- Alex Murdaugh returned to court Friday for a pre-trial hearing over allegations of financial crimes
- The killer is accused of over 100 financial crimes alleging he embezzled $9 million from friends and clients at his former law firm
- He is currently seeking a retrial over his March murder trial where he was convicted of murdering his wife and son
Alex Murdaugh is back in court Friday for a pre-trial hearing ahead of his upcoming court case for alleged financial crimes.
The killer legal scion, 55, is facing over 100 charges of financial crimes alleging he embezzled $9 million from friends and clients at his former law firm.
Prosecutors are expected to argue that he murdered his wife Maggie and son Paul to distract from his financial crimes, and say his life was spiraling out of control as he battled a secret opioid addiction.
Murdaugh’s trial is set to begin November 27, however his attorneys have requested the trial be moved to another location or moved back as they raise concerns about jury impartiality for the notorious killer’s case.
Similar allegations of jury tampering have been levied at his murder trial earlier this year, as Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill has been accused of improperly counseling jurors to disregard Murdaugh’s testimony and pressured them to reach a quick verdict.
Alex Murdaugh seen back in court Friday for a pre-trial hearing as he faces over 100 charges of financial crimes
Murdaugh speaks with his defense attorney Dick Harpootlian in court Friday
Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian (left) speaks with prosecuting attorney Creighton Waters (right), who is expected to argue that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to distract from his alleged financial crimes
In his financial crimes trial, Murdaugh faces 19 indictments and over 100 charges alleging crimes including tax evasion, money laundering, forgery and fraud.
Ronnie Richter, an attorney representing victims of Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes, has claimed the legal scion’s actions were tantamount to a ‘Ponzi scheme.’
‘Alex’s financial crimes are nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, and all Ponzi schemes work in the same way—I have to continue to steal from new people to replace the money I’ve stolen from old people,’ he said.
‘All Ponzi schemes end the same way. Sooner or later it’s like musical chairs: the music stops and someone is without a chair.
‘And that’s exactly what happened with Alex. The music stopped, he ran out of places to get money and all of his financial crimes were exposed.’
The financial crimes case is scheduled to be presided over by Judge Clifton Newman, who recused himself this week from any of Murdaugh’s future hearings over his murder conviction as his lawyers seek a retrial.
Newman came under fire for a controversial interview with NBC News a month after the trial, where he commented on the blockbuster trial just a month after its conclusion.