Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP #13 - ‘A Good Day For Justice’ - What Happened To Gloria Satterfield? Part Three

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Alec Murdoch. I need police and an ambulance immediately. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast, is here. I'm joining Patricia Arquette, Jason Clark, and the cast to uncover all things Murdoch. Family first. To unravel the story piece by piece was really surprising because you don't want to believe it. Murdoch, Death in the Family Official Podcast, Wednesdays. And stream Murdoch, Death in the Family on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.

Starting point is 00:00:29 Terms apply. We just learned authorities took Alec Murdoch into custody in Florida. This morning, Alec Murdoch is again under arrest. Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdoch was arrested in Florida today. The high-profile attorney at the center of a case involving murder, money, and mystery is arrested in Orange County. I don't know if anyone killed Gloria Satterfield, but I know that there is a paper trail of evidence showing how Elik Murdoch was likely the mastermind behind a dispelior. plan to steal millions of dollars from her sons. And this week, Elyke Murdoch was arrested on two charges related to that scheme. My name is Mandy Matney. I have been investigating the Murdoch

Starting point is 00:01:17 family for more than two and a half years now. And this is the Murdoch Murdoch's podcast. On the morning of October 14th, agents with the South Carolina law enforcement division, also known as Sled, arrested Ehrlich Murdoch and charged him in relation to the court. And charged him in relation to the glorious Satterfield case. And please go back and listen to part one and two of the Gloria Satterfield case before this one. It'll make a lot more sense. Murdoch was charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. According to a statement from SLED, the charges stem from a SLED investigation into millions of dollars of misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Gloria Satterfield.

Starting point is 00:02:18 Here is David reading Sled Chief Mark Keel's statement from that day. Today is merely one step but a long process for justice for the many victims in these investigations. I want to commend the hard work and dedication that our agents have shown over the last four months, said Sled Chief Mark Keel. They will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of those who are victimized by Alec Murdoch and others. As I have said previously, we are committed to following the facts wherever they may lead us, and we will not stop. until justice is served.

Starting point is 00:02:50 Agents arrested Elic Murdoch after he was released from a Florida rehab facility for his alleged drug addiction. According to sources, close to the situation, Murdoch detoxed at a facility in Atlanta, Georgia, and then transferred to a facility in Orlando where he was scheduled to be released Thursday, October 14th, which is the day that he was arrested. On Thursday night, after a long day for the both of us, I called Eric Bland to get his reaction. Um, relieved, both professionally and personally, relieved, um, because I think it's good for the legal system. I think that our entire legal system and how we're approaching this is, you know, the eyes of the nation are watching. And so I applauded earlier, Sled's decision and obviously the AG's decision to bring these charges.

Starting point is 00:03:45 I talked with Chief Keel, and I think that I was, you know, able to articulate that a rifle shot now is better than a shotgun blast and trying to charge him with everything under the sun at once. You know, this is a good opportunity to build a case on a case so that they obviously can bring more charges. It disappointed me that he was only charged with two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses because there were. three checks that he received, totaling over $3.5 million. So I think that they missed the boat and only charging them with two counts. But it's the start, and obviously they'll bring additional charges as the investigation unfolds. So I was relieved professionally as a lawyer that I think our system again was stretched, but it didn't break. Today was a good day for justice. Eric Flann said he was also relieved for his two clients, Gloria Satterfield's two sons,

Starting point is 00:04:49 Brian Harriet and Tony Satterfield. And then personally, for my clients, I think that it was rewarding for them to be able to see that victims do count and that a man that they had revered and had great respect for and viewed his family, will have to start being accountable for his actions. I think that it was a good day for our state, definitely a good day for our state, because a lot of questions were being asked on how this guy can, you know, remain free. When for two weeks now, we have essentially proved a crime. The only thing we haven't proved is where the money has gone,

Starting point is 00:05:23 but that's not the crime he's charged with. He's charged with stealing the money, not whether he gave it to a charity or he used it to buy drugs or a property or whatever. Eric Bland believes that more charges will be filed against Elyke Murdoch in the near future. and some of those charges could be federal. On Thursday, Fitznews reported on efforts from Murdoch's attorneys Dick Harpoutian and Jim Griffin to negotiate a backdoor plea deal with federal prosecutors in the hopes of keeping Alex Murdoch out of state prison and landing him in the more comfortable prison known as Club Fed.

