Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #149 [Part Two] - Alex Murdaugh Madness 2.0: Suing the Hand That Got Him A New Trial + Death Penalty On The Table?

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. I don't know how long it will take before Ehrlich Murdoch faces trial again for the murders of his wife and son. But his lawyers, Dick and Jim, have officially launched their round two media tour, and the circus is back in town, y'all. My name is Manny Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murdoch Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Lunar Shark production written with journalist Liz Farrell. So as everyone on the planet is aware, Murdoch Madness is in full swing again

Starting point is 00:01:16 after the Supreme Court overturned Ehrlich Murdoch's conviction on May 13th. And we have so much to tell you about that today. But before we get into that, I want to briefly talk about something I feel is directly related. the full-fledged attack launched by Shady South Carolina lawyers to silence me and end the work that we do to expose crime and corruption on this podcast. As y'all know, I am currently in the middle of a highly unique legal warfare

Starting point is 00:01:50 where Greg Parker's attorneys Deborah Barbier and Mark Moore, you know, Elyke Mardock's only convicted co-conspirators' attorneys, well, they are trying their best to hold. hold me in contempt of court to discredit my reputation as a journalist and to force me to pay Greg Parker the alleged billionaires, astronomical legal bills in hopes to destroy Lunashark Media and ultimately silence the voices on our podcast that have held countless corrupt individuals in this state to account. I am arguing that what has taken place in the Beach v. Parker case is an unacceptable campaign that could set a dangerous precedent to allow any defense attorney

Starting point is 00:02:39 to use the power of the subpoena and the public index to distress, harass, defame, attack, and demean any journalist who dares to expose the truth about them and their clients. I told you all about what happened in court on Friday in Cup of Justice, episodes 179 and 180. So please listen to that. But I didn't tell y'all that after the hearing, a South Carolina defense attorney named Bert von Herman proved my point with his horrifically defamatory and degrading Facebook post about me. I don't want to read it.

Starting point is 00:03:17 It's on my Facebook and my Instagram page linked in the description for you all to share. But he fat shamed me and said I was a career-ruining liar who should not be trusted. The thing is that, Bird's beef with me is really obvious. He represented Brandon Strickland, you know, the former Ory County Chief Deputy, who we properly exposed on this podcast for his completely inappropriate involvement in the Scotsby investigation. Brandon no longer has a job in law enforcement and is allegedly being investigated by a grand jury in the Scott Spivey case. We are anxiously awaiting the outcome of that case, by the way.

Starting point is 00:04:02 Long story short, before old Bert Dirty deleted his unhinged Facebook post calling me a hippo non-journalist, several people sent me screenshots that I posted to my social media accounts, along with his contact information listed on his website. I did this because I know this was not the first time Bert von Herman has ever fat-shed deemed, demeaned, and defamed a woman who intimidated him. But I want it to be the last time he does it with such confidence. I want him to, at the very least, hesitate the next time he considers humiliating and disrespecting a woman. And yes, in addition to the damning ODC complaint I am filing about him,

Starting point is 00:04:50 I shamed him for his actions on social media and I asked the internet to join, which they did. And then on Wednesday, and of course it was a Wednesday, Bert posted a pathetic non-apology on his Facebook that was full of excuses and proved my point yet again. He blamed his unhinged fat-shaming tirade on his frustration with, quote, the misuse of podcast. Yes, misuse of podcasts. Meaning, he thinks I apparently misused the power I have generated from the podcast I have created with the company my husband and I built from the ground up through our journalistic work made by our team with the resources I paid for.

