Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP Remastered #13 - What Happened To Gloria Satterfield? Part Three

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Alec Murdoch. I need police in 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. Hello and welcome back to the remastered Murdoch murders podcast. This is your faithful producer, David Moses. And today, I'm looking back to the fall of 2021. I had committed to helping two charity groups, the 200 Club of the Coastal Empire, and the Low Country Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes, present a charity Polo match to raise money. We welcomed about 2,000 people to that event and raised thousands of dollars for their causes. But obviously, there was a ton of work to do for that and a ton of work to do

Starting point is 00:01:14 for the podcast. So stressful doesn't quite capture the tone of that time, for me at least. But one of the cool bits of that time and that event was that one of the silent auction items was lunch with Mandy and me. It was a chance for our listeners to ask anything about the Murdoch case or the podcast. It was surreal when that item sold for quite a hefty sum. And by that point, people were following the story nationally. But a lot of those followers were located in the low country for obvious reasons. And we saw so many of them at that Polo for Heroes event. And they genuinely wanted to understand how deep the corruption went, and it reminded us why we were doing this. So, stressful, yes, but also somewhat empowering.

Starting point is 00:02:09 What struck me most about the people we met at that event was how informed and compassionate they were. They weren't just fascinated by the scandal. They cared about the victims. And that lunch with Mandy's adoring fans was not about gossip. It was about community accountability. Fast forwarding to today, certain actors in this saga, like Chad Westendorf, were part of a system that depended on plausible deniability. His name was on documents, but the machine protected him. He wasn't

Starting point is 00:02:43 loud, he wasn't flashy. He just did what was asked of him. That quiet complicity is exactly how institutional corruption survives. He had the benefit of proximity to power, but enough distance to avoid the headlines. It's frustrating because justice should mean everyone who participated in these frauds should face consequences, not just the most visible players. Throughout this case, we are thankful to have witnessed rare moments of accountability. Alex Murdoch was arrested and charged for defrauding Gloria Satterfield's sons, and he admitted to that guilt in a variety of courtroom settings.

Starting point is 00:03:26 As did Corey Fleming and Russell Lafitte, the bank president. But looking back, it symbolizes the long arc of justice. Every arrest, every indictment, every truth that came out after this episode, all of it began with ordinary people demanding fairness in a system built to protect the powerful. Even years later, it's still a good day for justice when victims' voices are heard. and when good people act to do something about it. Here's MMP 13, A Good Day for Justice. What Happened to Glorious Adderfield, Part 3.

Starting point is 00:04:10 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 Ehrlich Murdoch was likely the mastermind

Starting point is 00:04:43 behind a despicable plan to steal millions of dollars from her sons. In this week, Ehrlich Murdoch was arrested on two charges related to that scheme. My name is Mandy Matney. I have been investigating the Murdoch family for more than two and a half years now. And this is the Murdoch Murders podcast. On the morning of October 14th, agents with the South Carolina law enforcement, division, also known as SLED, arrested Elic Murdoch and charged him in relation to the Glorious Satterfield case. And please go back and listen to part one and two of the glorious

Starting point is 00:05:35 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. Here is David reading Sled Chief Mark Keel's statement from that day. Today is merely one step in 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.

Starting point is 00:06:16 They will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of those who were 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. Agents arrested Elyke 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.

Starting point is 00:06:52 On Thursday night, after a long day for the both of us, I called Eric Bland to get his reaction. Relieved, both professionally and personally, relieved, 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, I applauded. Obviously, the AG's decision to bring these charges. 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 pretences

Starting point is 00:07:54 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 Land said he was also relieved for his two clients, Gloria Satterfield's two sons, Ryan Harriet and Tony Satterfield.

Starting point is 00:08:31 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, 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 Land believes that more charges will be filed against Alec Murdoch in the near future, and some of those charges could be federal.

Starting point is 00:09:23 On Thursday, Fitznews reported on efforts from Murdoch's attorneys Dick Harputlian 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. 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 of one of many cases that and many investigations

Starting point is 00:10:17 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 and during an interview with Fox Carolina journalist Cody Elkhorn 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 ELEC is a person of interest ever since the week of the double homicide. But before this week, no single person has gone on the record and admitted that ELEC is a person

Starting point is 00:10:58 of interest in the double homicide. It's very weird for him to say that. Last week, Eric Bland published a bombshell motion that appears to show evidence stacked up against Elyke Murdoch, his two friends, Corey Fleming, and Chad Wessendorf, and his law firm. Peters, Murdoch, Parker, Ellsworth, and Diedrich, also known as PMP, ED, and Fleming's law firm, Moss, Coon, and Fleming for their alleged roles in the disgraceful $4.3 million secret settlement for Gloria Satterfield, which was signed by Judge Carmen Mullen. Soblan 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 bag 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.

