Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #21 - GAME ON: Prosecutors Stand Strong as Alex Murdaugh Seeks New Trial + Was the Colleton County Clerk of Court Set Up?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The justice system can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Join us to hold public agencies accountable because we all want to drink from the same cup of justice, and it starts with learning about our legal system. With tales from the newsroom and the courtroom, Liz Farrell, Eric, Lann, and I invite you to gain knowledge, insight, and tools to hold public agencies and officials accountable. If you'd like to have a cup of justice bonus episodes, you will love cup of justice shows on the new feed.

Starting point is 00:00:35 Together, our hosts create the perfect trifecta of legal experience, journalistic integrity, and a fire lit to expose the truth wherever it leads. Search for cup of justice wherever you get your podcast or visit cupofjusticepod.com. I don't know if there's any better feeling than watching Team Murdoch get told no by a system that up until recently always seemed to tell them yes. But seeing the federal government finally step up and say things we all know to be true about Dick and Jim's antics and what they were really trying to do with their emergency motion to seize Alex Asset, it is refreshing and I hope to see a lot more of it. My name is Manny Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption

Starting point is 00:01:34 previously known as the Murdock Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production, written, which journalist Liz Farrell. Whew! Well, this week went by fast. After we published the last episode, David and I hopped on a plane for an action-packed trip to New York City. We had a lot of great meetings for both the podcast and the book, and I'm excited to share that the future of Luna Shark is looking brighter and better than ever, and that is because of y'all. So thank you. To be honest, I never liked New York before I went on this trip. But it hit me in the

Starting point is 00:02:31 last few days how much my life has changed in the past few years. It hit me that I didn't like New York before because it always felt like I did not belong there. I didn't feel like I was smart enough or good enough to compete in such a big pond. I have struggled with imposter syndrome my entire life. And while that's something I will never really shake, I felt like I was enough in the Big Apple. This feeling really hit me when I was touring

Starting point is 00:03:00 the Harper Collins offices and signing book plates. I looked around at the walls, to the greats of literature, and I was thinking it's really happening. You are enough. I thought about how long I had dreamed of becoming a published author. I remember how many times I said that out loud, and I remember the looks that people gave me that made me feel like it was a joke. And again, I want to say thank you for everyone listening who helped me feel like I belong and I am enough to do this.

Starting point is 00:03:33 It means the world to me. In speaking of the book, we are now in fourth quarter press time with book promotions. I will be transparent. I am wearing many hats right now, a CEO of Luna Shark, as we work to grow our business, and as an author, trying really hard to promote my book, so I can achieve my next goal as an independent journalist wanting to inspire those pesky women out there like me. I really want to try to get on the New York Times bestsellers list. I know, it's kind of cliché to want something so mainstream, but it would be an incredible

Starting point is 00:04:10 honor as I start talking to journalism schools around the country to be on that list. As an independent journalist who has gone up against the grain of the system, the New York Times label would help get my book in the hands of a lot of aspiring journalists, and that is ultimately the goal there. So, to my pesky people listening, if you can do anything to help me get to this dream, I would greatly appreciate it. If you simple things like pre-ordering the book from a variety of places, like Amazon is great, but independent bookstores also help. You could also request a copy of blood on their hands for your local library.

Starting point is 00:04:53 And it also just helps by sharing the pre-order link and spreading the word that my book comes out November 14th, and spreading the word that it will be about so much more than the Murdoch murders. It's a story of inspiration, heartbreak, institutional sexism, breaking down barriers, and ultimately, it's a story of a woman finding her voice in a society that still pushes back at that at every turn. All of that said, I will be the first to admit that with all of this going on, I have not been wearing my journalism hat nearly as often as I've wanted to recently.

Starting point is 00:05:30 I say that because I don't want anyone out there to think I'm some kind of wonder woman doing all of this alone. I can only wear so many hats because I have a team of amazing people behind me. Two of those people who happen to be my husband and best friend have really stepped up in the last few months. To David for continuing to push the needle for me every single day, for doing all of the things I can't handle, for encouraging me to get to the finish line with the book, and for being my number one cheerleader through it all.

Starting point is 00:06:02 And to Liz. I would have quit the whole podcast a long time ago if it wasn't for you and your wit and brilliance. I'm only able to do a lot of these other things right now because I can trust you to carry the weight of the show. So we all owe one to Liz. This episode and so many others just wouldn't be possible without her. If every woman had a work wife like Liz, we would have conquered the world a long time ago. Liz is a main character in my book, obviously. The first chapter is called Thelma and Louise,

Starting point is 00:06:36 and it's about the early days of her friendship in realizing how much better we were working together. I want to read this clip from the book that I really love. Her presence gave me permission to listen to my instincts in a new way. Looking back now, I could have never realized how apt that Thelma and Louise comparison would end up being. While the film starts as a buddy comedy, it quickly turns darker. Just a short while later, Liz and I would find ourselves deep into an investigation more troubling and dangerous than either of us

Starting point is 00:07:10 could ever have imagined. We'd face gaslighting and misogyny, we'd battle slander and threats to our personal safety. We would dive off a metaphorical cliff into an unknown world of corruption, murder and greed, with only each other as our guides. So that is in the first chapter of my new book, Blood on Their Hands, which will be released November 14th. Liz was on a happy hour with me recently for Luna Shark Premium members, which by the way, we have a lot of cool exclusive content releasing on Pub Day, November 14th.

