Podcasts about South Carolina Supreme Court

Alex Murdaugh walked into a Lexington courtroom on August 14 wearing a dark blue suit and striped tie. It was the first time he appeared in civilian clothes since being sentenced for stealing twelve million dollars in November 2023. Judge McCaslin had ordered the change days earlier, ruling that showing a defendant in prison clothes and shackles for convictions not before her court risks prejudicing potential jurors. Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to the murders of his wife Maggie and their son Paul.His defense team then won on nearly every front. McCaslin granted a venue change out of the 14th Judicial Circuit, where the Murdaugh family's ancestors served as chief prosecutors for most of the last century. She allowed independent testing of unknown male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails and placed conditions on how prosecutors can use Murdaugh's sworn testimony from 2023, limiting it to testimony about the killings.McCaslin personally assumed control of jury selection after Dick Harpootlian raised concerns about when former clerk Becky Hill's interference with the original jury started. Hill pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's conviction.Near the end of the hearing, the defense claimed weapons from a recent Allendale County homicide may be connected to the Murdaugh murder case. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said he had never heard of it. A motion to throw out the murder indictments over alleged evidence fabrication by SLED's lead case agent is still pending. Next hearing: November 14. Retrial: April 5, 2027.Links:Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #SLED #MurdaughRetrial #CreightonWaters #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #BeckyHill #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh

Alex Murdaugh's defense wants independent DNA testing ahead of his retrial. Prosecutors are fighting that request. Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke dig into why the state doesn't want a second lab involved, and what it's asking for instead. Prosecutors are also seeking a fresh review of digital evidence and moving to admit Murdaugh's own 2023 testimony at the retrial, including his admission that he lied to investigators for about eighteen months about being at the kennels the night Maggie and Paul were killed, and his denial of the killings themselves. The state is renewing two pretrial wins: keeping third-party guilt evidence from the jury, and barring any reference to a polygraph, after Murdaugh's own attorneys once told a court that Curtis Eddie Smith failed one when asked about the murders. Murdaugh's defense has filed its own countermove, a supplemental Brady and Giglio motion demanding prosecutors search again for favorable evidence generated since the first trial and certify in writing, within thirty days, that nothing was missed. Ten categories are listed, from plea deals to lab proficiency testing, and the motion names no specific witness or document. A sanctions motion from the first trial is still outstanding, and prosecutors haven't responded. Judge Debra McCaslin has tentatively set the retrial for April 5, 2027. Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court over the clerk of court's conduct with the jury. He is presumed innocent and remains imprisoned on unrelated financial crimes. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #AlexMurdaugh #MaggieMurdaugh #HiddenKillers #MurdaughRetrial #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #MurdaughMurders #BradyMotion #DebraMcCaslin #DickHarpootlian 

One trial is live. One retrial is more than a year out. Tony Brueski takes listener questions on both in a single combined cut. His guest is Robin Dreeke, retired FBI Special Agent and former chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program.The Lindsay Clancy trial is in the middle of medical testimony at Plymouth Superior Court, with the case expected to run six to eight weeks and more than a hundred and eighty witnesses on the list. Two treating psychiatrists have testified they saw no psychosis. One of them acknowledged she does not think she has ever treated a patient with postpartum psychosis, a condition that affects roughly one to two mothers per thousand births.The Alex Murdaugh retrial is tentatively set for April 5, 2027 before Judge Debra McCaslin. Pretrial proceedings are running out of Lexington County. Prosecutors have moved to admit his 2023 trial testimony and to bar polygraph evidence and third-party guilt. The defense has demanded a fresh Brady and Giglio search with written certification inside thirty days, independent DNA testing, and a change of venue.Different states, different crimes, different defendants. What lines up is the fight over what the record does not contain and who is responsible for that.Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and is presumed innocent. Her defense argues she was not criminally responsible. Alex Murdaugh's convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court. He awaits retrial and is presumed innocent. He has denied the killings throughout.Robin Dreeke takes all three segments and listeners run the questions. Postpartum psychosis affects roughly one to two mothers per thousand births. 988 is available if you need it.END LINKSJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDISCLAIMERThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS#LindsayClancy #AlexMurdaugh #HiddenKillers #MurdaughRetrial #LindsayClancyTrial #PostpartumPsychosis #SLED #TrueCrime #ExpertTestimony #RobinDreeke

There is a pretrial hearing coming in the Alex Murdaugh retrial, and a stack of new filings landed in front of Judge Debra McCaslin ahead of it. Tony Brueski works through the listener mail with Robin Dreeke, retired FBI Special Agent and former chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program.Not every motion matters equally, and separating the two is most of the work here. Pretrial practice in a case this size runs for months. A hearing can end with nothing settled and still tell you where a judge is leaning.The filing with real reach is the one seeking to put Murdaugh's own sworn words in front of the second jury. He chose to take the stand in 2023. Nobody compelled him. If those words come in, his lawyers are building a defense around explaining them, whether or not he ever testifies again.The rest tighten the edges. Two of them close doors the state already closed once, one asks for another look at the digital material, and one blocks a defense testing request.Judge McCaslin has told the attorneys she knows nothing about the first trial and expects them to be thorough when they explain it. She tentatively set the retrial for April 5, 2027.The South Carolina Supreme Court threw out Murdaugh's convictions over what the clerk of court told jurors. He is presumed innocent at the retrial and has denied the killings throughout. He stays behind bars either way, serving concurrent state and federal financial crime sentences of twenty-seven and forty years.Robin Dreeke takes the mailbag on what is procedural, what is decisive, and how to tell the two apart before April.END LINKSJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDISCLAIMERThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #HiddenKillers #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #SouthCarolina #TrueCrime #MurdaughMurders #CreightonWaters

Alex Murdaugh's lawyers want a signature from the prosecution, and the reason sits in a case most people have never heard of. Tony Brueski takes the listener mail with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke.The defense filed a supplemental motion under Brady and Giglio. It asks the court to order prosecutors to search again for favorable and impeachment material generated since the 2023 trial, then certify in writing that the search was diligent and current. Thirty days.Now the case that gets a fraction of the coverage. Last spring a circuit court judge quashed the murder indictment in the Michael Colucci prosecution after concluding potentially exculpatory evidence had not been properly disclosed. Former SLED special agent David Owen, the lead investigator in the Moselle murders, faced renewed credibility scrutiny in connection with that matter. Owen retired in June 2024 after twenty-eight years of service.At Murdaugh's first trial, Owen acknowledged under cross-examination that SLED waited roughly three months to search the family's Almeda property, even though investigators later theorized Murdaugh may have taken weapons or evidence there. Asked whether that was an opportunity missed, he answered that it probably was.The current motion names neither Owen nor anyone else. It asks the state to repeat the entire discovery process against everything that has happened since.Prosecutors have not yet filed a response. Judge Debra McCaslin has tentatively set the retrial for April 5, 2027, with pretrial proceedings in Lexington County.Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh were killed at the family's Colleton County hunting property on June 7, 2021.Murdaugh's convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court, he awaits retrial, and he is presumed innocent. He has denied the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh throughout.END LINKSJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDISCLAIMERThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #HiddenKillers #SLED #BradyMotion #MaggieMurdaugh #DickHarpootlian #TrueCrime #MurdaughMurders #SouthCarolina

