Murdaugh sentencing...

[TIDE-HSV]

In the military system, the same entity that decides whether the accused is guilty--either the military judge at the accused's request or the court members as the jury analog--decides the sentence. In a death penalty case, the military judge can't decide guilt or sentence and can't override a unanimous death sentence.

I had a classmate in law school who had done about ten years in the Army, as an officer. Joking about courts martials, he said that he and the other members would joke about getting it over as quick as possible with the "guilty SOB"...

 

[twofbyc]

No. I watched bits and pieces as I could and caught most of his testimony. When he had admit he was lying about his whereabouts, I though "that sinks his ship"...

Why he wanted to take the stand highlights his arrogance - he thought he could talk his way out of it.
I don’t buy the money he says he spent on opioids - jury didn’t either. Likely misdirection to try and hide the money he stole for his surviving son.
IMO, the sentences were appropriate even without the murders; there are people like him everywhere who abuse their power like he did because they almost think they have a Divine Right to do so.
The slowest, most painful death in prison is too good for him and those like him.

 

[T Bone]

I can't imagine ol' alex is about to enjoy his stay at the graybar inn. People he rubbed the wrong way outside of prison and put them in there are gonna rub him in many wrong ways inside the joint. Enjoy alex! @ultimateloser

 

[Padreruf]

Alex made a fatal mistake other than killing his wife and son -- he embarrassed the SC Bar with his financial/legal shenanigans. I have not heard one attorney -- other than his 2 hired guns -- stand up for him. The statement of Judge Newman, highly respected among judges and lawyers, that Alex M. was an evil person showed me what the legal community believed. I don't think the Judge would have said that without a certain amount of belief that he had substantial backing.

As far as appealing the verdict -- the basis will probably be the judge allowing the information regarding his financial crimes in evidence. The problem for the defense is that even if there is error, if it does not necessarily reverse the verdict if it was not essential to the verdict. (My wording there...) In this case the jurors interviewed have said that what convinced them was the video from the cell phone that placed him at the kennels at the time of the shooting. His lying about this convinced the jurors of his guilt. if that is the case, then the financial crime evidence did not matter.

That's all the light that this preacher who has a lot of lawyer friends but no legal degree can shine on this. It'w worth what it cost you...a minute or so.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Alex made a fatal mistake other than killing his wife and son -- he embarrassed the SC Bar with his financial/legal shenanigans. I have not heard one attorney -- other than his 2 hired guns -- stand up for him. The statement of Judge Newman, highly respected among judges and lawyers, that Alex M. was an evil person showed me what the legal community believed. I don't think the Judge would have said that without a certain amount of belief that he had substantial backing.

As far as appealing the verdict -- the basis will probably be the judge allowing the information regarding his financial crimes in evidence. The problem for the defense is that even if there is error, if it does not necessarily reverse the verdict if it was not essential to the verdict. (My wording there...) In this case the jurors interviewed have said that what convinced them was the video from the cell phone that placed him at the kennels at the time of the shooting. His lying about this convinced the jurors of his guilt. if that is the case, then the financial crime evidence did not matter.

That's all the light that this preacher who has a lot of lawyer friends but no legal degree can shine on this. It'w worth what it cost you...a minute or so.

I have to believe it was absolutely essential. It was the only way they could show motive. I guess they thought of and rejected my possible motive - that he insured that his wife and son would never know about his thievery. After all, he called her to ask her to come there. Buster better be glad he wasn't there. I found out today that my step-grandson knows him and just ran into him. Without thinking, after Buster spoke first, he asked "how are things going." Later, he thought of the situation...

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Only my uneducated guess (my next class in Law School will be my first)….This isn’t a federal case. It’s South Carolina State. So the appeal would be to a SC State Appeals Court.

With time to consider the circumstances now on the public record, and not being beholden to the Murdaughs‘ Hampton County largesse, I just don’t think they overturn or call for a new trial.

The admission of evidence of financial crimes not directly related to the murders might make for an interesting debate on a Bar Exam question. But the real world is something different.

With time to reflect, I haven’t heard one voice call for reasonable doubt in favor of Alex Murdaugh.

So yes, I’m re-thinking my initial feeling that the verdict might be thrown out.

Even if it is, and there’s a new trial, I don’t know how you get a jury that has no familiarity with the circumstances as they are public today.

The world knows what a despicable human being Alex Murdaugh is, and I just don’t think he can out-run that in the court system.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Only my uneducated guess (my next class in Law School will be my first)….This isn’t a federal case. It’s South Carolina State. So the appeal would be to a SC State Appeals Court.

With time to consider the circumstances now on the public record, and not being beholden to the Murdaughs‘ Hampton County largesse, I just don’t think they overturn or call for a new trial.

The admission of evidence of financial crimes not directly related to the murders might make for an interesting debate on a Bar Exam question. But the real world is something different.

With time to reflect, I haven’t heard one voice call for reasonable doubt in favor of Alex Murdaugh.

So yes, I’m re-thinking my initial feeling that the verdict might be thrown out.

Even if it is, and there’s a new trial, I don’t know how you get a jury that has no familiarity with the circumstances as they are public today.

The world knows what a despicable human being Alex Murdaugh is, and I just don’t think he can out-run that in the court system.

Actually, appellate courts overturn convictions frequently on what seems to a layman to be a technicality. In selecting a subsequent jury, they don't have to answer on voir dire that they are unfamiliar with the reported facts; they just have to say they won't be influenced by anything not brought out in evidence in the trial. The lawyers on both sides will be watching carefully how this question is answered, looking for sincerity. The prosecutors will be less concerned than the defense, obviously. Retrials are commonplace...