Starting point is 00:07:45 Trust me, y'all should sign up for it today. It's going to be really fun. In speaking of premium and happy hours, this Thursday, y'all will get a hangout with Eric, Blan, and I, as we chat about the Murdock Murdock's Lifetime movie of Cerdity. Also, the latest news in the Murdoch world, and we'll talk about my new book, which he obviously is an important character in. Finally, next Thursday, October 26th, I will be speaking at the College of Charleston, in the next day, on Friday, October 27th at 4pm, I will be doing an in-person meeting

Starting point is 00:08:22 greet at the co-op, Sullivan's Island. I will be signing some fun koozies and meeting fans over Frosé, and what could be better than that. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more live-of-an-updates as this next month is going to be action-packed. Stay tuned. Before we get into it, we have a few fun updates for you. Let's start with Ella Kmyrdok's best co-conspirator, Corey Fleming. After apparently going missing from September 22, 3 October 3rd,

Starting point is 00:08:59 and then resurfacing out of federal prison in Atlanta, Corey has moved once again. Last Friday, he was transferred to FCI Jessup in Georgia, his first choice prison, which is just over two hours from his family in Bufurt. FCI Jessup is a medium security prison with a low security satellite adjacent to it. Cory is in that satellite.

Starting point is 00:09:23 Here's how that has been described by former prisoners there. Quote, great weather, short winters, felt like a college campus and trees on the yard. That's from the website of Zocus Consulting Group, which serves as a pre-federal prison Sherpa of sorts for the newly convicted. Other words that former prisoners have used

Starting point is 00:09:44 to describe Jessup include bucolic and more relaxed. No wonder Russell Feade wanted to get in there so badly. Now, FCI Jessup has had some famous prisoners in the past, including televangelist James Baker, the man who assaulted Ron Paul and two former council members from a Florida town who ran a scheme involving barbecue sauce. Additionally, the prison is home to Bobby Paul Edwards, potential friend alert guys. Bobby Paul is a little older than Corey, but also from South Carolina. He's from Conway, which is near Myrtle Beach, about three hours north of Beaford. In 2019, Bobby Paul was sentenced to 10 years in prison for, and you're going to need to brace yourself for this one, enslaving a person. That's right, I said 2019. According to the US Attorney

Starting point is 00:10:37 General's Office in South Carolina, between 2009 and 2014, Bobby Paul Edwards, quote, used violence and other coercive means to compel the victim to work for more than a hundred hours a week for no pay at a restaurant managed by him. You heard that right? He was a restaurant manager, guys, not even the owner. The person he enslaved was an African-American. Bobby Paul is white, and the person he enslaved was intellectually disabled. Great, huh? Now, I know what you're thinking. An enslaved person in modern times in South Carolina,

Starting point is 00:11:12 that's heavy stuff and must be highly unusual, right? This is the part where we tell you that in the course of our reporting on the Murdoch story, we learned about the now deceased relative of a man connected to the Murdoch's, who apparently has ties to drug traffickers, who also had a, we believe now deceased, intellectually disabled black man, apparently working for his family for no pay. While we have no reason not to believe a story, we also have not been able to corroborate it yet, which is why we're not using names. Regardless, it remains one of the most disturbing things we have heard in a case filled with disturbing stories. So back to Quarry. One of his new prison mates is this bobby-paw edwards. And just to give you a taste of what Quarry's sentence might have looked like, had judged Newman not done the right thing,

Starting point is 00:12:02 and instead deferred to what the federal government was urging him to do, i.e. give Coria short sentence for that, which would have run concurrently to his short federal sentence. lobbypal Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in November 2019, which by the way, he played a guilty to his charge 17 months earlier than that, which is so gross. His expected release date, according to the Bureau of Prisons, is November 2026, as you can immediately tell, 2019 through 2026, is not 10 years. Our next update is about Mozel. It appears that it is getting flipped, part of it anyway.

Starting point is 00:12:41 The 1700-acre property sold for $3.9 million just seven months ago. Now, just the house and 21 acres are back on the market for $1.95 million. It's not clear if the kennels come with the estate, they're not mentioned in the property's listing. The property is being sold by the same company that brokered the first Mozel deal. The Murdoch's were accused of using this agency to undersell the property last year. At the time of the original sale and to explain the possible lower price, the receivers were told that the house was worth only $300,000 and needed a lot of work. We've been asked if this latest sale is a sign that there's some financial and run around the receivership happening and whether it means that the original property was

Starting point is 00:13:27 undersold. As far as we can tell right now, this seems to be a classic house flipping situation, much like what was done with the Edisto Beach House, but we are always on the lookout for deals that seem to benefit the Murdoch economy over the victim's interests. Okay, last week we talked about the seemingly coordinated effort that's happening to keep Judge Bentley priced from getting reelected. Judge Price is the judge and the civil conspiracy case against Greg Parker, who is the owner of Parker's kitchen, and the judge in the satirfield case. We continue to make calls to the South Carolina Bar Association to get

Starting point is 00:14:00 information and documentation in support of Price's alleged disqualification. We want to see those letters. We want to know what serious allegations exist against him. The bar continues to ignore us the same way they're ignoring a popular judge whose husband helped her get elected, who has made controversial rulings in favor of defendants and high profile political corruption cases, bullied reporters, close courtrooms, who has allowed documents to go unfiled to stay off the public record, and who is on a recording trying to order a deputy to a rest-a-man who'd committed no crime. We'll be right back.