Starting point is 00:05:42 How dare me misuse my own podcast according to a poster good old boy who represents everything we stand against. Burt did not mean it, but he was complimenting the work we do on this podcast by saying that it is a good thing that unhinged defense attorneys like Burt believe deep down that we have just as much power as elected officials, and therefore that power should be regulated by the government, like misuse of office, I think is what he was getting at. Burt's appalling social media posts about me reminded me of all the other eye-twitching times attorneys in this state have lashed out at me in inappropriate ways that are apparently

Starting point is 00:06:27 reportable to the ODC. When Dick Harputlian made a sexist comment about me in court, when Jim Griffin weirdly tweeted me wagering a bottle of rum about Elyx Roadside shooting incident, and when Debra Bambier screamed at me in court for, wearing a bathing suit in my own backyard. This unacceptable behavior from South Carolina attorneys has made something abundantly clear to me that the work we do on this podcast is deeply consequential

Starting point is 00:06:58 and necessary in today's media. We use the power of our microphones and your speakers to say the things no one else will, and that is clearly terrifying to the good old boys who are used to controlling the narrative with no pushback. So let's get into it today by doing just that

Starting point is 00:07:18 with the case that started it all, Murdoch. On the day that South Carolina's Supreme Court published its opinion unanimously overturning Ehrlich Murdoch's murder conviction, a press release was sent out on Dick Harputlian's and Jim Griffin's behalf,

Starting point is 00:07:35 with a statement celebrating their win. And as usual, like old times, really, there was a line that at first glance seemed merely informative, but that we immediately clocked as foreshadowing. Here's David with that statement again, which we shared with you in True Sunlight 148. The Supreme Court's decision today affirms that the rule of law

Starting point is 00:07:58 remains strong in South Carolina. The court found that Becky Hill's conduct during the trial attacked Alex Murdoch's credibility and defense. The court rightly described her conduct as breathtaking. disgraceful and unprecedented in South Carolina. We respect the decision that made clear that the retrial must look very different from the first. The initial jury heard more than 12 hours of testimony about Alex's financial crimes. The court held that this evidence went far beyond what was necessary and gave rise to unfair prejudice. On retrial, that will not be permitted. Alex has said from day one

Starting point is 00:08:43 that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this court has provided. Dick and Jim will not be available for interviews until tomorrow. Dick and Jim will not be available for interviews until tomorrow. Huh. So on the biggest day of their professional lives, when they had just scored their most significant and,

Starting point is 00:09:13 only win in what is the most notorious case in South Carolina, one that had threatened to ruin Dick's legacy, a win that Dick says has never happened in his career before. They were off somewhere, possibly together, doing something, possibly together, that kept them from speaking to the press. Dick and Jim, too busy to speak to the media. Yeah, okay. That's like saying that babies are too tied up with meetings to soil their diapers. So the Supreme Court published the opinion around 10 a.m. May 13th. And as you all know, it was not a surprise to us. At the end of April, we had heard rumors and we were able to confirm with a good source that the decision was coming any day now and it was going to be five to zero in favor of overturning Eleg's conviction. But the opinion

Starting point is 00:10:04 didn't get published any day now. It wasn't published for another two weeks. Now, you know, if we were hearing rumors about the ruling. Us, Liz and Mandy, the two people way outside the Friends of Dick and Jim Media Circle. Then Dick and Jim also knew this was coming because, duh, which means they had at least, at the very least, the very, very least. The two weeks between when we first heard about it and reported on it and May 13th when it was finally announced, which gave them plenty of time to strategize on their rollout. Plenty of time to maximize their plan to manipulate the media.

Starting point is 00:10:42 Plenty of time to plan what the questions might be and what the answers from them should be. Plenty of time to develop a social media strategy. Plenty of time to get their secret squirrel club of true sunlight haters activated and excited and posting comments about jury tampering with little side-eye emojis like they've done something important. And plenty of time for squirrel babbling about a blitz that's going to have Mandy and Liz calling the EMTs, as one squirrel member put it online. Plenty of time, and yet they still came off like double-ended doofuses. This past week and a half has marked the full return of the Elek Murdoch circus.

Starting point is 00:11:19 And though it's still sinking in over here that this is all happening again, it's like, I don't know, what are those sayings? It's like riding a bicycle, putting on an old pair of slippers, like a hug from an old friend. Yeah, none of those work. It's more like putting on a wet bathing suit, jeans that were left out to air dry, a PMPED polo shirt from the lost and found box at the Trial Lawyers Association meeting, and bowling shoes that are so gross, they're no longer rentable. But we're okay, we're okay, we got this. And there's so much to talk about already.