Starting point is 00:06:02 I absolutely believe that before this is over with, the federal government will bring charges and it'll have to be a determination on who actually goes forward. But I do believe he's going to get charged with a whole host of mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit fraud and failure to file income taxes. So this is just the beginning, and that's just one of many cases that and many investigations. Well, I can't speak to the other stuff. Yeah. Certainly Jim Griffin is speaking to it. Which, by the way, if you missed it, earlier this week, Jim Griffin dropped another strange bomb in this story.

Starting point is 00:06:50 And during an interview with Fox Carolina journalist Cody Alcorn, Jim Griffin admitted to him within the first minute that his client is a person of interest in the double homicide case. Granted news has been reporting that Ehrlich is a person of interest ever since the week of the double homicide. homicide. But before this week, no single person has gone on the record and admitted that Ehrlich is a person of interest in the double homicide. It's very weird for him to say that. Last week, Eric Land published a bombshell motion that appears to show evidence stacked up against Ehrlich, his two friends, Corey Fleming, and Chad Wessendorf, and his law firm. Peters Murdoch, Parker, Ellsworth, and Diedrich, also known as PMPED and Fleming's law firm Moss, Kuhn, and Fleming for their alleged roles in the disgraceful

Starting point is 00:07:51 $4.3 million secret settlement for Gloria Satterfield, which was signed by Judge Carmen Mullen. So Blan also told me on Thursday night that he thinks that other co-conspirators could be charged in this as well. I don't think he's going to be the only one. I don't believe that they're not looking at others, potentially people at the bank and his law firm and everywhere else. I think everything is on the table. And as I said to you, I think Alex is going to squeal like a stuck pig. That's his only currency that he has left. I just think that he knows too much.

Starting point is 00:08:29 In the last two weeks, Corey Fleming has been suspended from practicing law, and Elik Mardock has been charged with two felonies. But what about Chad Wessendorf? Chad Wessendorf and the bank that he works for, Palmetto State Bank, are accused of doing a lot of wrong things here. Here's Eric Bland again. And people are starting to be held accountable. Last week it was Corey, Fleming,

Starting point is 00:08:53 losing his license temporarily. This week it's Alec, who is being arrested, and hopefully we'll be able to persuade with the power of the people that come at a bank needs to disassociate from Chad Westendorf, and the Independent Banking Association needs to do that as well. Documents filed this week show how

Starting point is 00:09:12 Westendorf and Palmetto State Bank allegedly played important roles in the scheme. As a personal representative of an estate, Westendorf was in charge of managing the money of the estate and distributing the checks from the settlement. He was also obligated to fulfill his duties as an officer of the court. Westendorf is still the vice president of Palmetto State Bank, and he's the president of the independent banks of South Carolina. Neither one of these institutions held him accountable for his alleged role in this scheme. And Bland also wants PMP, E.D, the Murdoch Law firm, to own up to their alleged involvement in this case as well. The law firm needs to treat the Satterfields, the Murdoch firm, exactly how they treated their other clients who were

Starting point is 00:10:00 victims of Alex's fraud. You know, they were quick to tell everybody in early September, we made everybody whole immediately. Well, I want to see if they treat Gloria Satterfield the same way. And then the banks, that's going to be the object of our affection going forward to banks. Bland told me that his clients are feeling tremendous betrayal from Elyke Murdoch, and they want answers about their mother's death. The Satterfield family was told that Gloria tripped on the steps at the Murdoch's home on February 2, 2018. They were told that the Murdoch's dog tripped her, which resulted in sustaining a traumatic brain injury.

Starting point is 00:10:40 But despite some documents stating that the accident took place in Hampton, South Carolina, the incident allegedly took place at the Moselle property in Colleton County, the same property where Maggie and Paul were murdered on June 7, 2021. On September 15th, Sled opened up an investigation into both Satterfield's death and her death settlement. This is due to several inconsistencies in the case, including the fact that her death certificate said that she died of natural. causes, which did not add up to any of the documents in the lawsuit, which said that she fell. It's a tremendous betrayal, they're feeling, and then they went to, well, geez, they want to know, they want to believe that their mother died accidentally. They don't want to have to live with the

Starting point is 00:11:28 thought, nor does the family, that their mother or sister was murdered. So they, they believe explanation that the dogs caused the fall. And then today, it was a start of the story. And then today, it was a dark reality that this is a really bad person. Alex Murdox are really, really, really. That's the bottom line. And that's a tough pill to swallow when you, you know, seen this man walk around town like he's the cock of the walk. Yeah. There's no, there's no bottom to him. So many dominoes have fallen in this case in the last month. But none of them would have fallen if it wasn't for glorious sons, Brian and Tony in their bravery and stepping forward and going to a lawyer after they've been betrayed all of these years in early September and telling the lawyer that

Starting point is 00:12:30 something went wrong with their mom's settlement and they needed help and that lawyer referred them to Eric Bland. It's gone from, how do we even question Alex? Okay, we'll go to a lawyer. We'll ask the hard questions. Hopefully we get answers. he'll give us our money to we didn't get answers we had to sue then we find then we find out the fraud and we have to actually tell them your money's gone it actually was stolen by the guy that you revered and everybody that you thought was representing you and you trusted from the law firm of corey fleming to the law firm of the murdoch firm and to the PR everybody let you down including the judge you know including the judge let them down.