Starting point is 00:14:44 At Public Mobile, we do things differently. From our subscription phone plans to throwing a big sale right now when no one else is. Well, maybe they are, but who cares, our sale is better. And it's on right now, no waiting necessary. You have the latest phone. Now take advantage of a great price on a 5G subscription phone plan. It's the perfect deal for anyone who could use some savings right now. Subscribe today at publicmobile.ca.

Starting point is 00:15:11 Different is calling. we talked about the fiery surreply that the US attorney's office filed in response to Dick and Jim's memo in response to the government's reply to Dick and Jim's emergency motion, pleading with the federal government to seize Alex's assets from the seat receivership. As our co-host Eric Blanc said in the episode, it's incredibly rare for a judge to grant a party's motion to file a surreply. Judges are not trying to encourage never-ending arguments. As it was, Dick and Jim asked the judge for permission to exceed their page limit in response to the government's reply. But Judge Gargol granted the surreply and it was good. And I don't just mean well-written and well-reasoned, which it was, the government finally called out Dick and Jim, and finally said the thing we all know to be true about what they were doing

Starting point is 00:16:12 by demanding the federal government seize Alex Assetz. Now, someone on Twitter asked us to explain this to them like they're four years old. I promise you, no four-year-old wants any of this nonsense in their heads. Life is far too fun to know about Alec Murdoch, but we can do a quick and dirty review here. Because Alec and his family seem to be hiding and wasting his assets after the murders of Maggie and Paul, and because Alec even seemed to be doing this from behind bars after his second and final arrest in October 2021, the lawyer from Mallory Beach's family, Mark Tinsley, moved the court to appoint a receivership to Alex and Buster's assets. The judge granted the motion. It meant that Alex's assets got frozen and Buster's and Alex's assets got come through and accounted for. Throughout the next few years,

Starting point is 00:17:01 Alex would try several times to undermine the receivership to get at his money. There were all sorts of tricks which we've covered in previous episodes. Throughout it all, we learned or should have learned that there is no bottom for Ellic or anyone on Team Murdoch. There is no bottom, there is no shame, there is absolutely no code of honor in this case. One example of this was what happened with the 401k money. Ellic wanted to cash in his retirement account from PMPED to pay more than $600,000 to

Starting point is 00:17:33 Dick and Jim. But to do so, he had to go through the receivership. Once he cashed out his account, that money technically belonged to the receivership, but if he didn't cash it out, it's still belonged to Ellic. So, Kenundrum, right? To solve it, they struck a deal. Ellic kept 60% of his money and the receivership got 40% and it's money the otherwise would not have seen. Then, after the trial, when everyone learned what a murderer Ellic is and what low-down dirty punks his attorneys can be, team Murdoch came back to the receivership and said, give us some more of that money that we made a deal over. The court was like, you've got to be kidding me. No. Team Murdoch does not believe in the word no when spoken to them, so they found yet another route to hell. Lead guilty to the federal crimes and forfeit your assets

Starting point is 00:18:22 to the government. The same government that had already shamefully advocated for PMPD and Palmetra State Bank to not only be considered victims in all this, but to receive massive amounts of money as restitution. Elic ran to the federal government's loving arms, and sure enough, there it was in his plea deal. An extensive bit about forfeiting around $10 million that he doesn't have. Immediately after Eleg pleaded guilty in a deal that included a provision for the future, in case he wants to appeal his plea deal, which we all know he will if he ends up getting away with murder.

Starting point is 00:18:56 His attorneys filed this emergency motion to seize the $2 million or so that the receivership had collected from his assets. Now, in what world does a criminal want the government to take his money? In Alex' cruel world, where so many criminals powered by their pens continue to roam free and pull strings for him even though they want the public to believe that they are not on his side. So, as you'll remember, Team Murdoch wanted this money bad. The best part is they said they wanted it bad because of the victims. Remember that line in Dick and Jim's response about Ellic not wanting one more penny of his money to go to attorneys?

Starting point is 00:19:33 It was so indignant. Anyway, here's what the federal government came back with. The defendant, knowingly, waived his right to object to and appeal the receivership order, including the broad grant of authority to the co-receivers as he acknowledged in his reply. Yet, that is exactly what the defendant is trying to do here. The defendant had an opportunity to attack the claims process and to object to its adequacy and efficacy at the state court hearing before Judge Hall on August 25, 2023. But the defendant did not do so.