Starting point is 00:11:58 For this episode, we have to discuss all the latest and break down what happened at Dick and Jim's press conference Monday, where they announced. Alex's lawsuit against former Colleton County clerk of court, Becky Hill. Yes, Alec Murdoch is suing the woman he should be thanking for giving him the gift of a new trial. And the judge appointed to the case is, of course, Judge Richard Gergel, who reportedly has a long and close relationship with Ellick's defense attorney Dick Harputtlian, which we will dive into another day. Needless to say, the Murdoch Circus is back in town. So with all these updates to keep straight, we made a list of 10 clues from Dick and Jim that tell us round two of Murdoch madness will be equally chaotic. Number one, Dick and Jim are back on tour, y'all, showing the world how many headlines they can commandeer.

Starting point is 00:12:59 Here's David with just a partial list of appearances. An exclusive on the Today Show with Craig Melvin, Dateline, Fox and Friends, crime fix with Anjanette Levy on Law and Crime, WISTV with Judy Gatson, WCNC and Charlotte, ABC News with Kyra Phillips, Inside Edition with Eva Pilgrim, The Lawyer You Know podcast, criminally obsessed with Anne Emerson, We Can Review with Fitz News, WL, L, TX-19 with J. R. Barry.

Starting point is 00:13:36 Good Day, Columbia with Frandy Clavard, crime junkie with Brianna Whitney, and Nick Reagan News. As Liz said, Jim's bowtie looked down in the dumps, like it was depressed over having to hear Dick Harpoonian say armpit temperature again. Number two. Speaking of armpit temperature, it's been three years, but Dick and Jim, are still saying the same old things. The armpit temperature, of course, is a reference to the Colleton County coroner at the time,

Starting point is 00:14:10 who testified as part of the defense's case, that he put his fingers under Maggie's armpit to determine what stage of postmortem she was in. Dick, of course, says this differently. He says it as if the coroner were trying to take Maggie's actual temperature with his fingers. And I'm not going to defend the technique because, come on now, but this is important because It's broadcast what Team Murdoch might plan to focus on in the next trial, and that's to put as much distance between Elyke being at the dog kennels that night and the time Maggie and Paul were killed. In their interviews, Dick and Jim have talked about there being spotty cell service at Moselle,

Starting point is 00:14:47 claiming that the state can't possibly say that the time of death is shortly after Maggie and Paul both stopped using their phones and therefore just minutes for when Ehrlich appeared on the video at the kennels, where he insisted for years he had not been at all. So get ready for a whole lot of that. No weapons, no DNA, no fingerprints, no blood, no ballistics. Oh, and no motive, which, not this again. What is it Dick keeps saying in his interviews? Uh, oh yeah, this case has more holes than Swiss cheese. That's a favorite. If there are holes in the cheese, Dick, it's not because it's Swiss. It's because ELEC's rats have been nibbling away at the case for the past three years in anticipation of this moment here. Number three, there are also new arguments.

Starting point is 00:15:36 For one, Dick and Jim say Ehrlich was convicted because of the financial crimes, which is funny. Because for two years, we've had to listen to them say that ELEC was only convicted because of Becky Hill. Hmm. And, oh, Dick appears to have a new story about how they learned. about Becky Hill's comments to the jury. Instead of it being because Becky's book caused Juror Z to speak up in the summer of 2023, instead of it being Team Murdoch went door to door asking jurors about potential juror misconduct, as Dick said in a press conference in September, 2023, he is now saying

Starting point is 00:16:16 that they got a call from a juror who called them to her trailer, where she had a dog tied up outside and where she was cooking collard greens for her grandchild. He said that, y'all, really living up to his name. Dick said this juror told him, quote, Becky told us how to vote. And that is what prompted them to dig deeper. He said this on Good Day Columbia, and that was new for us, which raises questions about the whole story. And it's this story that could not and would not exist with

Starting point is 00:16:52 about Elyke Murdoch's ability to pay Dick and Jim to go this hard in building the semblance of a jury tampering scenario. Other things, apparently, they say, Maggie was recording a video or trying to record a video on her phone right before she was killed. And ostensibly, after Ehrlich says he left the Kennels area? Huh. Dick told Fox and friends that there's technical evidence that Elyke wasn't at Moe-Zell when they were murdered. And they keep hinting at third parties, which is a very funny phrase for them to use.