Alex Murdaugh is getting a second trial because of a court clerk. That is the whole reason any of these new filings exist, and it is worth keeping in front of you. Tony Brueski takes listener questions with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke.The South Carolina Supreme Court vacated Murdaugh's 2023 murder convictions after jurors said Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill told them to watch his body language and not be fooled by his testimony. The justices ruled that amounted to a suggestion he was guilty. Hill later pleaded guilty to perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office, and was sentenced to probation.Now prosecutors have moved to put the very testimony Hill commented on in front of a new jury. Their filing asks Judge Debra McCaslin to admit Murdaugh's 2023 trial testimony at the retrial, including his admission that he lied to investigators for roughly eighteen months about being at the kennels the night Maggie and Paul were killed.The same filings renew the state's motions to exclude polygraph evidence and third-party guilt, seek a fresh review of digital evidence, and oppose the defense's request for independent DNA testing.The listener question landing hardest is the circular one. The verdict fell because of what a clerk said about him testifying. The state's answer is to make sure the next jury hears him testify anyway.McCaslin has tentatively set the retrial for April 5, 2027. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the court the state could have been ready before the end of 2026. Dick Harpootlian said the defense has eight new expert witnesses and that DNA work alone could take six months.Murdaugh's convictions were overturned, he awaits retrial, and he is presumed innocent. He has denied the killings since 2021 and remains in prison on financial crime convictions.END LINKSJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDISCLAIMERThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #HiddenKillers #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #SouthCarolina #TrueCrime #MurdaughMurders #CreightonWaters

The South Carolina Supreme Court did not only fault the clerk of court when it threw out Alex Murdaugh's convictions. The justices also flagged how much of the 2023 trial was spent on the money he stole. Tony Brueski takes your questions on what that means for the retrial with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke.Prosecutors spent close to two weeks of the first trial on Murdaugh's financial crimes. That evidence was not tied to the murder charges directly. It was offered to establish motive: his thefts were about to be exposed, and the state argued the killings bought him sympathy and time.Judge Debra McCaslin now decides how much of that comes in the second time. She has told the attorneys she knows nothing about the first trial and wants them complete when they explain it to her.The state's newest filings run the other direction. Prosecutors moved to admit Murdaugh's own 2023 testimony at the retrial, renewed motions to exclude polygraph evidence and third-party guilt, requested a fresh review of digital evidence, and opposed the defense's push for independent DNA analysis.Listeners are asking a sharp question about the arithmetic. If the financial evidence gets trimmed and the third-party door stays shut, what is the state walking into April 2027 with, and is it enough for twelve people who have never heard any of this.Murdaugh has denied the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh since 2021. His convictions were vacated, he awaits retrial, and he is presumed innocent. He pleaded guilty to dozens of financial crimes and remains in prison on those sentences.Robin Dreeke handles the mail on motive, money, and what a jury actually does with a man's finances.END LINKSJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDISCLAIMERThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.HASHTAGS#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #HiddenKillers #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #SouthCarolina #TrueCrime #MurdaughMurders #CreightonWaters

Part Two of Two Some good news first: Judge Richard Gergel dismissed Alex Murdaugh's federal lawsuit demanding $600,000 from former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, pointing to the "fatal flaw" sitting at the center of it.Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell explain why agreeing with the ruling isn't the same as defending Becky Hill — and why they always believed the suit was less about money than about spectacle, subpoena power, and keeping everyone's eyes off the double homicide case.Then, Gregg Roman. The Middle East Forum executive director hired by billionaire gas station owner Greg Parker now calls himself an investigative journalist in court filings, and the South Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to take his appeal to keep his bank records away from the Beach family. Mandy and Liz walk through South Carolina's autopsy photo laws, the Dale Earnhardt and Kobe Bryant precedents, and the one question buried under all the noise: who gave Gregg Roman photos of Mallory Beach's body?Let's Dive In…

Could Kouri Richins actually get a new trial? Her attorneys filed a fourteen-page motion claiming she was denied a fair proceeding — and the judge who sentenced her to life without parole has already stepped aside from ruling on it. A different judge will decide what happens next.Tony Brueski breaks down every argument in the filing. The defense says Judge Mrazik showed favoritism to prosecutors throughout the trial. They say financial crimes evidence — bounced checks, false bank statements, sloppy accounting — went far beyond what the court's pretrial guardrails allowed. And they cite the South Carolina Supreme Court's reversal of Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction as the precedent that should save Kouri Richins.The episode dismantles that comparison. The Murdaugh ruling required proven jury tampering by a court clerk — conduct the justices called "breathtaking and disgraceful." Kouri's motion has no jury tampering allegation, no rogue court officer, no juror affidavits. Different state, different facts, different legal standard.The deeper question is what the motion reveals about who Kouri Richins is. After Eric died, she wrote a grief book. After the verdict, she texted an admirer a revenge checklist. After sentencing, she filed this motion. The episode tracks the pattern, delivers the full admirer text, covers the courtroom footage from sentencing day, and walks through the twenty-six additional financial felonies still pending in a separate case. Eric's sons wrote statements asking the court to keep them safe. They used her first name.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#KouriRichins #EricRichins #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #KouriRichinsNewTrial #JusticeForEric #NewTrialMotion #ParkCityUtah #AlexMurdaugh #LifeWithoutParole

Earlier this year, Alex Murdaugh's 2023 double murder conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court - due to “shocking jury interference.” Phoebe interviews Wall Street Journal reporter Valerie Bauerlein about what happened, and about the long history of law-breaking behavior in the Murdaugh dynasty. Valerie Bauerlein's book is "The Devil at His Elbow." You can also watch this interview at youtube.com/criminalpodcast. Say hello on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠. Sign up for our ⁠occasional newsletter⁠. Follow the show and review us on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠. ⁠Sign up for Criminal Plus⁠ to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make ⁠This is Love⁠ and ⁠Phoebe Reads a Mystery⁠. Artwork by ⁠Julienne Alexander⁠. Check out ⁠our online shop⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul. He pled guilty to decades of financial crimes. He staged a fake suicide attempt. And his surviving son Buster named his firstborn child after him.Buster attended every day of the six-week murder trial. He testified in his father's defense. He continued visiting Alex in prison after the conviction. In a Fox Nation docuseries, he acknowledged his father shows traits of a manipulator — and still maintained his innocence on the murders. When the SC Supreme Court overturned the conviction, a source close to Buster said he was furious about reliving the trauma.This episode follows Buster Murdaugh through the impossible math of defending the man the state says killed his mother and brother. The retrial will test whether that loyalty survives the evidence a second time.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #BusterMurdaugh #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #FamiliesOfTheAccused #MurdaughTrial #MaggieMurdaugh #TrueCrimePodcast #CrimeFamilies #MurdaughCase

Buster Murdaugh named his baby after Alex Murdaugh. That single fact contains everything you need to know about this episode. Alex was convicted of murdering Buster's mother and brother. He pled guilty to decades of financial crimes. He staged a botched suicide attempt. And Buster — the surviving son — gave his child his father's name.But when the SC Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial, two versions of Buster emerged. His father's attorney said they have a great relationship. A source close to Buster said he was furious. Both accounts came within days of each other.This episode traces a son caught between public loyalty and private exhaustion — and a retrial that will force him to sit through the worst experience of his life a second time.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #BusterMurdaugh #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #FamiliesOfTheAccused #MurdaughTrial #MaggieMurdaugh #TrueCrimePodcast #CrimeFamilies #MurdaughCase

South Carolina prosecutors are pushing back against Alex Murdaugh's defense team as he prepares for a retrial in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The fight centers on a defense request for independent testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, specifically her left fingernail clippings. Murdaugh's lawyers argue the sample included DNA from an unknown unrelated male and want it sent to Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, at Murdaugh's expense. Prosecutors counter that SLED already tested the evidence and found only Maggie's DNA mixed with what they described as a “very partial and incomplete” profile from another contributor, not enough to upload to CODIS. They also argue that trace or touch DNA under fingernails does not automatically mean a struggle took place, because it can be transferred through ordinary contact, objects, or the environment, and they noted Maggie had her nails done the day she was killed.The state also opposed Murdaugh's request to use a secure prison laptop to review case materials, arguing he should not be trusted with unsupervised electronic access behind bars. Prosecutors pointed to prior disciplinary issues involving alleged misuse of a prison tablet, unauthorized use of another inmate's PIN, and a previous contraband issue involving a book allegedly passed to him through defense staff. Judge Debra McCaslin did not immediately rule on the DNA issue and told the defense to clarify whether the remaining sample is viable for further testing. On the laptop issue, she indicated the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep one in his cell because of safety concerns, but suggested his attorneys could bring a laptop to a conference room and review materials with him under supervision. The larger backdrop is that Murdaugh is headed for a retrial after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions in May, finding that former clerk of court Becky Hill's conduct had tainted the jury.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Alex Murdaugh DNA testing opposed by prosecutors ahead of retrial | Fox NewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