Starting point is 00:20:14 Now, the defendant is attempting to circumvent and undermine his knowing and voluntary waiver by effectively pleading this court to hear his appeal and allow him to contest the order entered by Judge Hall, approving the process for equitable allocation of the receiver-ship assets. It is axiomatic that one cannot do indirectly, that which he is prohibited from doing directly. Just as the defendant does not get to decide which assets the government ceases or when the defendant should not be allowed to conduct an end run around the state court receivership proceedings. Boom. They finally stopped being polite and called out the truth about what Elic and his team were trying to do. Elic doesn't get to say what's what here. Up until this very moment, Elic had been making a fool out of the federal

Starting point is 00:21:23 government. The U.S. Attorney's Office had allowed itself to be turned into a spangled baton and Dick Harpothian was just twirling them and tossing them into the air while winking at the crowd. This surreply was like, no more surre? Okay, two more fun parts of this surreply. Let's talk about footnote number four, because we love footnote number four. Here is David again. For the first time in his reply,

Starting point is 00:21:55 the defendant claims that his attorneys do not intend to seek fees from the receivership assets during the claims process. But the defendant and his counsel have not moved to dismiss their appeal to the South Carolina Court of Appeals, which seeks to do just that claw back funds from the liquidation of the defendant's 401k accounts that he agreed to place and did place into the Receivership estate, or the express purpose of paying his lawyers. The defendant's counsel previously sought $160,000 in legal fees from the Receivership

Starting point is 00:22:40 assets. To the government's knowledge, the defendant's council have not notified the co-receivers that they are no longer seeking those funds. I hope y'all feel what an utter burn that was. Basically, Emily Limehouse was like, oh, how noble of you men. You now say that you aren't seeking any attorney's fees. That is so cool of you. Oh wait, uh oh.

Starting point is 00:23:11 Someone told a big fib because you still seem to be seeking your money from the receivership. Did you trick the court by entering into an agreement because you wanted to get what you could in the moment? And now you're're gonna be like, psych...interesting. Well boys, if you are so noble, ask to only want this money for the victims, and not for yourselves, well then put it on the table, until the co-receivers you do not want that $160,000 anymore. She called them out. And then she left Judge Gurgle with this. Here's David again.

Starting point is 00:23:53 This court should not entertain the defendant's misguided effort to force the federal government to interfere with the state court receivership or frustrate the fiduciary administration thereof. Amazing, right? It was a really good day when we read those words. It felt like we have been in Crazy Town and we've been watching our federal government in South Carolina prove itself to be the same federal government that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to craft his own mini-punishment in Florida. Money and power should not buy anyone out of accountability, especially not for heinous

Starting point is 00:24:39 crimes that cost the public dearly. In terms of the harm done, the investigation hours that get racked up, and the endless hours that prosecutors have to spend battling these legal fights. Okay, now for the best part. On Tuesday, Judge Gurgle filed his order on Dick and Jim's emergency motion to have the federal government seize Alex assets.

Starting point is 00:25:03 And whatever shot a fiery magic Emily took before she wrote her surreply, Judge Gurgle was like, make mine a double. He came out on that stage like Beyoncé, and he shined. Judge Gurgle went from, I respect your attorneys at Alex Pleadiel to, have y'all been eating brain tumors for breakfast? First, his order was four pages, and he wasn't just like, no, he was like, ah, no, absolutely not. In the order, Gurgle immediately sets the stage by reminding Alex that he is a formally licensed attorney, and then he characterizes Alex crimes this way. Here is David.

Starting point is 00:25:49 The conduct leading to the defendant's criminal plea involved a sophisticated decade-long looting of clients' funds obtained in settlements in wrongful death and severe personal injury cases, orchestrated to feed the defendant's lavish lifestyle and drug addiction. Thank you, Judge Gurgle, for calling it what it was, looting.

Starting point is 00:26:19 Now, in trying to get Judge Gurgle to order the federal government to immediately seize Alex Assetz. Dick and Jim not only mocked the US Attorney's Office by likening them to a Herman Melville character, and they not only tried to make it seem like this was a virtuous cause meant only to help Alex victims, they basically accused the co-receivership as being crooked in the special referee who was appointed to dull out Alex's assets of being a hungry, hungry hippo for Alex money. And then Judge Gurkel was like, hold my gavel.

Starting point is 00:26:56 This has undoubtedly been a time consuming and complex undertaking and has required an extensive dedication of time by the receivers. Defendant suggests without specific evidence that the receivers have engaged in some type of misconduct or are wasting the assets under their control. Notably, the defendant has not moved the state court supervising the receivers for relief, but instead seeks to have this court unilaterally assume control over the assets in the custody of the state receivers. Then there's a footnote. There is certainly rich irony in the defendant who engaged in the methodical theft of millions of dollars in client funds and then expended the

Starting point is 00:27:54 great majority of those funds for his personal use to accuse two honorable members of the bar serving as state receivers of wasting assets. Snaps all around for Judge Gargol, everyone. He went there. Now, the judge gave three reasons why he was denying Dick and Jim's motion. One, because Ella has no, quote, cognizable interest in the $2.4 million seized from him,