Starting point is 00:17:28 A third party murderer? Huh. Who was the first party murderer? I mean, the state says Ehrlich, but surely, you're not saying he got help there, are you? And we'll be right back. Right now, news and politics are moving awfully fast. It can feel overwhelming, to say the least. I'm Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker. On the political scene podcast, we slow things down to understand how power really operates in Washington, D.C., and what it means for you. My co-hosts, Jane Mayer and Susan Glasser and I have decades of reporting experience. And every Friday, we have conversations with insiders and experts to understand the forces remaking America. Join us Fridays for the Washington Roundtable from the political scene.

Starting point is 00:18:27 On Mondays and Wednesdays, you can also hear insightful episodes from our New Yorker colleagues, David Remnick and Tyler Foggett. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Number four, there's already been a press conference and a new chaotic lawsuit. It's funny looking back at Monday morning right before we recorded a cup of justice with Eric Bland. When we learned that Dick and Jim would be holding a press conference that afternoon, we were so innocent back then. If you could see it, you would laugh. Oh, I wonder what they could possibly have to say that hasn't been said after all these TV appearances.

Starting point is 00:19:07 Oh, little did we know. But also, this should have been foreseeable. These boys were ready with this. Supreme Court overturns the conviction. Boom. Go on every show ever to exist in the history of shows to assert that Eilke Murdoch is innocent. Boom.

Starting point is 00:19:22 Make sure to mention over and over and over in the TV interviews that Becky had her thumb on the scale of justice. Call it jury tampering. Boom. Sue Becky. A boom. Let's talk about that press conference, though. Starting with Dick Harputtling doing what he does every time. And that's making an effort to greet reporters who are friendly to his cause,

Starting point is 00:19:43 like John Monk from the state. The same John Monk, who has written two very hostile and biopically focused stories about Parker's attorney's ongoing legal harassment of Mandy. Stories that multiple readers have noted sound like the ramblings of a jealous ex. John Monk? Where? Welcome back. Hey, John. Good you see you. You made it back along?

Starting point is 00:20:04 I did. I did. I thought I saw wolf folks. Well, hey, doing, buddy. Then Dick Harputlian kicked off his press conference with a few Alan Wilson jabs. Last week, Alan Wilson, sort of surprising everyone, said the death penalty was on the table for Elek this time around. Which, why wasn't it last time? Alan has an answer for that, but listen to Dick as he honors his own nickname. Okay, a couple things.

Starting point is 00:20:37 We have filed a lawsuit today. We're going to discuss that with you just a minute. I'd hope that would have been the main topic of this press conference, but over the weekend we learned that the Attorney General has announced he's considering the death penalty in this case. Clearly, he is not talking to the lawyers in his office. he's probably talking to his political consultants who thought that was a good soundbite for his governor's campaign. The law is clear that he cannot seek the death penalty if it is due to vindictive prosecution.

Starting point is 00:21:12 That is, and here's the question, what does he know today he didn't know five years ago? Why is he saying he's going to seek the death penalty? Is there some new piece of evidence? So we're a little sick and tired, and we've seen this process since the beginning of this case, where Alan Wilson plays politics as opposed to playing prosecutor. He's got great lawyers, great lawyers on his staff. He should listen to them, defer to their judgment. Coincidentally, he has not looked into the attempted jury tampering.