South Carolina prosecutors are pushing back against Alex Murdaugh's defense team as he prepares for a retrial in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The fight centers on a defense request for independent testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, specifically her left fingernail clippings. Murdaugh's lawyers argue the sample included DNA from an unknown unrelated male and want it sent to Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, at Murdaugh's expense. Prosecutors counter that SLED already tested the evidence and found only Maggie's DNA mixed with what they described as a “very partial and incomplete” profile from another contributor, not enough to upload to CODIS. They also argue that trace or touch DNA under fingernails does not automatically mean a struggle took place, because it can be transferred through ordinary contact, objects, or the environment, and they noted Maggie had her nails done the day she was killed.The state also opposed Murdaugh's request to use a secure prison laptop to review case materials, arguing he should not be trusted with unsupervised electronic access behind bars. Prosecutors pointed to prior disciplinary issues involving alleged misuse of a prison tablet, unauthorized use of another inmate's PIN, and a previous contraband issue involving a book allegedly passed to him through defense staff. Judge Debra McCaslin did not immediately rule on the DNA issue and told the defense to clarify whether the remaining sample is viable for further testing. On the laptop issue, she indicated the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep one in his cell because of safety concerns, but suggested his attorneys could bring a laptop to a conference room and review materials with him under supervision. The larger backdrop is that Murdaugh is headed for a retrial after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions in May, finding that former clerk of court Becky Hill's conduct had tainted the jury.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Alex Murdaugh DNA testing opposed by prosecutors ahead of retrial | Fox NewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

Alex Murdaugh's retrial is officially on the calendar — April 5, 2027 — and the first hearing made one thing immediately clear: the defense is not running the same playbook. Harpootlian walked into a Lexington County courtroom with first-responder transcripts and told the judge the accounts from people who arrived at Moselle the night of the killings don't match. He said there were other individuals present that night whose presence has never been fully accounted for.The prosecution faces a retrial with significantly less room to maneuver. The South Carolina Supreme Court's ruling limited how much financial crimes evidence the state can present — after prosecutors spent 12.5 hours over ten days on that testimony in the original trial. Attorney General Alan Wilson has put the death penalty on the table, a move the defense calls vindictive prosecution and a campaign sound bite. Wilson, the Republican candidate for governor, says the legal landscape around capital punishment has changed since 2022. The defense fired back: “What does he know today he didn't know five years ago?”Meanwhile, DNA from an unknown male recovered from under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails sits waiting for a test the defense says didn't exist when the killings happened. The defense wants it sent to Othram, the forensic genealogy lab behind the Kohberger case. The judge will rule on that motion at the next hearing, August 14. Murdaugh himself appeared in double shackles and an orange jumpsuit. His lawyer told the court he is “not Ted Bundy.” The prosecution's response: he “thinks he is special. He is not.”End Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitterhttps://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #MaggieMurdaugh #TrueCrimeToday #MurdaughRetrial #Moselle #MurdaughHearing #DeathPenalty #DickHarpootlian #CreightonWaters #TrueCrime

South Carolina prosecutors are pushing back against Alex Murdaugh's defense team as he prepares for a retrial in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The fight centers on a defense request for independent testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, specifically her left fingernail clippings. Murdaugh's lawyers argue the sample included DNA from an unknown unrelated male and want it sent to Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, at Murdaugh's expense. Prosecutors counter that SLED already tested the evidence and found only Maggie's DNA mixed with what they described as a “very partial and incomplete” profile from another contributor, not enough to upload to CODIS. They also argue that trace or touch DNA under fingernails does not automatically mean a struggle took place, because it can be transferred through ordinary contact, objects, or the environment, and they noted Maggie had her nails done the day she was killed.The state also opposed Murdaugh's request to use a secure prison laptop to review case materials, arguing he should not be trusted with unsupervised electronic access behind bars. Prosecutors pointed to prior disciplinary issues involving alleged misuse of a prison tablet, unauthorized use of another inmate's PIN, and a previous contraband issue involving a book allegedly passed to him through defense staff. Judge Debra McCaslin did not immediately rule on the DNA issue and told the defense to clarify whether the remaining sample is viable for further testing. On the laptop issue, she indicated the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep one in his cell because of safety concerns, but suggested his attorneys could bring a laptop to a conference room and review materials with him under supervision. The larger backdrop is that Murdaugh is headed for a retrial after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions in May, finding that former clerk of court Becky Hill's conduct had tainted the jury.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Alex Murdaugh DNA testing opposed by prosecutors ahead of retrial | Fox News

The South Carolina Supreme Court's ruling didn't just give Alex Murdaugh a new trial. It took away the prosecution's most effective weapon. The financial crimes testimony that consumed 12.5 hours of the original trial and turned Murdaugh into a villain before the jury weighed the murder evidence has been sharply limited. Bob Motta evaluates what the prosecution has left and whether it's enough.The death penalty is now on the table — a move Harpootlian called political theater from an attorney general running for governor. The defense has every exhibit and every witness statement from the first trial. And the motive theory faces a jury that already knows Murdaugh pleaded guilty to the financial crimes and is serving forty years. Tony Brueski and Bob Motta examine whether this case is still winnable for the state.End Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitterhttps://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #MaggieMurdaugh #HiddenKillersLive #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #MurdaughRetrial #CreightonWaters #DeathPenalty #SouthCarolina #TrueCrime

South Carolina prosecutors are pushing back against Alex Murdaugh's defense team as he prepares for a retrial in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The fight centers on a defense request for independent testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, specifically her left fingernail clippings. Murdaugh's lawyers argue the sample included DNA from an unknown unrelated male and want it sent to Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, at Murdaugh's expense. Prosecutors counter that SLED already tested the evidence and found only Maggie's DNA mixed with what they described as a “very partial and incomplete” profile from another contributor, not enough to upload to CODIS. They also argue that trace or touch DNA under fingernails does not automatically mean a struggle took place, because it can be transferred through ordinary contact, objects, or the environment, and they noted Maggie had her nails done the day she was killed.The state also opposed Murdaugh's request to use a secure prison laptop to review case materials, arguing he should not be trusted with unsupervised electronic access behind bars. Prosecutors pointed to prior disciplinary issues involving alleged misuse of a prison tablet, unauthorized use of another inmate's PIN, and a previous contraband issue involving a book allegedly passed to him through defense staff. Judge Debra McCaslin did not immediately rule on the DNA issue and told the defense to clarify whether the remaining sample is viable for further testing. On the laptop issue, she indicated the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep one in his cell because of safety concerns, but suggested his attorneys could bring a laptop to a conference room and review materials with him under supervision. The larger backdrop is that Murdaugh is headed for a retrial after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions in May, finding that former clerk of court Becky Hill's conduct had tainted the jury.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Alex Murdaugh DNA testing opposed by prosecutors ahead of retrial | Fox NewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.