Starting point is 00:13:24 In all of those steps that Brian, Tony, Eric, and Ronald have taken to expose the truth in this case led to Thursday to Elyke Murdoch being in handcuffs. For the second time in two months, Alec Murdoch is set to appear in court for another bond hearing, but this time could be different. This time will be in Richland County, where the South Carolina State Capitol is, and it will be in front of a real judge who actually has a law degree. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman will preside over Ehrlich's bond hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday that would be October 19th at the Richland County Courthouse. The last time Ehrlich faced a bond hearing, it was in his home court of Hampton County in front of a magistrate judge, who allegedly had close ties to the Murdoch family. The last time, Ehrlich was given a very low bond and wasn't required to wear a GPS monitor. Bond is typically determined by factors such as flight risk, whether or not the person is a danger to the community, the severity of the charges and community ties, among other factors.

Starting point is 00:14:29 If Ehrlich actually has to pay his bond this time, the last time it was a personal recognizance bond, which means he didn't have to pay anything. And it'll be interesting to see what happens, especially considering his attorney Dick Harpay-Land has said that his client is broke. Either way, Ehrlich Murdoch, whose powerful family ran the prosecutor's office in the low country for nearly a century, is going to have to spend a week. in jail for the first time in his life. And that is a big deal. Eleg Murdoch has two of the most expensive defense attorneys in the state.

Starting point is 00:15:15 Whether or not they're the best is up for debate. But there are two of the most expensive and prominent defense attorneys in the state of South Carolina. So I asked Bland if he thinks Elex defense attorneys can actually get him out of this. No way. No, there isn't a lawyer. F. Lee Bailey, Johnny Cochran, both from the grave, Vic Harpoohley and Jack Swirling,

Starting point is 00:15:41 Joe McCullough, Pete Strom, and Jim Griffin could have their best days, and they don't have a chance of getting this guy off. We have him tattooed, locked stock, and smoking barrels on this. Unless a judge just says, well, you can steal 3.6 million and I'll give you a slap on the wrist. I don't believe that's going to happen. I don't believe that our judges are going to let.

Starting point is 00:16:04 that happened. He's gotten too many lucky breaks. When the trial of how this happened comes out about secret settlements and people were taking his name off the caption and nothing filed with the court. And then he somehow is the defendant who pays the money and ends up with the money? No. Yeah. Now, I think the virtue in hiring Dick and Jim or anybody else is what kind of deal? can they cut for him if he sings like a canary? Before we end this episode, I want to tell y'all about a fabulous event coming up in Columbia,

Starting point is 00:16:47 South Carolina this month. On October 30th, a fundraiser will be held for the Stephen Smith family at the Capitol Club in Columbia. Proceeds will go to Sandy Smith's legal expenses and a scholarship fund in Stevens name. I will be there. Cody Alcorn of Fox Carolina News will be emceeing. Check for links in the description, and you can don't. donate to the GoFundMe. And I will be writing about this event in the next couple weeks,

Starting point is 00:17:10 so stay tuned for that. There's so much to unpack in this case, and Mandy works tirelessly to expose the truth. But the truth is, she works hard and she does get tired. If you believe, like I do, that Mandy is the best in the business, and I'm a little biased, visit Murdochmurterspodcast.com and click the support the show link to learn how you can help. Leave a five-star review to offset the haters. Refer an advertiser and get a finder's fee. Or advertise your company product or service. We can geotarget across the globe and find the right audience to suit your needs. Help us get Luna some treats so she doesn't interrupt the show as much.

Starting point is 00:17:49 And absolutely subscribe and your subscriptions are invaluable to that mission. Plus, you get awesome content every day. Or follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com slash Mandy M-A-N-D-Y, Matney, M-A-T-N-E-Y. and don't forget to leave a five-star review unless you're going to be nasty and talk about my vocal fry. The Murdoch Murder's podcast is created by me, Mandy Matney, and my fiance, David Moses. Produced by Luna Shark Productions.

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP #13 - ‘A Good Day For Justice’ - What Happened To Gloria Satterfield? Part Three

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