Starting point is 00:21:53 of Becky Hill. We're going to talk about a civil suit in a minute. But clearly the statute says whoever tampers with a jury or attempts to tamper with the jury is guilty of a crime. Judge Toll's fact findings were clear. Becky Hill attempted. The Supreme Court this week, last week, Becky Hill attempted. So please, Alan, focus on your job and not the politics. Number five, Alan Wilson and T. Murdoch are both three. throwing punches in the press, and they are both blaming politics. On Friday, May 15th, Alan Wilson, again, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor right now, told Craig Melvin of NBC News that all options were on the table

Starting point is 00:22:41 for retrying ELEC, including the death penalty. On Monday, after Dick accused Alan of playing politics, Alan released a statement that I will have David Reed. This case is being treated exactly as it should be as a brand new trial. Every legal option is on the table and those discussions are happening as they should happen with the dedicated prosecutors and staff within the Attorney General's office, not as part of some campaign apparatus. In 2022, the legal and practical realities surrounding the death penalty were very different. South Carolina had not carried out an execution in

Starting point is 00:23:23 more than a decade. That has changed, and it is one of several factors that must now be considered as we move forward. What is disappointing is watching Dick Harputlian and Jim Griffin spend their time trashing sled and attacking South Carolina law enforcement instead of treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves. So that answers the why now question. We weren't killing people back then, but we are now, Dick. Oh, and then Ellen went on Fox News where he started off his rebuttal to Team Murdoch's Jabs

Starting point is 00:24:00 by educating viewers on Dick Harputlian's hardcore ties to the Democratic Party. Yeah, that must be what it is, Alan. Dick Harputtian is accusing you of playing politics only because of his allegiance to a party y'all are trying to gerrymander out of existence. And not at all because,

Starting point is 00:24:19 what do you mean the death penalty? Are you double dog, Daring Elek? Because it sounds like you are. I mean, sure, go for it. But also, I'm about to say something I've never said before in my life. And I'm actually not sure I'm capable of saying it, but Dick is right. Ugh, gross. And somebody got me some mouthwash. Alan, why are you making me say vulgar things? Alan Wilson is totally playing politics here. And we know that because Alan reliably does two things when he's playing politics. One, he whips up some reasons to go on TV shows and act like a big tough-tuff,

Starting point is 00:24:58 and two, he starts compulsively doubling down on everything around him. They overturned my team's conviction? Watch this. Death penalty round. Please just focus on getting another conviction, Alan. Oh, and what was that weird thing Dick said about Becky, that she attempted to tamper with a jury? Again, this whole time, we've heard nothing from Team Murdoch but that Becky definitely tampered with a jury.

Starting point is 00:25:25 And now he's saying it was an attempt, as in she wasn't successful? What is happening? He didn't just say this in the press conference either. He used that same phrasing in at least one or two of his other public appearances. So, if it's a slip of the tongue, it's one that's apparently stuck in his mouth. But Allen's statement also addressed the accusation that Becky had not been investigated for jury tampering. David, we'll read that. Mr. Harpoolian himself acknowledged that the Becky Hill matter was previously referred to and reviewed by an independent prosecutor.

Starting point is 00:26:01 Those issues were already evaluated outside of our office. Okay, so the Supreme Court ruling might mean Becky could face charges, and that is a question a lot of you have asked us about. It is also important to note that David Pasco, one of the frontrunners in this year's AG race, has made a statement saying that Becky's jury tampering allegations should be further investigated, which we agree with. Because something I personally can't get past is how Justice Toll and the Supreme Court landed on two opposite ends of whether or not jury tampering happened. And it appears like they came to these conclusions with the exact same evidence, which really

Starting point is 00:26:51 isn't a whole lot. It mostly comes down to Jurzee claiming that Becky told the jury to watch Ellet closely before she testified. But on court TV in 2024, Julie Grant interviewed Jor Z. And Jor Z, first of all, said that she was only doing the interview to Help Egg Ladies' book written with Jim Seidel, by the way, the felon. But when asked how Becky's comments affected her and her decision when she went into the jury room, she told Julie Grant this. First, I voted undecided, and then, like I said,