The South Carolina Supreme Court threw out Alex Murdaugh's double-murder conviction after ruling that court clerk Becky Hill tampered with the jury. Now the defense is building the retrial around a piece of evidence the state never fully processed: DNA from an unknown male found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails.Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke work through the audience's hardest questions. Murdaugh has admitted stealing twelve million and lying to everyone close to him for years. His voice is on Paul's phone at the kennels minutes before the shootings, after months of denying he was there. The comments say that's the case. But a caught lie proves concealment. The question is how far concealment actually gets you toward the trigger.Tony and Robin also confront the jury problem. After years of documentaries, podcasts, and a globally televised trial, every potential juror has been soaking in this case. The comments call the retrial a waste. The constitution says he gets one anyway. Whether a genuinely neutral panel can be seated may be the question that determines everything. A Hidden Killers investigation.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #RobinDreeke #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #SLED #SouthCarolina #DNA

This episode is presented by Create A Video – Matt Harris, co-host of the Impact of Influence podcast, joins me after attending a pre-trial hearing in the re-trial of Alex Murdaugh where the disgraced former South Carolina lawyer was seeking a change of venue and new DNA testing. Murdaugh had his convictions overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court that ruled the Clarendon County Clerk tampered with the jury during the first double-murder trial. Plus, the US Supreme Court handed down rulings on Presidential powers to fire employees and whether Mississippi can accept mail-in ballots five days after Election Day.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-kaliner-show--6946691/support.Subscribe to the podcast My preferred podcast platform: SpreakerAll the links to Pete's Prep are free!Get exclusive content here!Media Bias Check: GroundNews promo code!Advertising and Booking inquiries: Pete@ThePeteKalinerShow.com  

Lead defense counsel Dick Harpootlian stated publicly that the defense team has developed a strategy to counter the kennel video — the audio recording that placed Alex Murdaugh at the Moselle dog kennels minutes before the killings. Multiple witnesses identified the defendant's voice on the recording during the first trial. The defendant subsequently admitted he had lied about his whereabouts. Harpootlian declined to disclose the nature of the defense strategy.The prosecution faces a parallel challenge. The South Carolina Supreme Court's opinion directed that financial crimes evidence be substantially curtailed, characterizing the original twelve-and-a-half-hour presentation as excessive and prejudicial. The defense has identified untested male DNA recovered from beneath Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails and has initiated a federal civil rights action against former court clerk Becky Hill.Both sides are restructuring their cases from substantially different evidentiary positions than the first trial presented.A look back at the most compelling stories of the week.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DickHarpootlian #KennelVideo #CreightonWaters #TrueCrimeToday #BeckyHill #MaggieMurdaugh #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina

After spending more than a decade at SLED, Ryan Kelly took a position running the Office of Professional Standards at the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. Internal affairs. The unit that investigates other officers. On June 8, 2026, he was terminated following allegations of harassment, unbecoming conduct, improper procedures, and unsatisfactory performance.Kelly was a Senior Special Agent at SLED during the Murdaugh investigations. He led the probe into the September 2021 roadside shooting — the staged incident where Alex Murdaugh arranged for Curtis Smith to shoot him so his son Buster could collect life insurance. At the 2023 murder trial, Kelly testified as one of the state's closing witnesses, detailing Murdaugh's failure to identify Smith and the investigative steps that exposed the scheme. Prosecutors used Kelly's testimony to argue that Murdaugh's deception after the roadside shooting mirrored his lies about the night Maggie and Paul were killed.His firing arrives at a precarious moment for the prosecution. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's convictions after finding that court clerk Becky Hill committed jury interference. Hill later pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction. Lead SLED investigator David Owen admitted to giving inaccurate grand jury testimony about blood evidence. Both Owen and fellow SLED captain Ryan Neill quietly retired after the trial.The retrial's first hearing is June 29 before Judge Debra McCaslin. Dick Harpootlian has said publicly the investigation has “more holes than Swiss cheese.” When asked about Kelly's firing, he told reporters his team needs time to investigate what has happened since the trial. The prosecution is heading into a second attempt to convict Alex Murdaugh with fewer credible witnesses than it had the first time.Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #RyanKelly #TrueCrimeToday #MurdaughRetrial #SLED #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #MurdaughTrial #DickHarpootlian #MaggieMurdaugh

Ryan Kelly left SLED after more than a decade and took a job running internal affairs at the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. He was the person responsible for investigating misconduct allegations against other officers. On June 8, 2026, the sheriff fired him for harassment, unbecoming conduct, and improper procedures. The man who policed the police could not survive scrutiny of his own conduct.At SLED, Kelly was the lead investigator on Alex Murdaugh's staged roadside shooting — the September 2021 incident prosecutors used at trial to argue Murdaugh had a pattern of deception following the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Kelly testified as one of the prosecution's final witnesses, walking the jury through how Murdaugh arranged for Curtis Smith to shoot him so Buster could collect on a life insurance policy.Kelly's termination adds to a growing credibility problem for the original prosecution. SLED's lead murder investigator, David Owen, admitted at trial that he gave inaccurate testimony to the grand jury about blood evidence. Court clerk Becky Hill pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's convictions and ordered a new trial. The first retrial hearing is June 29.Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian told the Post and Courier his team needs to investigate developments that have happened since the original trial. Every name that falls from the prosecution's witness list weakens the foundation the state built the first time around. Maggie and Paul Murdaugh deserve a case that holds up. Whether this prosecution can deliver one is the question heading into the courtroom.Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags:#AlexMurdaugh #RyanKelly #HiddenKillers #MurdaughRetrial #SLED #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #DickHarpootlian #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The prosecution's most powerful storytelling tool just got taken away. Twelve and a half hours of financial crimes testimony painted Alex Murdaugh as a desperate thief who would do anything to keep his world from collapsing. The South Carolina Supreme Court said it was too much, too inflammatory, and went far beyond what was needed to establish motive. The retrial has to be “efficient” with no inflammatory detail of limited probative value.That changes the entire shape of the case. The prosecution's physical evidence has always been circumstantial. No weapon. No confession. No eyewitness. The kennel video and Alex's lie about being at the scene are the anchors. But the first time around, those anchors sat inside a narrative about a man who stole from disabled clients and defrauded his own law partners. That context made everything feel inevitable. Without it, the jury has to reach guilty on the physical case with far less emotional ammunition.The AG is also floating the death penalty for the first time, and the defense is claiming statistics favor acquittal on retrial. Both sides are already fighting over timeline, venue, and who testifies. Bob Motta on whether the prosecution can still get a conviction. Tony Brueski, Robin Dreeke, and Bob Motta.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #CreightonWaters #MurdaughRetrial #SouthCarolina #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #MaggieMurdaugh #AttorneyGeneral #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

The South Carolina Supreme Court gave prosecutors a warning they can't ignore. Twelve and a half hours of financial crimes testimony at the first trial was excessive. The justices said the state went too deep into details that had nothing to do with proving murder and everything to do with making Alex Murdaugh look like a terrible person. Testimony from Tony Satterfield about his brother's disability had “zero probative value.” That kind of evidence is off the table now.What's left is a circumstantial murder case that has to stand on its own for the first time. The kennel video places Alex at the scene. His lie about being there is damning. But there's no murder weapon, no confession, no eyewitness, and no DNA connecting him to the killings. The first jury heard that evidence wrapped inside a devastating portrait of a man who stole millions from people who trusted him. The second jury won't get that portrait — at least not in the same detail.Creighton Waters says the genie is out of the bottle — every juror already knows Alex's financial crimes from media coverage. The question is whether that helps or hurts the prosecution when they can't control the narrative from the witness stand. Bob Motta on the prosecution's problem. Tony Brueski, Robin Dreeke, and Bob Motta.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #CreightonWaters #MurdaughRetrial #SouthCarolina #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #MaggieMurdaugh #AttorneyGeneral #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Judge Debra McCaslin has been vested with exclusive jurisdiction over the Alex Murdaugh retrial and all related proceedings. During her judicial confirmation before the South Carolina General Assembly, McCaslin reportedly identified Dick Harpootlian — Murdaugh's lead defense attorney — as one of three lawyers who shaped her legal career. She reportedly rented office space from him while in private practice. Neither the prosecution nor the defense has filed a motion to recuse.Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis provides analysis on the recusal standard, what McCaslin's appointment means for both the prosecution and the defense, and the pre-trial ruling that may carry more weight than any witness. The South Carolina Supreme Court's opinion ordering the retrial directed that financial crimes evidence be sharply curtailed. McCaslin will determine the scope of that limitation. Faddis explains why that single evidentiary ruling could effectively determine the outcome before opening statements begin — and what the State must prove without the motive architecture it relied upon in the first proceeding.Attorney Eric Bland, who constructed the financial fraud case prosecutors used as their motive theory and who represented the Satterfield family, examines the implications of the Supreme Court's characterization of specific victim testimony as having “zero probative value.” Bland addresses whether the prosecution exceeded the evidentiary limits the law permitted, what the ruling means for the families who testified, and the defense's six-hundred-thousand-dollar Section 1983 complaint against Becky Hill — which asserts recovered funds would benefit Murdaugh's financial crime victims, the individuals Bland represents.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #TrueCrimeToday #DickHarpootlian #EricBland #EricFaddis #BeckyHill #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina

