Attorneys for disgraced South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh are asking the state’s highest court to block the judge who oversaw his murder trial from presiding over any more of his case — claiming statements he made after Murdaugh’s sentencing proved he was impartial.
In a motion filed Wednesday, Murdaugh’s lawyers asked the South Carolina State Supreme Court to block Judge Clifton Newman from hearing Murdaugh’s request for a new trial and from future hearings regarding Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes.
They did not accuse Newman of acting improperly during the murder trial, instead citing statements he made during sentencing and in interviews with the Today Show and Cleveland State University following the jury’s guilty verdict.
Addressing the jury after it reached its verdict that Murdaugh was responsible for killing his wife Maggie and son Paul, Newman quipped that “all the evidence points to only one conclusion, and that’s the conclusion you’ve reached.”
In his speech at Cleveland State, Newman also said Murdaugh “committed a crime that is unforgivable, unimaginable and there is no way he can sleep peacefully,” according to the Daily Mail.
He repeated the claim on the Today Show, saying: “I can’t imagine him having a peaceful night knowing what he did.”
Attorneys representing disgraced legal heir Alex Murdaugh are asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to block Judge Clifton Newman from hearing any more of his cases. AP Murdaugh was found responsible for killing his wife Maggie and son Paul in March. Daniel William McKnight for the NY Post
Overall, the defense argued, Newman’s statements showed he thought Murdaugh was guilty — which may have prevented him from impartially deciding whether the murder trial was fair.
“If the fact finder is the judge who denounced Mr. Murdaugh on national television, the decision on the motion for a new trial cannot be reviewed and is forever suspect,” attorneys argued in the motion, obtained by the Post and Courier.
“The bell must not be rung during appeals.”
In an interview with the Today Show following the verdict, Newman questioned how Murdaugh slept at night “knowing what he was doing.” NBC News
The attorneys also argued that the judge was a material witness to Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca Hill’s actions during the trial, as they accused her of influencing jurors by asking for their opinion of his guilt before the trial ended — which attorneys say could have suggested to jurors that she thought Murdaugh was guilty.
Attorneys argued in court documents that Hill “instructed them to disbelieve the evidence presented in Mr. Murdaugh’s defense, including his own testimony,” “lied to the judge to remove jurors he believed might not vote guilty,” and “pressured the jury to reach a guilty verdict.” quickly so that he can profit from it.”
Murdaugh was later sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in March.
Murdaugh’s attorneys are now seeking a new trial, alleging a county clerk influenced the jury.Facebook
Prosecutors have not yet responded to a motion to remove the judge, but previously wrote to Newman arguing that he should not recuse himself because bringing in another judge to expedite many details of the trial would be too expensive.
Newman is now set to preside over a trial beginning Nov. 27 over Murdaugh’s alleged scheme to steal millions from the family of his late maid, unless the state Supreme Court grants the defense’s request or postpones any hearing or trial until the case is resolved.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
