COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court has denied a motion by convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh to delay his financial crimes trial or remove Judge Clifton Newman from the case. But Newman himself has decided he'll no longer be on any hearings related to Murdaugh's efforts to fight his murder conviction.
The high court issued an order Thursday detailing the latest developments in the case and their opinions on several requests made by Murdaugh's legal team.
Murdaugh is set to go on trial later this month on dozens of state charges of financial misconduct while he worked as a high-profile lawyer in South Carolina. He's simultaneously seeking to throw out his convictions in March of this year for killing his wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul.
In their order, the justices denied a request to delay the financial crimes, stating it would begin on Nov. 27 as scheduled. They also refused to take Judge Newman--who also presided over Murdaugh's murder trial--off the case.
Murdaugh also asked for Newman to be removed from any future hearings regarding his request for a new trial on the murder trial. But the justices didn't rule on that request since they say Newman has already requested that another judge be put on those proceedings.
Murdaugh is still separately seeking a change of venue on his financial crimes case, citing "unprecedented media coverage." He already pleaded guilty earlier this year to financial crimes in federal court.
Murdaugh's attorney wanted Newman off the case over comments he made to media outlets in the wake of the high-profile trial after it concluded in early March. Newman discussed his thoughts on Murdaugh's guilt, although they were similar to comments he made directly to Murdaugh while sentencing him. Newman also discussed the strategy of his legal team, the filing says. Murdaugh's lawyers felt this showed he couldn't be impartial going forward.
His attorneys are seeking a new murder trial based on their claim that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury, making multiple prejudicial remarks. The State said they heard from three jurors who said Hill told some of them not to trust Murdaugh when he testified in his defense. They said the court clerk, in charge of helping jurors and ensuring the trial ran efficiently, also had private conversations with the jury foreperson and pressured jurors to come to a quick verdict.
On Oct. 17, the South Carolina Court of Appeals agreed to put Murdaugh's appeal on hold to allow his attorneys to file a motion for a new trial. That motion was filed last week, but it's unclear when a hearing may occur.