The first jury sat through more than twelve hours of financial crimes testimony. The South Carolina Supreme Court said that was excessive and ordered any retrial to sharply limit it. Now one judge — Debra McCaslin — decides where the line falls. That single ruling could shape the verdict before a witness takes the stand.McCaslin was given exclusive jurisdiction over every Murdaugh proceeding, including the retrial on charges that he killed his wife Maggie and son Paul. She reportedly rented office space from Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh's lead defense attorney, and during her judicial confirmation reportedly named him as one of the lawyers who made an impression on her life. Neither side has moved to remove her. Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down what that silence means, what real judicial favoritism looks like from the inside, and whether McCaslin's reportedly tough sentencing record — including life sentences and rulings that backed law enforcement — cuts for or against the defense.Attorney Eric Bland brings the other side of this fight. He built the financial crimes case prosecutors used as their motive theory. He represented the Satterfield family through the process and prepared them to testify. The Supreme Court called specific victim testimony “zero probative value.” Bland confronts what that means for the families who trusted the system to use their words properly. He also responds to the defense's six-hundred-thousand-dollar civil rights lawsuit against Becky Hill, which claims any recovered funds go to Murdaugh's financial crime victims — the exact people Bland represents.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #HiddenKillers #DickHarpootlian #EricBland #EricFaddis #BeckyHill #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina

The woman now overseeing Alex Murdaugh's retrial reportedly rented office space from his defense attorney and named him under oath as a lawyer who shaped her career. Judge Debra McCaslin was handed exclusive jurisdiction over every Murdaugh proceeding by the South Carolina Supreme Court — the same court that reversed his murder convictions and ordered a new trial in the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Nobody has filed a motion to remove her.Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis examines whether McCaslin's reported connection to Dick Harpootlian is a genuine problem or a headline, what her reportedly tough sentencing record tells us about how she'll run this courtroom, and the ruling that could matter more than any testimony. The Supreme Court said the first trial's financial crimes evidence went too far. McCaslin decides how far is too far the second time. That decision shapes what the next jury sees, what it never hears, and whether prosecutors can build a murder case without the motive theory they leaned on the first time.Attorney Eric Bland adds the perspective nobody else can. He built the financial fraud case. He represented the Satterfield family and watched his clients testify about what Murdaugh did to their lives. The Supreme Court said some of that testimony had “zero probative value.” Bland confronts what that language means for the people it was taken from. He also responds to Harpootlian's six-hundred-thousand-dollar civil rights lawsuit against Becky Hill, which claims any recovered money goes to Murdaugh's financial crime victims. Bland represents those victims — and his take on whether that promise carries weight lands hard.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #MurdaughCase #DickHarpootlian #EricBland #EricFaddis #BeckyHill #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina

When the South Carolina Supreme Court assigned Judge Debra McCaslin exclusive jurisdiction over the Alex Murdaugh murder retrial, the appointment carried a history that neither the prosecution nor the defense has publicly addressed. McCaslin reportedly rented office space from Murdaugh's lead defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, during her years in private practice. She reportedly named him among the lawyers who made a lasting impression on her professional life during proceedings before state legislators. The two worked together on a class-action. And McCaslin presided over pretrial matters in a separate murder case in which Harpootlian served as defense counsel.The Attorney General's office has not moved to recuse her. Harpootlian has not disclosed a conflict. Neither side has filed a single motion questioning her assignment. Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis evaluates the legal standard for judicial recusal in South Carolina, what this documented history would require under the applicable rules, and why the silence from both legal teams may reveal more about their strategic calculations than any motion ever could.Faddis then turns to the decisions McCaslin will make before the retrial reaches a jury. The Supreme Court's reversal explicitly noted that the original trial included excessive financial crimes testimony and that any retrial must be sharply limited. McCaslin holds sole authority over where that boundary falls — a ruling that determines whether prosecutors retain the motive evidence that anchored the first conviction or enter the courtroom without the narrative that carried the guilty verdict.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #DickHarpootlian #EricFaddis #TrueCrimeToday #TrueCrime #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #SouthCarolina

The woman now controlling every motion, every evidentiary fight, and the retrial itself in the Alex Murdaugh double murder case once shared an office with the man defending him. Judge Debra McCaslin reportedly rented space from Dick Harpootlian — Murdaugh's lead attorney — when both were in private practice. They worked a class-action together. And in a separate murder case where Harpootlian represented the defendant, McCaslin was the judge who reportedly denied the state's request to revoke bond.The South Carolina Supreme Court handed McCaslin exclusive jurisdiction after reversing Murdaugh's convictions for the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. The reversal came after findings that former court clerk Becky Hill's misconduct tainted the original jury. Now the question isn't just whether Murdaugh is guilty — it's whether the system running his retrial can survive its own history.Eric Faddis has been on both sides of courtrooms where a judge's connection to counsel shaped everything. He walks through what warmth toward one lawyer actually looks like in practice — in rulings, in tone, in the calls that could go either way. Then he digs into the ruling that may matter more than any witness: the first jury heard hours of financial crimes testimony. The Supreme Court said that was excessive. McCaslin now draws the line on what the next jury hears. That single decision could determine whether prosecutors can rebuild the motive that carried the first conviction — or whether they walk into round two without their strongest weapon.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #DickHarpootlian #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #SouthCarolina

Years before the South Carolina Supreme Court handed her the most closely watched murder retrial in the state's history, Judge Debra McCaslin stood before legislators and named the lawyers who left a mark on her career. One of them was Dick Harpootlian — the man who will stand at Alex Murdaugh's side when his double murder case goes back to trial for the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.The connection runs deeper than a compliment on the record. McCaslin reportedly rented office space from Harpootlian when she was building her practice. They collaborated on a class-action involving video poker litigation. She sat as judge in a separate murder case where Harpootlian defended the accused — and when prosecutors sought to hold his client before trial, she reportedly refused. Every layer of this history was available the moment her name was announced. And yet both sides looked at the same facts and said nothing.Eric Faddis has prosecuted felonies and defended against them. He breaks down what the Harpootlian connection means inside a courtroom — where a judge's warmth toward one attorney can show up in sustained objections, evidentiary rulings, or simply the tone that shapes how a jury reads the room. Then he gets to the decision that could rewrite this retrial before it starts: the Supreme Court ruled that twelve and a half hours of financial crimes testimony was excessive and that any retrial must sharply limit it. McCaslin alone decides where the line falls. If prosecutors lose their motive backbone, the evidence that remains may not carry the weight the first jury felt.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughRetrial #DebraMcCaslin #DickHarpootlian #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #SouthCarolina