Starting point is 00:28:25 following his theft and dissipation at least $9 million in client funds, meaning Eleg has no standing here. Two, and this is our favorite, quote, a criminal defendant has no authority to demand that the Attorney General or any other officer of the United States government do his bidding, regarding the seizure of his stolen

Starting point is 00:28:45 funds. Do his bidding! Guys, it feels so good to see a judge call this out finally. Dick and Jim so badly want us to accept their defense of Alec as honorable and as them just simply doing their jobs. And this whole time we've been ahead, defend him, but stop the nonsense. In what world do you have defense attorneys going on national television to say, yep, our client is a drugie who stole millions from his clients, and then for the next two years, do everything in their power to fight any semblance

Starting point is 00:29:19 of justice and block every bit of accountability coming their clients way? You told on him from the beginning and yet here we are still talking about it. They keep wanting Alec to come off his noble. He did it, he's admitted to it, but it's a total manipulation. Instead they're saying he did it and he admitted to it, now give us the gavel so we can decide which pillow he lands on. Okay, the third and final reason Judge Gurgle gave for denying Alex Motion. The federal government doesn't have the authority to take control of money that was already seized under the authority of a state court.

Starting point is 00:29:58 So that said, everyone should send a thank you to Mark Tinsley today. His foresight in the fall of 2021 to ask the court to appoint a receivership not only protected what money they could for the victims, it clearly got under Alex skin. And that is win, win, win. So we commended the US Attorney's office, particularly Emily Limehouse, for saying what needed to be said, and we commend Judge Gurgle for saying enough to the nonsense. But we have to keep reminding them of this. If you give Eleg Murdoch an inch, then Dick and Jim will demand a mile. This was all foreseeable and avoidable.

Starting point is 00:30:37 We have enough historical evidence at this point to know that doing a favor for Dick and Jim, such as charging Eleg federally for the very same crimes the state of South Carolina had already charged him with, was gluing to backfire. Stop doing solids for these attorneys. Stop lining their pockets with cash by acquiescing to their demands in the first place. Be fair, but be fearless.

Starting point is 00:31:02 Stop letting these guys walk all over you because one demand met will become 30 more demands until the money runs out. Okay, speaking of being fair, but fearless, we need to talk about Alex Motion for an evidentiary hearing on his ridiculous jury tampering accusations. We say ridiculous because even though

Starting point is 00:31:23 these are serious allegations from what we can tell so far, they were purely designed for the hype and the headlines, and they've been duly amplified all according to plan. Dick and Jim essentially wrote a words jury-tampering on a stack of boxes that they had filled with blank sheets of paper and called a press conference just so they could point at the boxes and say, it's so bad y'all. And everyone responded in con by saying, oh my god, look at all those boxes. This must be exactly what they say it is. Now, we don't yet know what the investigation is specifically finding, but we do know a few things.

Starting point is 00:32:01 And we've pointed them out in previous episodes. We know that the AG's office has already told the court that the investigation does not so far, corroborate the claims made by the two former jurors that Dick and Jim got affidavits from. We find it hard to believe that someone who seemed to take their job as seriously as Becky Hill does, someone who was able to look around corners and have the foresight to plan for this massive event so that it wasn't pure chaos in Walterborough every day for six weeks would also be someone who would do the things Dick and Jim and these two former jurors accused her of doing. We find it interesting that the dismissed Egg Lady juror apparently had a formal relationship with Gerr 630, the only other Gerr who would sign an affidavit for Dick and Jim, and this relationship involves a power

Starting point is 00:32:51 differential. We find it exasperating that most of Dick and Jim's so-called evidence is like fluff on a dandelion, one puff of air and it floats away, and yet it's being represented as solid as steel. We think it's clear that Becky saw something on Facebook that implicated the egg lady juror, but that she wasn't savvy enough on social media to screenshot that post immediately or find the post again. And we are annoyed to even have to mention this Facebook post because even though the quote, Facebook post represents a good 75% of dick and gyms

Starting point is 00:33:25 so-called evidence, it matters zero. Zero. Because again, the Facebook post is not the reason this egg lady jurr was dismissed. Dick and Jim want you to believe it is, so they can then point to Becky and say, she tricked the court. She didn't. She reported a thing, and that thing turned out not to be substantiated so the judge didn't consider it.

Starting point is 00:33:50 Okay, if you haven't put it together by now, we fully believe that Colitan County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, was set up. And we will be right back. We believe that is ultimately what is at the heart of all of this. And we hope that sled and Becky's attorneys are asking the right questions here. From our vantage point, the right questions are these. Did anyone encourage Becky to write her book?

Starting point is 00:34:24 And to write her book that fast? Did anyone, especially from Team Murdoch, encourage Becky to interview with FoxNation? In other words, did anyone nudge Becky into the spotlight only so she could later be accused of seeking that attention? Another question, how did the egg lady juror come to be represented by an attorney so quickly? Did she seek out that attorney or did an attorney seek her out?