Starting point is 00:27:34 in the other interview, that some of the other jurors and some Just thinking about like everybody was ready to go, everybody was ready to get it over with, and so then that's whenever I had voted guilty. I encourage y'all to re-watch that interview. But again, so much of this jury tampering case boils down to her. We'll talk about that in a future episode, but what does all of this mean, right? The Supreme Court is saying she either

Starting point is 00:28:18 tampered or, based on how Dick is saying it, attempted to tamper with the jury. Isn't that a crime? And how does that fit with the independent investigation that was done? Okay, so back to the presser. Here's Jim. He traded his depressed bow tie for a big boy tie, by the way. Yeah, good morning. Today in the United States District Court, federal court, the Charleston Division, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of Richard Alexander Murdoch Sr. versus Rebecca Hill. In this lawsuit, we filed it under the Federal Civil Rights Statute, 42, United States Code 1983, to redress constitutional deprivation of rights. Those rights were Alex's right to a fair trial, a right that him be tried before an untampered, untainted jury. With the South Carolina Supreme Court's ruling,

Starting point is 00:29:24 it has been adjudged as a matter of state law that she deprived Alec of his constitutional rights, deprived him of a right to a fair trial, and as a result, we've got to do it all over again, which nobody wants to do. The damages that we've alleged include the over $600,000 that was spent to try the first case and other compensatory damages. Now, let me be clear. Alec Murdoch owes a lot of people, a lot of money. None of this money that is recovered will go to him personally. And the purpose of this lawsuit is to hold Becky Hill accountable for what she did.

Starting point is 00:30:09 She has not been held account at all for her conduct. And two is to investigate exactly what she did, which we'll be able to do through the course of civil litigation. We have subpoena power. We can take depositions. And so we're going to be able to understand the entire scope of her conduct. She's yet to be thoroughly investigated by the state, and she's not been held accountable by the state. And that's what we hope to do. That's what we intend to do, and that's what we will do with this lawsuit.

Starting point is 00:30:47 Okay, so that's funny and we need to talk about the money part of it all. But first, sue away, boys. At this point, it is all orchestrated chaos. And despite having the lion's share of press on their side, orchestrated chaos didn't work for Team Murdoch the last time around. And the reason why I know it's orchestrated chaos is because what money are you trying to get? presumably, she spent the supposed $100,000 she got from writing her book on defending herself in the criminal cases. It's hard to take away a person's imaginary lakehouse.

Starting point is 00:31:27 Oh wait, this is Elyke Murdoch. He's probably hoping that she has an insurance policy that can be turned over and emptied out like a prison Prinkles can. Also, remind me what exactly Ehrlich spent that $600K on? was supposed to be for experts, but from what we remember of the trial, the experts were mostly recycled from Dick and Jim's representation of Paul Murdoch in the boat crash case. And then there's the question of how Dick and Jim are getting paid now, which let's look at that because Dick and Jim had been answering that a lot in the past week and a half.

Starting point is 00:32:06 Let's go back to the presser, where Dick's associate, Phil Barber, likely anticipating money questions said this. The jury process, the integrity of the jury process was violated by somebody sworn to uphold it. And that's why we're here today. And that cannot go unanswered, as Jim said. And that's what we're going to do with this lawsuit. Beyond that, we've alleged to $600,000 in damages. That's a public number, by the way. There was a receivership that money was allocated from a receivership for the defense. That was a waste because of what Becky's. Hill did plus other damages alleged. And beyond that, we are going to find out exactly what happened.

Starting point is 00:32:50 There will be depositions, there will be subpoenas, and she will be held to account for her actions. Supenas and depositions sounds like this case might be less about collecting money from Becky than it is about hunting for things to twist and exploit to help Eleg's cause. But okay, it meets the criteria for circus cases. So why not? More on that after a quick commercial break. And that brings us to number six. Let's say it all together.