Go to https://incogni.com/EMILY and use code EMILY to get 60% off annual plans. Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D. Baker YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ojT2fNd11Lk  Following the South Carolina Supreme Court's reversal of Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions, the case is moving toward a retrial under the exclusive jurisdiction of newly appointed Judge Deborah R. McCaslin. Concurrently, the State has filed a motion to unseal the previously restricted in camera hearing transcripts regarding the removal of "Juror 785," also known as the "egg lady juror," arguing that former protective orders should now be considered moot. This motion follows earlier requests by the juror herself to reveal the private proceedings, which include discussions between the court and counsel that may shed light on allegations of improper influence during the original trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh's double murder convictions in a unanimous ruling — then told prosecutors their use of financial crimes evidence went too far. Attorney Eric Bland built that financial crimes case. His clients were the ones on the witness stand. And the court just told them some of their testimony was legally worthless.Bland represented the Satterfield sons — the family of the Murdaugh housekeeper who died under suspicious circumstances and whose insurance payout Murdaugh stole. He helped unravel the financial empire that prosecutors argued drove Murdaugh to kill. Now the court has drawn a line around how much of that evidence can come back in at retrial, and Bland has to reckon with what that means for the families who already endured the first one.The questions are sharp. Did Becky Hill's comments actually move the needle with jurors? Is Harpootlian's civil rights lawsuit against Hill about accountability or about building a defense? Was this a legal correction or a gift to a convicted killer delivered on a technicality? Bland is the one person who can answer all of that from inside the case, not the sidelines.This is Eric Bland with no filter, on Hidden Killers Live.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #EricBland #MurdaughRetrial #SouthCarolina #BeckyHill #Satterfield #TrueCrime #HiddenKillersLive #JuryTampering #MurdaughCase

The latest Alex Murdaugh case update concerns the bench, not the defendant. The South Carolina Supreme Court has vested Judge Debra McCaslin with exclusive jurisdiction over all proceedings in the Murdaugh matter — including any retrial on charges that he murdered his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul — and her professional history with lead defense counsel Dick Harpootlian is now a matter of public scrutiny.The record, as reported: early in her career, McCaslin rented office space from Harpootlian, and during her judicial screening she identified him among the attorneys who shaped her legal career, reportedly stating he made an impression on her life. In this episode, defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis applies the actual legal standards to those facts — what judicial disqualification requires, how appearance-of-impropriety analysis works, who can raise the issue, and why prior professional association between bench and bar is far more common, and far less determinative, than headlines suggest.Faddis then turns to the substantive authority McCaslin now holds. The Supreme Court's reversal — rooted in former clerk of court Becky Hill's misconduct, to which she pleaded guilty — came with a directive that any retrial sharply limit the financial-crimes testimony that consumed hours of the first trial. McCaslin will define that boundary. Faddis assesses what the State's case looks like at each possible line, which evidentiary disputes from the first trial remain unresolved, and what her reportedly stringent sentencing record signals about how she may run this courtroom.His closing analysis addresses the only question that ultimately matters: what has to go right for the State this time — and does this judge make that more or less likely?Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #TrueCrimeToday #MurdaughRetrial #DickHarpootlian #EricFaddis #BeckyHill #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #JudicialEthics

The newest Nick Reiner trial development is a 136-page probate petition filed from custody — naming both his outgoing and incoming trustees and demanding the release of more than $1.5 million held in the trust his parents established at his birth. In this extended episode, defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis conducts a complete legal examination of the dispute, from the filing's strongest claims to the family's most viable countermeasures.On the merits: the petition characterizes the trust's distributions as "mandatory and unconditional" — half payable at age thirty, a threshold Nick Reiner crossed more than two years before Rob and Michele Reiner were killed, with no payment made per the filing. Faddis evaluates that language under California trust law, the petition's invocation of the presumption of innocence — Nick has pleaded not guilty to both first-degree murder counts — the counsel-of-choice argument anchored to attorney Alan Jackson's declared readiness to resume the defense, and the reported procedural pathway by which an unopposed petition could be granted without hearing.On the opposition: trustee Paul Kanin's resignation following stated concerns about Nick's decision-making capacity, the appointment of successor Jodi Montgomery — formerly Britney Spears' conservator — and her requested custodial meeting, the operation of the slayer statute prior to any verdict, the reported freeze of the larger Reiner family trusts, the formal opposition available to Jake and Romy Reiner, and the recoverability of funds spent on defense should a conviction follow.The episode concludes with the Alex Murdaugh retrial's new presiding judge, Debra McCaslin: her reported professional history with lead defense counsel Dick Harpootlian, the disqualification standards that history implicates, and her authority over the financial-crimes evidentiary limits ordered by the South Carolina Supreme Court.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #ReinerCase #EricFaddis #ProbateCourt #TrueCrime #AlexMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #TrustLitigation

Everyone covering the Alex Murdaugh retrial is fixated on one half of Judge Debra McCaslin's story — her reported history with defense attorney Dick Harpootlian. This episode digs into the other half, and it's the half that should worry the defense.Before the South Carolina Supreme Court handed McCaslin exclusive control of the Murdaugh case — the motions, the evidentiary fights, and the retrial over the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh — she built a record on the bench described as tough, fair, and impossible to rattle. She has reportedly handed down life sentences in murder cases and sided with law enforcement when defense lawyers alleged misconduct. For a defendant whose entire path to a new trial ran through claims that the system broke, that resume cuts in a very specific direction.Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis examines both faces of this appointment with the eye of someone who has argued in front of judges exactly like her. He weighs the connection everyone's talking about — McCaslin reportedly naming Harpootlian as a lawyer who shaped her career, and once renting office space from him — against the record suggesting she gives defendants nothing they haven't earned. He explains what real judicial favoritism looks like from the inside, why it rarely resembles what people imagine, and how a judge with friendly history sometimes overcorrects against the lawyer she knows.Then the stakes: McCaslin controls how much of Murdaugh's financial-crimes evidence the next jury hears, after the Supreme Court ruled the first trial went miles too far. Faddis breaks down what the State must prove without that crutch — and which side should genuinely fear this judge.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #HiddenKillers #MurdaughRetrial #EricFaddis #TrueCrime #DickHarpootlian #SouthCarolina #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh

For everyone who has followed the Murdaugh case with their heart in their throat — waiting, again, for a verdict that finally holds for Maggie and Paul — here is what we actually know about the woman now in charge.Judge Debra McCaslin was handed the entire Alex Murdaugh case by the South Carolina Supreme Court: every motion, every ruling, and the retrial itself. And while the internet fixates on her reported history with defense attorney Dick Harpootlian — the office she once rented from him, the praise she reportedly offered during her rise to the bench — her record tells a different story. This is a judge described as tough, fair, and impossible to rattle. A judge who has reportedly handed down life sentences in murder cases and stood with law enforcement when defense teams alleged foul play.Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins us to make honest sense of both halves. He explains what one judge can truly decide in a case this size, whether the Harpootlian connection is a genuine problem or a headline, and the ruling that matters most to anyone who wants this retrial done right: how much of Murdaugh's financial-crimes evidence the next jury will hear, after the Supreme Court found the first trial crossed the line.Because the first verdict was lost to a court official's misconduct — not to doubt about the evidence. The families connected to this tragedy, and everyone who grieved with them, deserve a second trial that no court can ever take apart. Faddis lays out exactly what that requires, starting with the judge.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #MurdaughRetrial #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #TrueCrime #EricFaddis #SouthCarolina #HiddenKillers #JusticeForMaggieAndPaul

The single biggest unknown in the Alex Murdaugh retrial isn't a witness, a weapon, or a verdict — it's a ruling that hasn't happened yet. The first jury sat through hours upon hours of testimony about Murdaugh's financial crimes, the stolen client money, the gathering storm the State built its motive on. The South Carolina Supreme Court said that went too far, and ordered any retrial to sharply limit it. The person who decides where that limit falls: newly assigned Judge Debra McCaslin.Eric Faddis — former felony prosecutor, longtime defense attorney, and our sharpest guide to courtroom power dynamics — joins us live to map what's really at stake in that one decision. Strip the financial avalanche out of the State's case and what remains is a circumstantial murder prosecution; leave too much in and the defense has its next appeal pre-written. McCaslin's line-drawing may decide this case before a single juror is sworn.Faddis also takes on the question burning through this story: McCaslin's reported history with Murdaugh's lead lawyer, Dick Harpootlian — the office she once rented from him, the career-shaping praise she reportedly offered on her way to the bench. He explains how lawyers actually read a judge's history with counsel, whether a recusal motion has legs, and how her reportedly tough, law-enforcement-friendly record complicates the easy narrative that Murdaugh caught a break.One judge. One evidentiary line. Two families still waiting for a verdict that holds. We take your questions live — bring the hard ones.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #DebraMcCaslin #HiddenKillersLive #MurdaughRetrial #EricFaddis #TrueCrime #FinancialCrimes #DickHarpootlian #SouthCarolina #MaggieMurdaugh

