Alex Murdaugh’s legal professionals say it’s not possible to search out neutral jurors for his monetary crimes trial

Disgraced South Carolina legal professional Alex Murdaugh is ready to face trial on alleged monetary crimes on the finish of the month, however his defence workforce says it’s not possible to search out 12 jurors in Beaufort County neutral to his case.

A current court docket submitting revealed that 90 per cent of a possible jury pool had returned pretrial questionnaires which said that they had in depth information of the case during which the previous lawyer was convicted earlier this yr of killing his spouse and son and shared robust opinions on him.

“My thoughts is made up on this case, responsible! What that household did is disgraceful,” one potential juror wrote, in response to court docket paperwork considered by The Unbiased. “I want I had a white privilege card!”

One other wrote: “If you need an unbiased, I’m not your juror! My thoughts is made up on this case.”

“I imagine he’s responsible of killing his spouse & son — if that counts…” wrote one other.

One potential juror wrote on their questionnaire that that they had learn and considered quite a few accounts about Murdaugh and had one place they believed he must be: in jail.

“Whereas I’m not a gossip junkie I imagine he has dedicated despicable acts on his household, workers and associates. He’s malicious and unforgivable. He ought to rot in jail,” they wrote.

Murdaugh was convicted earlier this yr within the June 2021 murders of his spouse Maggie and son Paul, who had been each gunned down on the household’s Moselle property in South Carolina.

Murdaugh, as soon as synonymous with energy in Hampton County, South Carolina, is now a family identify after his heinous murders turned the forefront of media consideration, spurring a number of documentaries, together with one on Netflix, “Saturday Night time Stay” skits and fictionalized motion pictures concerning the dynasty’s downfall.

On 27 November, Murdaugh is ready to face about 100 monetary crime prices, together with these associated to an insurance coverage scheme he allegedly orchestrated that concerned the property of his late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.

On 9 November, Murdaugh’s attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, filed a movement to delay his upcoming trial on alleged monetary crimes, arguing that there wouldn’t be an neutral jury pool to select from.

Murdaugh’s attorneys cited responses from 147 potential jurors who had been requested to fill out a questionnaire concerning the case. Nearly 90 per cent have mentioned they know concerning the case, the attorneys say.

“There are maybe counties situated within the Upstate whose residents haven’t adopted the protection of (Murdaugh) as carefully because the residents within the Low Nation,” Murdaugh’s attorneys wrote. “Nevertheless, that is very uncertain within the current media local weather.”

True crime fan Stephanie Cannon, of Alabama, who has adopted the saga from the start advised The Unbiased that she shall be maintaining with the updates from the monetary crimes trial and agreed with the protection attorneys’ complaints.

“They’re positively going to have a tough time discovering an neutral jury and/or ANYONE that isn’t considerably acquainted with the case,” she mentioned.

Murdaugh, 55, has already pleaded responsible to federal prices associated to the scheme and has admitted to stealing the cash in court docket papers and testimony from the witness stand throughout his trial earlier this yr. However his state prices are nonetheless pending.

Within the movement, his attorneys wrote {that a} jury shouldn’t hear any of the info within the state case till not less than a yr has handed for the reason that finish of his homicide trial in March. They level to the responses from the juror questionnaire as arguments to delaying the trial.

Murdaugh’s defence attorneys first filed the movement for a brand new trial in September primarily based on a declare that Colleton County Clerk of Court docket Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury that handed down a responsible verdict to Murdaugh.

They allege that three jurors say Ms Hill advised them to not belief Murdaugh when he testified within the case in his personal defence. Murdaugh’s attorneys say that the choose could know of the clerk’s conduct.

Decide Clifton Newman, who presided over Murdaugh’s double homicide trial earlier this yr, excused himself from any potential appeals of the homicide instances, however will nonetheless preside over Murdaugh’s monetary crimes trial.

It’s set to start on 27 November in Beaufort County.