Starting point is 00:34:55 Does the egg lady juror or juror 630 or anyone else who might be making claims about Becky Hill? Do they have any connections to the Murdoch's, or any of the Murdoch's associates, including one's Alec and his brother might have mentioned by name to the jury for some unknown reason? Does any of what these former jurors say Becky said

Starting point is 00:35:22 sound like something else? Perhaps like things that were actually said by the prosecutor or the judge. No offense to sled or the AG's office, but we certainly don't take it for granted that everyone sees things the same way we do. After years of hearing the stories of what kind of tricks get pulled when certain people are looking to get out of trouble. Now on Tuesday, the South Carolina Court of Appeals rolled in favor of Dick and Jim's motion to hold their original appeal in a dance until they could get a hearing in the circuit

Starting point is 00:36:00 court to consider new evidence in Alex Bid for a new trial, that evidence, of course, is the so-called evidence we already spoke about. We firmly believe that the South Carolina Attorney General's Office needs to stand at their ground when it comes to these jury tampering claims. We believe that these allegations need to be fully investigated. We also believe that Elik has the right to have his claims heard. But we do not think that the prosecution should concede points to Dick and Jim just for the sake of appearing fair.

Starting point is 00:36:38 Of course, there's an argument to be made to letting Dick go off because he will inevitably whip himself into an unsensical froth. Let's all recall his fabulous tantrum when he accused the state of rushing Elix murder trial only to be reminded that it was he who had requested the speedy trial. Dick sputtered then recovered and basically responded with, well, the prosecution shouldn't have let me get my way. They need to be questioned and pushed, and directly called out on the weakness of evidence they have presented. They need to be called out when they make wild allegations in the courtroom without a single shred of evidence to support those allegations. We already know they are going to attack Sleds investigation.

Starting point is 00:37:30 They've already told us that. So we say, fight back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Okay, the Appalachites ruling was a foregone conclusion. They really had no choice but to allow Elic to be heard. We've seen a lot of panic out there from people believing that this might be a sign that Elic is going to get that new trial. It's not.

Starting point is 00:38:02 It's a sign that our justice system is making a fair decision. If a defendant says he was convicted because of jury tampering, then let's give him an opportunity to show proof of that. But also, let's talk about how this is a slippery slope. What defendant out there who has been convicted of a crime that they'd hope to get away with is not going to explore this route once it's been cleared for them by Dick and Jim. That's why we need the AG's office and the court to stand strong and explicitly call out why the evidence is weak and be brave about what they say and how they say it. Be like Judge Gurkel's footnote on this because you know what? There is rich irony in

Starting point is 00:38:46 this because you know what, there is rich irony in Eric Murdoch claiming a jury has been tampered with. Because as Mark tinsley testified in an in-camera hearing during Alex Murdoch's trial, the idea that the Hampton County jury could be messed with by Alec in the beach case was real enough that Mark held out Maggie and Paul as possible defendants and future complaint related to the bow crash that he would file in another county if he got any word that Alec was messing with that jury. Also, those of you who have been following this story for a while will remember Grand Paw Buster Murdoch's bootlegging trial and the accusations of jury tampering that came with it.

Starting point is 00:39:21 When he was solicitor, he had to briefly step down to face federal charges. After a jury acquitted him, came claims of jury tampering, allegedly done by his cousin, who was named Alex Murdoch. Here's David reading from an article in the December 6, 1957 issue of the Columbia record, titled Orange Bird Man acquitted of Collatin, jury charge. Alex Murdock and Orange Bird salesman was found innocent in U.S. District Court here yesterday of tampering in connection with the 1956 Collatin County liquor conspiracy case. Chief government witness in the trial was AR Goodwin of Florence, a member of the jury panel subpoenaed for the Colleton Case trial held at Charleston in

Starting point is 00:40:11 August 1956. Goodwin testified that Murdock mentioned the Colleton trial to him in a conversation at a Florence restaurant prior to the opening of the conspiracy case. Goodwin told the court yesterday that he met Murdockch in response to a telephone call made to him by Murdoch. In the course of the conversation Murdoch told him, they are trying to persecute him. The reference was to the former solicitor of the 14th Judicial Circuit, Randolph Murdoch, a cousin of Alex and one of the numerous defendants in the liquor conspiracy

Starting point is 00:40:45 case. Randolph Murdock was acquitted, 17 other persons, however, including former Collatin County Sheriff G. Haskell Thompson were convicted. Obviously, Old Buster got his job back as solicitor in short order after this. So let's go back to that slippery slope we're talking about. A few things have gotten conflated since Dick and Jim's accusations against Becky Hill. One is this idea that she saw herself as a member of the jury. As evidence of this, they are using a sentence from her book that doesn't at all hold the

Starting point is 00:41:25 meaning of that they say it does. To punctuate this, they have used the fourth episode of Fox Nation's Murdoch Special, in which an interview with Becky that was done in the spring of 2023 was again used, but in a way that sort of led viewers to believe that it had been done after the jury tampering accusations came out. Let's be clear about this. The second this jury rendered their verdict, and the second they were individually pulled by Judge Newman to put on the record that each of them had reached their decision on their own and that they stood by it. They were no longer jurors. Everything they said after that moment was as a private citizen. And anything they said to Becky after that would have been as a private citizen.