The South Carolina Supreme Court's ruling sharply limits the financial crimes testimony that consumed twelve and a half hours of the original trial. The prosecution's evidentiary framework for retrial must compensate for that loss. One category of evidence that received limited examination the first time — granular household testimony from the person with the most sustained access to the Murdaugh home — may carry substantially greater weight in a second proceeding.Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson served as the Murdaugh family's housekeeper for approximately twenty years. She testified for three hours at the original trial. Prosecutors examined her on specific items — a shirt, a towel, pajamas. In this exclusive interview, Simpson identifies observations from the morning after the murders that were never raised during her testimony: the condition of the house when she entered approximately twelve hours after the killings, items that had been moved or cleaned, and domestic details inconsistent with the normal state of the household — details a forensic team would likely overlook but a daily presence in the home would recognize immediately.Simpson distinguishes between indicators of grief and indicators of scene management. She addresses the defendant's subsequent attempt to alter the shirt narrative months after the murders. She also identifies the evidentiary loss created by the sale and alteration of the Moselle property — and the irreplaceable role her twenty years of spatial memory plays for a jury that can no longer walk the scene as it existed.Simpson also presents a specific theory of the crime that directly addresses the defense team's third-party suspect strategy. She posits that the defendant maintained a Plan A involving another individual's presence at Moselle the night of the killings, and when that arrangement collapsed, executed the plan independently and constructed a narrative around the boat crash families. Her basis is two decades of observing the defendant's operational pattern — the consistent use of intermediaries in financial transactions, including Curtis Eddie Smith's documented role in cashing approximately four hundred thirty-seven checks totaling roughly $2.4 million. Simpson argues that the defendant's established pattern of using others as instruments makes an independently executed crime inconsistent with his documented behavioral history.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #BlancaSimpson #MurdaughRetrial #MaggieMurdaugh #Moselle #PaulMurdaugh #CurtisSmith #MurdaughEvidence #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

The South Carolina Supreme Court stripped away twelve and a half hours of financial crimes testimony. What fills that gap at retrial may depend on the kind of evidence that didn't get its full day in court the first time — and Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson has had three years to sit with what she saw versus what prosecutors actually asked her about.She testified for three hours in 2023. The jury heard about the shirt, the towel, the pajamas. But Blanca knew that household in a way no investigator could replicate. Which cabinets Maggie used. Where the towels went. What the morning routine looked like. When she walked into the house twelve hours after the murders, she saw things that didn't fit — small domestic details a forensic team would walk past but a woman who'd been there every day for twenty years would catch immediately.In this exclusive, Blanca reveals what she noticed that nobody asked about on the stand. She walks through the morning after — Alex's phone call, the condition of the house, the things that were moved, cleaned, or wrong — and draws the line between grief and scene management. She confronts the moment Alex returned months later to rewrite the shirt story. And she addresses what a jury loses now that Moselle has been sold and broken apart — what her memory of that property can give a second jury that photographs alone cannot.Blanca also presents her own theory of the crime — and it directly challenges the defense team's "other suspects" strategy. She believes Alex had a Plan A involving someone else at Moselle that night. When that plan collapsed, he executed Plan B himself and constructed a narrative around the boat crash families. Her basis isn't speculation. It's twenty years of watching Alex Murdaugh operate — how he moved money through other people's hands, how he used relationships as cover, how Curtis Eddie Smith cashed four hundred thirty-seven checks totaling roughly $2.4 million. Alex built an infrastructure of people who did things for him. If he never operated alone in any other part of his life, Blanca asks, why would the murders be the one exception?Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #BlancaSimpson #MurdaughRetrial #MaggieMurdaugh #Moselle #PaulMurdaugh #MurdaughEvidence #CurtisSmith #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

The South Carolina Supreme Court's unanimous reversal of Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions reset the legal record — and with it, the evidentiary question that a second jury will have to answer without twelve hours of financial crimes testimony supporting the prosecution's narrative. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer approaches that question as a clean-slate exercise: strip the name from the file and evaluate what the physical evidence actually supports.Two victims were shot at the dog kennels on a remote hunting property. Two distinct firearms were used — a shotgun and a rifle. Neither weapon has been recovered. No blood was found on the defendant. The defense has consistently argued that no single shooter could have executed the crime as the state described it. Paul Murdaugh's prior legal entanglements — including a boating incident that resulted in a young woman's death — generated a documented set of unresolved grievances that investigators never fully pursued. Coffindaffer evaluates the two-weapon theory, examines where the physical scene points absent the financial motive framework, and assesses whether the prosecution's case survives substantive scrutiny under the evidentiary limitations the Supreme Court has imposed for retrial.The human dimension of the reversal is addressed through an exclusive interview with Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson — the Murdaugh family's housekeeper of twenty years and a key prosecution witness at the original trial. Simpson's testimony included her recollection of the shirt Alex Murdaugh wore the morning of June 7th, 2021, a wet towel found by the shower the following day, and her observations of Maggie Murdaugh's emotional state as Alex's financial situation deteriorated. The jury that heard her testimony convicted in under three hours.Upon learning of the Supreme Court's reversal, Simpson drove directly to Maggie Murdaugh's gravesite. In her first interview since the ruling, she addresses whether she remains the same witness she was in 2023, what Becky Hill's conduct cost the people closest to the case, and whether three years of reflection have altered what she is prepared to testify to at a second trial. The retrial's outcome may depend significantly on whether witnesses like Simpson present more forcefully under fair conditions than they did under compromised ones.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#AlexMurdaugh #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #BlancaSimpson #JenniferCoffindaffe

Dr. Phil sits down with Jim Griffin, attorney for disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, after a shocking court decision overturned Murdaugh's double murder conviction in the killings of his wife Maggie and son Paul. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Murdaugh did not receive a fair trial, citing improper jury influence and misconduct involving former court clerk Becky Hill — a dramatic development that has reignited national debate over one of America's most notorious murder cases. Now, Griffin joins Dr. Phil to break down the stunning reversal, the allegations of jury tampering, and why the defense believes the original verdict was deeply flawed. Dr. Phil presses Griffin on the evidence against Murdaugh, the public outrage surrounding the case, and what comes next as prosecutors prepare for a possible retrial. Could Alex Murdaugh really get another chance in court? And after everything the public has heard, is a fair trial even possible anymore?This episode is brought to you by TempraMed: Dr. Phil uncovers the hidden dangers tied to today's explosion of at-home injections — from insulin and GLP-1s to life-saving emergency medications. To learn more about TempraMed, visit : https://tempramed.com/This episode is brought to you by: Get up to $20,000 in FREE Gold & Silver with a qualified purchase. Text ASKPHIL to 50505 or visit https://DrPhilgold.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Alex Murdaugh murder case has been reset to zero, and the reason is a lesson in how fragile a conviction can be. On a unanimous vote, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's double-murder convictions and ordered a new trial, finding that the Colleton County clerk of court improperly influenced the jury — in the court's words, placing her fingers on the scales of justice. Murdaugh is not going home; he remains in prison on a separate 27-year state sentence and a 40-year federal sentence for financial crimes. But on the murders, the state is back to square one.Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins Tony Brueski for a precise look at what this ruling means. The attorney general has vowed to retry the case as soon as possible. That raises real procedural questions: what changes the second time around, how much of Murdaugh's financial wrongdoing a new jury will be allowed to hear, and whether the original investigation's focus on a single suspect can withstand a fresh defense built on reasonable doubt.Coffindaffer explains how an external-influence finding unwinds a verdict, what a remand for a new trial actually triggers, and how prosecutors rebuild a case they thought they'd already won. This is the segment for listeners who want the legal mechanics laid out cleanly.A jury convicted Alex Murdaugh once. A court has now said that verdict can't stand. Listen for what happens when one of the most-watched murder cases in the country has to be tried all over again.Footer Links:Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimer:This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags: #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughMurders #TrueCrime #SouthCarolina #NewTrial #BeckyHill #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #TrueCrimeCommunity #LegalAnalysis