Starting point is 00:12:02 That's his only currency that he has left. I just think that he knows too much. In the last two weeks, Corey Fleming has been suspended from practicing law and Alec 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, 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

Starting point is 00:12:42 Calmeda Bank needs to disassociate from Chad Wessendorf and the Independent Banking Association. needs to do that as well. Documents filed this week show how 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

Starting point is 00:13:16 independent banks of South Carolina. Neither one of these institutions held them accountable for his alleged role in this scheme. And Blan also wants PMPED, 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 victims of Alex's fraud. You know, they were quick to tell everybody in early September, we made everybody whole

Starting point is 00:13:46 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. Blan 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. 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

Starting point is 00:14:32 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 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 believe that their mother died accidentally. They don't want to have to live with the thought, nor does the family, that their mother or sister was murdered. So they believe the, the, explanation that the dogs caused

Starting point is 00:15:18 the fall. And then today it was this dark reality that this is a really bad person. Alex Murdoch's a really, really, really bad person. That's the bottom line. And that's a tough pill to swallow

Starting point is 00:15:35 when you, you know, have seen this man walk around town like he's the cock of the walk. He's just a really bad person. 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

Starting point is 00:16:03 after they've been betrayed all of these years in early September and telling the lawyer that something went wrong with their mom's settlement and they needed help. And that lawyer referred them to Eric Blan. It's gone from How do we even question Alex Okay, we'll go to a lawyer We'll ask the hard questions

Starting point is 00:16:26 Hopefully we get answers He'll give us our money To we didn't get answers We had to sue 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

Starting point is 00:16:41 And everybody that you thought Was representing you and you trust 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. In all of those steps that Brian, Tony, Eric, and Ronald have taken to expose the truth in this case led to Thursday to Ehrlich 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,

Starting point is 00:17:29 and it will be in front of a real judge who actually has a law degree. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman will preside over Alex'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. 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 00:18:08 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, Elyke Murdoch, whose powerful family ran the prosecutor's office in the low country for nearly a century, is going to have to spend a weekend in jail for the first time in his life. And that is a big deal. ELEC Murdoch has two of the most expensive defense attorneys in the state. Whether or not they're the best is up for debate.

Starting point is 00:18:57 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. Dick Harpoohley and Jack Swirling, 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.

Starting point is 00:19:32 Unless the 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. 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's things like a canary? Before we end this episode, I want to tell y'all about a fabulous event coming up in Columbia, South Carolina this month. On October 30th, a fundraiser will be held for the Stephen Smith family at the Capitol Club in Columbia.

Starting point is 00:20:33 Proceeds will go to Sandy Smith's legal expenses and a scholarship fund in Stephen's name. I will be there. Cody Alcorn of Fox Carolina News will be emceeing. for links in the description and you can donate to the GoFundMe and I will be writing about this event in the next couple weeks. 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 find

Starting point is 00:21:12 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. 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-M-A-T-N-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.

Starting point is 00:21:55 Produced by Luna Shark Productions. original series, Murdoch Death in the Family, portrayed characters from this story so incredibly well, and getting the chance to interview showrunner Michael D. Fuller, Britney Snow, who plays Mandy, and Johnny Burchdold, who portrays Paul, was surreal to say the least. They each bring so much to their portrayals, and next week, the official companion podcast highlights Kathleen Wilhoit's role as Gloria. The series and the podcast captures that delicate tension between vindication and heartbreak that we experienced in life so vividly. Brittany Snow's Mandy radiates the exhaustion and emotional gravity of fighting for truth in real time, while Jason Clark's Alec embodies the

Starting point is 00:23:00 unraveling facade of power. What I loved about this adaptation is how it translates Mandy's journalistic grit into cinematic empathy. The audience feels what it was like to chase justice while the world was crumbling around us. A good day for justice wasn't just a quote by our friend Eric Bland and it wasn't about celebration. It was about relief. It was the first time the system showed signs of working like we're told it's supposed to. And Hulu's portrayal gets that exactly right. It's not triumph, it's persistence. It's being pesky, as Mandy says. And that's what keeps the story and the real people lost to tragedy alive in our hearts and minds. Stay tuned. We're just getting started.

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - MMP Remastered #13 - What Happened To Gloria Satterfield? Part Three

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