Starting point is 00:42:10 And any insight she gleaned from them after the fact would be information that she received from private citizens and not jurors. There is a process in place to protect the jury's decision and hold it in its place. This is the decision they made at this moment in time and it is solidified. Jurors don't change their minds. Private citizens might, though. The 12 people who found Ellen Guilty were jurors. The 12 people who might have spoken to Dicken Jim or who might have spoken to others in the community, or watched HBO, or Netflix, or Fox Nation,

Starting point is 00:42:48 or who have gone on social media to read people's opinions and their hot takes and their rants about Eric being wronged, those people are not jurors. They are private citizens. When they were jurors, they were asked to examine the evidence in front of them and use that to make their

Starting point is 00:43:05 decision. And that is what they did. For Elig Murtok and his defense team to exploit the former jurors and present what amounts to a sloppily done after action's report, a post-mortem, is cheap and it is cheating. This jury rendered its verdict. mere hours after all the evidence had been presented to them, they stood up one by one and told the court that the man in front of them was guilty. They said he was guilty knowing that he could be sent to prison for life.

Starting point is 00:43:33 And now one of them wants to say that she did this because what, she wanted to smoke a cigarette? A, there is no evidence that we've seen that says Becky ever told the jury that they wouldn't be allowed to smoke until the verdict had been reached. This is a woman who provided Tajm installs to the media and to the public so that they'd have somewhere to go to the bathroom during the trial. She ruled out the red carpet for the world to be able to access the people's house.

Starting point is 00:43:57 She was like Jennifer Lopez in the wedding planner. They're and ready with cough drops and tampons and jotting down jurors' food allergies, so she didn't order them the wrong lunches. There, and ready with cough drops and tampons and jotting down jurors' food allergy, so she didn't order them the wrong lunches. This is the woman they want us to believe was like, enjoy your knick fits jerks. Give us a break. And B, what kind of person sends a man to prison for life because she couldn't smoke a cigarette? Not a credible person, that's for sure.

Starting point is 00:44:21 Not a person whose word should be taken seriously. So again, when we look at this jury, we need to understand three things. One, the jury existed at a point in time and their opinions matter only at that point in time. Two, they are not only no longer jurors, they have since been exposed to a world of opinions and hot takes and Eleg Murdoch's guilt or innocence. Nothing may say now should be considered reflective of what they thought when they rendered their verdicts. They are no longer considering the evidence that was before them in the courtroom. Three, when a former jury is exposed to this kind of post-trial scrutiny, especially from powerhouses ambling down their dirt roads in a diplomat's Mercedes,

Starting point is 00:44:58 and when the spotlight is being thrust upon them individually when they're told to lawyer up by the defense team, it affects future juries. Who is going to want to perform their civic duty when they know that their verdicts are not only going to be questioned by the defense later, they're going to be exploited in every way possible? We will say it one more time. Dick and Jim have shown us over and over again that they lie without fear of consequences. They will stomp their feet and act outrage over situations that they caused themselves.

Starting point is 00:45:35 They will use any benefit of the doubt, given to them as an invitation to bust open the door of justice entirely. And once they have that door of justice off its hinges, they will throw a grenade to blow up the whole system. Why? Because just about everyone has let them do it thus far. Despite their constant losses in their nonsense being exposed, they will come back to the table as if everything before this didn't happen. It is time to bar the door and make them wait outside until the truth about this alleged jury tampering is determined. Because now that the appeals court has cleared the way, it is game on.

Starting point is 00:46:23 And one more thing, before we go, just to leave you with a little more rage in your belly this week, we have yet another concerning update related to prosecutor David Miller. Now, we all know David Miller from the Bowen Turner case. He was the prosecutor who handed the Thrice accused rapists a sweetheart deal of a lifetime. Had Miller cared more about public safety, particularly the safety of women in South Carolina, more than he cares about his future career as a wannabe judge, I am not sure that we would be in this situation right now. As the victims of the Bowen Turner case

Starting point is 00:47:05 have to calm their stomachs in preparation for Turner's release from prison next month. Last week, we told you some news that should be shocking, but was so on-brand for the South Carolina good old boys who don't care about anyone but themselves. David Miller, the man who faced international criticism for doing his job so poorly in the bow and turner case, is in the running to become a judge.

Starting point is 00:47:34 In the good ol' Essie Bar has helped carve his path by deeming him as qualified, one of many hurdles he needs to conquer before he becomes judge. I have seen and heard enough about David Miller to say that appointing this man with a track record of making bad deals at the expense of public safety would be a major and potentially catastrophic move as the justice system here in South Carolina has already lost a great deal of public faith. What South Carolina does with its judges between appointing them, changing its system for

Starting point is 00:48:14 electing them, and disciplining them properly when they do wrong. That is what matters the most right now, in this pivotal moment going forward. The corrupt will choose to continue to do the same old, same old. They will continue to gaslight the public and tell them that the system works. Even after there is clear evidence that shows the contrary, the corrupt will continue to push and protect the system that only helps them. But the good news is that the people can choose to take the power away from the corrupt by voting them out, which is what we plan to do.