From the Patreon Archives:By now, you've probably heard that Alex Murdaugh has been granted a new trial. We're bringing you a full breakdown of the South Carolina Supreme Court decision later this week, as well as a look into the civil lawsuit he filed against the woman responsible for depriving him of his constitutional right. But first, we want to set the scene with this True Crime Headlines segment from the Patreon archives. It was recorded back when the first Murdaugh verdict came in. A peak back into what we thought would happen in 2023 -- and what we didn't know was happening behind the scenes.Before we bring you our appeal coverage later this week, dig into this. For a real treat, you can also head back to episodes 151-153 to hear our early EARLY coverage when we weren't even sure Alex was the one who did it. And now with his murder conviction vacated and his attorneys claiming new evidence points to a third party, we're left with the questions - did he? And will the low country ever see justice served for these heinous crimes?Click here for this week's show notes.Click here to sign up for our Patreon and receive hundreds of hours of bonus content.Please click here to leave a review and tell us what you think of the show.CRIMEWAVE AT SEA 2027 is happening Feb. 8-12, 2027!Tickets on Sale: Feb. 13, 2026Get $100 off your stateroom and a private meet and greet with us!Go to http://crimewaveatsea.com/SINISTERPlease consider supporting the companies that support us!-To explore pet coverage, visit ASPCApetinsurance.com/CREEPY. 

The One With Alec/Alex/Elic Murdow/Murdock/Murdick, Becky with the Okay Hair, and Poot! AKA IN THE MATTER OF ALEX MURDAUGH!   Official Description from Peacock:Alex Murdaugh's double murder conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court due to the clerk of court's "outrageous" behavior. Craig Melvin reports.    Check out our merch at https://adatewithdateline.dashery.com/! We donate all of our proceeds to a different charity every month, including those benefitting human rights, LGBTQIA support, solving cold cases, homeless and shelter animals, domestic violence survivors, disaster relief, cancer research, and more.      Check out our Patreon or Supercast and get instant access to over 80 bonus full length true crime episodes, our monthly livestreams, ad free episodes, Karen Read All About It episodes, and MORE! patreon.com/datedateline datedateline.supercast.com Or gift a Patreon subscription to a friend! https://www.patreon.com/datedateline/gift Kimberly's Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/StitchesBeKrazy   Shopping with our sponsors is an easy way to support our show!   Snack smarter with IQBar! Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners twenty percent off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. To get your twenty percent off, text DATELINE to sixty-four thousand. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.   Go to newspapers.com/truecrime and use promo code DATEWITHDATELINE for 20% off a subscription. Newspapers.com: Because the past always leaves a paper trail.   Let your hair be one less thing to worry about. See visibly thicker, stronger, faster growing hair in 3–6 months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you visit nutrafol.com and enter promo code DATEDATELINE! Upgrade your summer wardrobe with Postmark! Download the Poshmark app and use code datedateline when you sign up to get $10 off your first purchase. Or shop now at poshmark.com/datedateline and get $10 off your first purchase.   To advertise on this podcast please email: ad-sales@libsyn.com   Or go to:  https://advertising.libsyn.com/ADatewithDateline

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D. Baker YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/aBJJaSNLrg0  Following the May 13, 2026, unanimous decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court to overturn Alex Murdaugh's double murder conviction due to improper jury influence by former clerk of court Rebecca "Becky" Hill, the legal battle has intensified with both a pending retrial and a new federal civil rights lawsuit. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced on May 18, 2026, that his office will "aggressively seek to retry" Murdaugh and that all legal options, including the death penalty, are currently being considered. Simultaneously, Murdaugh's defense team filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Hill's actions deprived Murdaugh of his constitutional right to a fair trial for her own personal financial gain, seeking at least $600,000 in compensatory damages to cover the costs of the original defense. While the defense remains optimistic about a future acquittal and intends to explore unexamined evidence—such as unknown male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails—they have clarified that a retrial is unlikely to occur before the end of 2025. RESOURCES Alex Murdaugh Trial - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gK8GOeWkGfi7acMnT-D0zaw Karen Read Civil Lawsuits - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKVEoBmOhzUprvqi3-_6JoZ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Love Murder Current Affairs, Jessie and Andie cover two major updates in cases of love gone fatally wrong: Kouri Richins is sentenced to life without parole for the fentanyl poisoning murder of her husband Eric, and the South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions after finding his trial was tainted by the court clerk's improper comments to jurors.Current Affairs is Love Murder's shorter show about the cases of love gone fatally wrong that are in the news right now.Sources:https://apnews.com/article/fa8c4b159827eef080cfa104a316454chttps://www.ksl.com/article/51496745/watch-live-kouri-richins-sentenced-for-murdering-husband-her-sons-say-they-fear-herhttps://www.wvtm13.com/article/kouri-richins-eric-richins-sentencing/71291050https://www.sccourts.org/media/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/28329.pdfhttps://www.reuters.com/legal/government/south-carolina-lawyers-murder-conviction-overturned-2026-05-13/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/alex-murdaughs-murder-convictions-overturned-in-south-carolina-supreme-court-rulingFind LOVE MURDER online:Website: lovemurder.loveInstagram: @lovemurderpodTwitter: @lovemurderpodFacebook: LoveMrdrPodTikTok: @LoveMurderPodPatreon: /LoveMurderPodCredits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-HoffmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D. Baker YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/OJsFepBhw5E  The South Carolina Supreme Court has officially overturned the murder convictions of Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh and ordered a new trial. This decision stems from findings of egregious jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill during the 2023 trial. Despite this reversal, Murdaugh remains in prison serving a 40-year federal sentence and a 27-year state sentence for financial crimes. Stay informed on the latest developments in the Murdaugh case and other major legal battles. RESOURCES Murdaugh Trial - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gK8GOeWkGfi7acMnT-D0zaw Courthouse Becky Testimony - https://youtu.be/vnUX0njyq4I Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It happened on a Wednesday… Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ break down the 27-page Alex Murdaugh murder conviction reversal that essentially boils down to two words: Blame Becky. They wrestle with the uncomfortable truth that money seems to help a defendant's chances at the state's highest court — while sticking to their belief that the evidence still points to one person who went down to the kennels and lied about it. In a unanimous 5-0 decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Alex Murdaugh's double-murder conviction, ruling that Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill "placed her fingers on the scales of justice."  They also unpack the court's new guardrails on financial-crimes testimony at retrial, including the gutting decision to call Tony Satterfield's words unfairly prejudicial.  Plus: reactions from Eric Bland, Mark Tinsley, AG Alan Wilson, and AG candidate David Pascoe.  Same case. Same evidence. Same liar. Round Two starts now. Let's Dive in…

In a unanimous decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned Alex Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions of murdering his wife and son and ordered a new trial. The justices wrote they had no choice but to make their ruling because the county clerk of court, Rebecca Hill improperly influenced the jury at trial, by suggesting they could not trust Murdaugh’s testimony. South Carolina’s attorney general has vowed to aggressively seek to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible. Murdaugh will not be getting out of prison in the meantime, as he is currently serving 40 years for state and federal financial crimes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.