Alex Murdaugh appeared in court on Thursday to face financial fraud charges. This was his first court appearance since being sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son. The disbarred South Carolina attorney appeared in Beaufort County court alongside alleged accomplices Cory Fleming and Russell Laffitte.
Murdaugh was indicted for taking $8.8 million in legal settlements from clients who were badly injured or the families of those killed on the job. He will go on trial on November 27.
Murdaugh was convicted of the shooting deaths of his wife and son on March 2, 2023. He is currently serving two life sentences in prison.
Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to serve two life sentences for shooting and killing Maggie and Paul Murdaugh at their Moselle home in June 2021. He has maintained his innocence in the case and his attorneys are asking for a new trial alleging inappropriate behavior by the Clerk of Courts in the case.
Murdaugh is due in court on Thursday for a status hearing in a separate trial as he faces charges for allegedly stealing insurance payments meant for the family of his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. Satterfield died after complications related to a fall on the Murdaugh property in 2018.
Though Murdaugh had attempted to waive his right to appear in person for Thursday’s hearing, Judge Clifton Newman, who also oversaw Murdaugh’s murder trial, ruled that the defendant must appear. At the hearing, attorneys are expected to set a trial date for both the charges stemming from the Satterfield case and charges that Murdaugh stole from family friend Jordan Jinks.
Thursday promises to be a reunion of sorts, not only for Murdaugh, the attorneys and Judge Clifton, but also for Murdaugh’s former friend Corey Fleming. Fleming, who was once Murdaugh’s college roommate, is facing sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiring and working with Murdaugh to steal from clients and friends.
Fleming pleaded guilty to 23 criminal charges and will be sentenced on Thursday. The two will likely be joined by Russell Laffitte, a former friend of Murdaugh and former president of Palmetto State Bank, who was similarly charged with financial crimes he’s alleged to have committed with the disgraced attorney. The three defendants will likely see each other in a holding cell at the courthouse as they wait for their respective hearings.
Murdaugh is also facing federal charges for his alleged financial crimes and has pleaded not guilty, as well as several lawsuits, including one filed by Satterfield’s family for the alleged theft.