Starting point is 00:48:56 And it is our job as journalist to shine the light on the dirty truths that the corrupt want to be kept in the dark so that they can continue on business as usual. So last week, we told you about yet another shocking case of a South Carolina defendant getting released early under suspicious circumstances with the help of his defense attorney, who Moonlight says a lawmaker, Todd Rutherford. Now, we have had a much deserved harsh spotlight on Todd Rutherford for months now, specifically after the derogd price debacle.

Starting point is 00:49:35 You know, when three elected officials helped get a murder out of prison 15 years early, suspiciously, and suspiciously, right around the time that Alec Murdoch was convicted of murder and the whole world was distracted by that. So back to Todd, as the post-encourier first reported, 17 years ago, 39-year-old Alberto Romero Lopez was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting a man over and over again, and kidnapping a woman in an aching county home, and assaulting deputies. Lopez was yet another South Carolina defendant who was released early in 2022 with the help of his lawyer-law-maker defense attorney Todd Rutherford.

Starting point is 00:50:22 You know, the man who should forever be remembered as the politician who fanboyed over Ellie Khmurtok after he was convicted of murdering his family and on live television in front of the world. We see you taught and we will not forget it. The thing with Todd is that he is just one of ten people, six of them lawmakers, who decides who gets to be a judge in our state. In the problem with defense attorneys like Todd holding more voting power than several counties of citizens combined when it comes to deciding who the judges are, is this? Corrupt prosecutors. If you are a corrupt prosecutor with a judges robe and a gaville on your corrupt vision board, you probably want Todd Rutherford on your good side.

Starting point is 00:51:16 Todd is one of 10 people. You need to get a yes from, to get to your next step. In Imagine, if you have the opportunity to get on Todd's good side by just cutting a deal for one of Todd's clients, in a case that you thought would go under the radar. Think about that. Do you see how the system we have tilts

Starting point is 00:51:40 in the favor of the corrupt? This brings us back to the Lopez case. Like the Draud Price case, we cannot find any substantial evidence showing that Lopez provided any meaningful assistance to authorities, which is what the law requires for early release. It's yet another case of a convicted criminal with a violent history represented by Todd

Starting point is 00:52:06 Bresifer, who got a sweetheart deal of an early release without any evidence of actually helping anyone. And yet another example of a prosecutor who was willing to help make that happen. Why would a prosecutor ever agree to that? Well guess who the prosecutor was. David Miller, the guy who was trying to become a judge, the guy who will be screened by Todd Rutherford and just a few others in the upcoming months. The guy who definitely wants Todd Rutherford on his side. To me, this shows a disturbing pattern that exposes exactly what is wrong with our system.

Starting point is 00:52:56 This is the second time that we know of, in which David Miller, while on his quest to become a judge, has given a lawyer, lawmaker's client a secret sweetheart deal that appears to be against the public's best interest. This is the second time that David Miller appears to have put his own career aspirations over his duty to serve and protect the public. In the thing is, the system encourages this behavior. Imagine if David Miller had to actually run for office in a general election to fulfill his dream

Starting point is 00:53:34 of becoming a judge. And he was forced to worry about what the people desired, like equal justice under the law, as opposed to caring for what a select few and power want from him. See how he might be motivated more to care about the public if we had a different system. See how the Bowen Turner case might have had a different outcome. Now, the JMSC, the Committee that Todd Rutherford sits on, will be taking complaints about potential judges through noon on Monday, and now is the time we need you to be really pesky.

Starting point is 00:54:15 If you are concerned about David Miller becoming a judge, or if you are concerned about any judicial candidate, we need you to tell the JMSC. If you want to help make a difference, the easiest way would be to email JMS at scsonnet.gov or call 803-212-6623. Your message could be as simple as saying that you do not believe that David Miller is fit to become a judge based on his actions in the Turner and Lopez cases. We will be posting a call to action on our social media accounts with each JMSC members specific contact information, so we can ensure that each member hears our concerns.

Starting point is 00:55:05 We want you to be pesky, but also polite and stick to the facts. Do not threaten. Do not harass. The facts in these cases about David Miller should tell the JMSC enough to give them concern. If they approve David Miller, like the S.I. Bar did, then we will know exactly who they are, and it will become more clear than ever that we will have to change the way judges are elected in our state, starting with the JMSC. As dark as the days are, looking at the horrific details between the bow and turner case,

Starting point is 00:55:42 the Murdock cases, the Steven Smith case, and the Gerard Price case. I can only hope that these cases will propel us to a turning point in South Carolina. We believe in turning darkness into light. We could learn from these cases and make our state better and remind the victims that they did not fight in vain. Or we could choose to be silent and allow the corrupt to carry on business as usual and allow more victims to be mistreated and more people to be hurt by those in power

Starting point is 00:56:18 choosing themselves over everyone else. Here is to hoping that now is the time for change. Stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True sunlight is created by me, Mandy Madney, co-hosted by journalist Liz Farrell and produced by my husband, David Moses. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production.

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