Starting point is 00:33:28 How are Dick and Jim being paid? This is now seven years since Dick and Jim were first paid in Paul's boat crash case. And it's been three years since ELEC's six-week murder trial that was supposed to be three weeks. And then there was the appeal. Three clown-tastic years of that appeal. And now here we are with a second murder trial on the horizon. And what? They're working for nothing.

Starting point is 00:33:59 Because as Dick told the court during one of Ellick's multiple bond hearings, he's broke. He's impecunious, Your Honor. Here is what they said at the presser. Jim, why don't you explain financially how this works? He's got a much better explanation for this than... than I do. Go ahead. I mean, there is no new money, no found money. And I've said previously, you know, we got paid to do a job when we do criminal defense work. And one way you do, you be charged by the job. Sometimes you come out ahead and sometimes you come out behind.

Starting point is 00:34:35 But, you know, right now, we're in the hole, but we got paid to do a job and we're going to see it all the way through. You're saying the job isn't finished yet? Job is not finished yet. And we, We're not walking away from it. So we're going to see it through. I mean, that's where we are. Except previously, at CrimeCon, actually, Dick and Jim told attendees that they were paid a quote-unquote handsome fee in Paul Murdoch's boat crash case,

Starting point is 00:35:06 which they then used for Ehrlich's case, along with money from the multimillion-dollar irrevocable trust that Ehrlich Murdoch inherited from his father, who worked for the government. So that narrative has changed, yeah? Now speaking of a changing narrative. Number seven, the egg lady is back, y'all. If you said the law student is about holding Becky Hill accountable and also investigating what you say?

Starting point is 00:35:35 The state didn't do enough job of investigating her. What do you hope that investigation could yield? The truth. Yeah. How about that? just, you know, we don't have a result in mind, but we have a lot of questions that we would like answer. You know, was she a lone wolf? Was she doing it just for the, you know, siren of celebrity, which she definitely was. And then I'll tell you, this removal of the egg lady juror is very suspicious. And that really wasn't a part of the case.

Starting point is 00:36:12 We do make it a part of our complaint. We point out all of the inconsistencies. of what she said, reporting to Judge Newman, that the egg lady, Ms. Crosby's ex-husband, had posted something on Facebook, which we now know was a bald-faced lie or someone lied to her. I mean, it makes no sense. And if you have questions, and I would encourage all of you to follow up with Joe McCullough who represents Myra Crosby, who is investigating this as strenuously as we intended. do so. And he's been working on it for quite some time. I mean, the way she was targeted, it just is very curious. And we hope to get to the bottom of that. Okay. Targeted. The Egg Lady was

Starting point is 00:37:00 targeted. Sure, Jan. Did someone make the Egg Lady violate court orders and talk about the case? Oh my God. I know this is going to be twisted into a thing where they say, Becky knew that Egg Lady was pro-Ellick. And that's why she made up a story about that. Facebook but Facebook had nothing to do with the egg lady's removal and Becky didn't make it up she just got it wrong it was Jersey's husband who was talking about Jersey talking about the case outside of court the egg lady was reported by a co-worker of one of her tenants for talking about the case and sled investigated and judge Newman questioned egg lady in front of dick and jim and her own husband the one she lived with also said she spoke about the case at home but this is where the

Starting point is 00:37:45 trolls are going to have a field day because they have been so excited about this idea that Becky was working with others to allegedly tamper with Alex jury and get the egg lady removed, which if there was a brain trust meeting of Becky and others to strategize about how to get the jury to vote guilty for a man that the evidence was, in our opinions, stacked up against, I hope they have a video of that because that would be one for the ages. I can practically see the whiteboard with the words make a juror violate court orders by talking to her tenants and husband about the case. Under the header, ideas to sell Becky's book. Also on Monday, by the way, WSAV reported that the Egg Lady is once again asking the court

Starting point is 00:38:31 to unseal portions of the jury tampering investigation. Egg lady juror represented by Dick's friend Joe McCullough first asked for this to happen in early 2024. At the time, there was no resolution with Becky Hill's criminal case and no resolution, obviously, with Ehrlich's appeal. But now there is. So, release the investigation. Let's see it. Let's see why Becky wasn't charged with something. The Supreme Court is now saying she did, at least to the extent where Ella gets a new trial. Number eight, Dick and Jim are salivating at comparing new testimonies to old testimonies. And oh look, Joe McCullough is connected to Eleg's housekeeper and assistant, Blanca, writing a book after the trial.

