COLUMBIA, S.C. — Alex Murdaugh’s lawyer state Sen. Dick Harpootlian instructed the As we speak Present Wednesday that Murdaugh is more likely to be charged with against the law after state investigators arrested a person they are saying helped Murdaugh plan an assisted suicide for a $10 million life insurance coverage payout for his sole surviving son.
Harpootlian didn’t specify what sort of crime Murdaugh may face for serving to organize his personal suicide.
The suicide, which occurred Sept. 4 on a rural Hampton County highway, failed.
Murdaugh suffered a head wound and — purportedly affected by heavy use of oxycodone, a extremely addictive drug — entered an out-of-state drug therapy facility Sept. 6.
Harpootlian instructed As we speak Present host Craig Melvin that he and accomplice lawyer Jim Griffin visited Murdaugh at his out-of-state detox facility Monday. There, Murdaugh instructed them every part in regards to the botched suicide try.
The purpose of the suicide try was to permit Murdaugh’s sole surviving son, Buster Murdaugh, to gather an roughly $10 million life insurance coverage coverage on the older Murdaugh’s life, the attorneys had been instructed.
“It was an try on his half to guard his baby,” Harpootlian stated, referring to Murdaugh’s son, Buster.
“He did not need regulation enforcement spending extra time on this pretend crime (of suicide).”
After studying Monday from Murdaugh after the pretend suicide try, the 2 attorneys referred to as the S.C. Legislation Enforcement Division from a undisclosed rehabilitation middle the place Murdaugh is present process detox remedies. The attorneys put Murdaugh on the cellphone to inform SLED what actually occurred on the highway. (If attorneys be taught of against the law, they — as officers of the court docket — can’t ethically be a part of a cover-up.)
“We referred to as SLED — they did not name us,” Harpootlian stated.
Murdaugh’s statements to SLED led on to the Tuesday arrest by SLED of a Walterboro man, Curtis Edward Smith, for his position within the Sept. 4 would-be suicide. Smith was arrested in Colleton County.
Smith, 61, was charged with a number of crimes Tuesday. He faces one depend every of assisted suicide, assault and battery of a excessive and aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance coverage fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance coverage fraud. He is also charged with distribution of methamphedamine.
The primary cost is that Smith is accused of conspiring with Murdaugh to help Murdaugh’s suicide, arrest warrants say.
NBC host Melvin appeared surprised when questioning Harpootlian in regards to the story’s surprising twists. Solely months in the past, Murdaugh was considered one of South Carolina’s main attorneys from a well known authorized household and a accomplice in a longtime regulation agency with a statewide fame. He’s a former president of the S.C. Affiliation for Justice, a prestigious publish of the state’s main trial attorneys’ group.
“Dick, you’ve prosecuted serial killers, college presidents over time — you need to admit it is a fairly unbelievable story,” Melvin instructed Harpootlian. “Your shopper claiming he paid somebody to shoot to gather $10 million and the man missed. Is that the story?”
Harpootlian stated his shopper could be very distraught over the grotesque deaths final June 7 of his spouse, Maggie, 52, and son, Paul, 22, whose our bodies had been discovered on the grounds of the Murdaughs’ household property in Colleton County. That they had been shot repeatedly.
“He clearly knew what he had achieved was flawed and he defined a few issues. One, the homicide of his son and spouse, 90 days in the past, took an incredible toll on him,” Harpootlian stated. “His father died of most cancers that very same week. Most individuals could not have gotten by means of it. He acquired by means of it with the usage of opioids.”
Harpootlian continued, “Then final week it was uncovered that he had … transformed some shopper and regulation agency cash to his personal use and spent most of that on opioids.”
Harpootlian’s assertion to Melvin about Murdaugh taking each shopper and regulation agency funds was the primary public indication in regards to the regulation agency accounts that Murdaugh had been taking cash from. To this point, though the Murdaugh’s Hampton County regulation agency Peters Murdaugh Parker Elztroth Detrick has not specified the place the cash it claims Murdaugh “misappropriated” got here from. A supply near the matter places the quantity at $5 million lacking. The agency has contacted regulation enforcement and the S.C. Bar in regards to the cash.
“On that Saturday morning, he was attempting to get off the opioids, he was in a large despair, and he realized issues had been going to get very, very unhealthy, and he determined to finish his life. He believed that $10 million coverage had a suicide exclusion. Suicide exclusions are solely good for 2 years and he did not notice that. So he organized to have this man shoot him.
Harpootlian stated that Alex’s assertion to SLED indicated “that he referred to as this man who met him on the aspect of the highway, agreed to shoot him within the head” whereas Alex was staging a pretend automotive breakdown on a rural highway.
“Thirty minutes later, this man is taking pictures him within the head. Did not attempt to persuade him to not do it. Did not hesitate in any respect. There was an entrance and exit wound. And Alex indicated he collapsed, he was blind for some time earlier than he was taken to the hospital. It was an try on his half to do one thing to guard his baby.”
Murdaugh “did not need regulation enforcement to spend extra time on this pretend crime (the purported suicide and would-be hit man) as an alternative of specializing in the murders of Maggie and Paul.”
Melvin requested Harpootlian now that individuals know Murdaugh lied about his pretend suicide, would not it’s pure for individuals to marvel if he additionally lied in regards to the killings of his spouse and son?
Harpootlian stated he had spent the final yr and half with Maggie, Paul and Alex representing Paul in a 2019 boat crash case, assembly with them many occasions and so they had been at all times “very affectionate” with one another. Typically, Alex and Maggie would maintain palms, Harpootlian stated.
“Clearly, he’s distraught about their deaths,” Harpootlian stated.
Melvin stated, “If he did not homicide them, does he maybe know who did, and why?”
Harpootlian: :”I do not assume he does. Jim Griffin and I are engaged on people whom we consider might — might — have some culpability or know who did it…. We’re not regulation enforcement. We do not have their instruments. However we predict we are going to know this week whether or not the one suspect we’re bears additional scrutiny. We’ll make that data out there to regulation enforcement.”
Melvin: “What would the motive be, Dick?”
Harpootlian: “Effectively, that might reveal who that individual is…. The motive can be private.”
Melvin requested Harpootlian what did Murdaugh do with the cash he took from the regulation agency.
“As I perceive, the overwhelming majority was used to purchase medication,” Harpootlian stated.
Melvin: “That is lots of oxy.”
Harpootlian stated, “It’s.”
Harpootlian stated that Murdaugh wrote checks to purchase most of the medication however did not say to whom. In his Monday interview, Murdaugh instructed SLED learn how to learn the way a lot he spent, what the financial institution accounts he drew cash from, the place the financial institution accounts are, what got here out — checks written to drug sellers.”
Melvin: “Do you absolutely count on your shopper goes to be arrested within the close to future?”
Harpootlian: “Sure, I believe he can be charged.”
Melvin: “Simply to be clear, is there any connection between the taking pictures by the aspect of the highway being faked and the (June 7) killings of his spouse and son?”
Harpootlian: “None in any way. Besides he was in a darkish, darkish, darkish place and wished to assist the remainging son (Buster), and he thought this was the one method he may go away him with something.”
This can be a creating story. Will probably be up to date.
This story was initially printed September 15, 2021 8:52 AM.
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