-hood.
Herd-mentality RAM hating is an industry fed by those who profited financially from RAM’s deserved or undeserved downfall; but, again proper to be reminded on this Good Friday, that is UNCHRISTIAN.
Also notice that, again in no special order of importance, that Former Democrat Senator and Presidential Candidate John Edwards had a daughter out of wedlock, which daughter he denied publicly and got hush money to her mother until DNA forced him to admit the truth, at which time he protested that he loves that daughter whom he once denied.
Much earlier, Former (and Late) Republican Senator and Presidential Candidate Strom Thurmond had a bi-racial out of wedlock (and possibly out of the rape of her then teen-age mother) to whom Thurmond sent hush money with his nephew, a Thurmond-appointed bankruptcy judge. Thurmond never publicly acknowledged Essie-Mae Washington or claimed that he loved her. He never even met his own flesh and blood: his four grandchildren by Essie-Mae. Only after Thurmond’s death did the truth come out.
On this Good Friday, let us commit to reject the hypocrisy of Judas, who, before selling Jesus Christ out for 30 pieces of silver, complained about the repentant sinner who anointed Jesus Christ.
Let us not leave a man who may be innocent of murders rot in prison and let us remember two of the multitude of important things Jesus said: (1) Let him who is without sin cast the first stone; and (2) I was a prisoner and you did not visit me.
Happy Easter or Passover to those who celebrate either.
I was always wondering why Joe was so vested in Murdaugh-related business, missed it all this time that he is a friend of Harp. Makes total sense now and I see a conflict of interest.
Katie, friendship has no place and no value among South Carolina’s lawyers.
Joe McCulloch was, at the time of Richard Alexander Murdaugh’s (“RAM”) January-March 2023 two-murder trial SUING RAM on behalf of at least one survivor of the 2019 boat crash. So, Mr. McCulloch observed that trial to protect the interests of his own client, NOT out of friendship for RAM or for Mr. Harpootlian.
As an aside, the name Harpootlian should be pronounced with respect, partly for the South Carolina lawyer who bears it, but mainly for the City of Kharpoot (Armenian pronunciation) which witnessed a genocide against Armenians no less savage than that later witnessed against Jewish people in Poland and Germany.
Like Former SC Chief Justice Pleicones’ Greek Orthodox Christian grandparents, Mr. Harptoolian’s Armenian Orthodox Christian grandparents fled to America from the various oppressions of the early 20th Century Ottoman Empire.
The name Harpootlian should be no more mocked than if his name were Auschwitzer. We should respect all people’s sufferings.
So, given Jen Wood’s story yesterday, did interviews get scheduled for later this week or what?