Starting point is 00:39:21 When Dick and Jim were asked when we can expect the retrial to take place, Dick said within the next year. But he doesn't see it happening this year like Alan Wilson said. While explaining how long this preparation will take, he said something very interesting about witnesses in the case. One, we assume the same witnesses will testify in the retrial as the trial. We have a, I don't know, 8,000-page transcript. We've got to break out each witness. We've got to read it. Whoever's going to handle that person, outline it, and they can be used to impeach them.

Starting point is 00:39:58 So, this is like a civil case where you've taken a deposition. Unlike any other criminal case you'll ever defend or prosecuted. So that takes time. The Kings of Inconsistency and Changing Stories, Getting Excited for Inconsistencies they can exploit. In a recent interview, Dick said that Blanca's book contains information that is different to what she testified to, and that he can't wait to cross-examine her in a new trial. Wonderful. Number nine, Buster. Since the announcement of Eleg's conviction getting overturned, the New York Post published a story.

Starting point is 00:40:39 citing unnamed sources close to Buster that he is upset about there being a new trial. We have no idea if that's true, but Dick and Jim have been quick to address it. They say Buster loves his dad, calls him, visits him, and even named his baby after him, forgetting, of course, that Buster is named after Ehrlich. So Buster's baby is technically named after Buster, and he's not called Eleg. Still, it's a little weird. So let the guy live his life. Number 10, Dick and Jim are still talking about the quote-unquote real killer,

Starting point is 00:41:17 and still saying the same old thing, which is a whole lot of nothing. Remember how they said they had a whole investigation going and a reward? And how all of that resulted in nothing? Get ready to live that whole chapter again. if we were had the tools available. I mean that opportunity was lost when they failed to follow the tire tracks in the grass leading away from the murders of Maggie and Paul. That opportunity was lost when they failed to maintain the integrity of the GPS data on Maggie's phone. Instead, it was at SLED downloading GPS coordinates at SLED that ultimately overwrote her act,

Starting point is 00:42:09 where her phone was and when it was on the night of the murders. And when they finally get in the Maggie's phone and able to access the GPS data, you know where it said that phone had been last? Broad River Road, Sledlap. I mean, that is outrageous that that was allowed to happen. So, you know, John, we've gotten a lot of information. People are out there working on behalf of Alec for free,

Starting point is 00:42:33 kind of like we are, and they've unearthed some really interesting stuff. And they've turned the significant stuff. And they've turned the significant. amount over that to SLED, we'll be curious to see if SLED has done anything with it or we'll do anything with it. Ooh, they've unearthed some really interesting stuff. We've all heard that one before. So far, Team Murdoch 2.0 is looking dusty and dramatic.

Starting point is 00:43:01 We get it. These guys haven't won anything in this case in a really long time. They aren't used to winning and they get sloppy in the midst of their excitement, thinking there will be no one to call them out and remind them of all the times they've lied to the media in this case, going back to the old roadside shooting that still hasn't been prosecuted. Dick and Jim have the vast majority of the media under their control, but not us. We have all day and apparently all year to call out their lies, especially now with these two-part episodes.

Starting point is 00:43:38 So Murdoch round two, here we go. Until next time, stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True sunlight is a Lunas Shark production created by me, Mandy Matney, co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell, research support provided by Beth Braden, audio production support provided by Jamie Hoffman and Grace Hills, case file management provided by Kate Thomas. Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com.

Starting point is 00:44:15 Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky.

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #149 [Part Two] - Alex Murdaugh Madness 2.0: Suing the Hand That Got Him A New Trial + Death Penalty On The Table?

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