Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced former lawyer convicted of murdering his wife and son, reached a plea deal Friday on scores of financial charges just days before his first white-collar crimes trial was set to begin.
Murdaugh, who is serving two life sentences in state prison, was due to stand trial on Nov. 27 on allegations that he stole upwards of $4.3 million in insurance money intended for the family of his late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. The state trial was to be Murdaugh’s first trial on financial crimes, even though he had admitted in open court that he stole from the Satterfields, as well as his law firm and clients.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters said on Friday that the agreement will “bring some finality to this matter.” He added that, for years, Murdaugh stole from his victims out of an “insatiable desire for money”— a comment that prompted Murdaugh, who was seated next to his two long-time lawyers in Beaufort County Court, to smirk.
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Murdaugh, who was originally charged with 101 financial offenses, pleaded guilty to at least two dozen. He now faces upwards of 27 years in state prison. Waters asked for a later sentencing date, noting that the deal came together at the last minute on Friday and several victims were not able to rush to court.
Murdaugh agreed to the plea deal on Friday, stating he has had a “long time” to think about it. “I plead guilty, your honor,” he told Judge Clifton Newman.
He has already pleaded guilty to separate federal charges that included the Satterfield scheme—and faces separate state criminal charges in connection with a botched Labor Day roadside shooting.
Before the deal was reached, Murdaugh’s defense attorneys and state prosecutors were set to have a status hearing on Friday on several requests, including a motion to move the case to another jurisdiction. Murdaugh’s defense team had argued in a prior motion that in order for Murdaugh to get a fair trial, the case should be moved out of the Lowcountry or delayed until March.
Eric Bland, who represents the Satterfield family and other victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, said in a statement on social media on Friday that his clients “are sincerely appreciative of the dogged determination of Alan Wilson and Creighton [W]aters in their pursuit of justice.”
“Alex Murdaugh’s guilty plea will finally allow his financial victims to begin the process of healing and it will free the state up to refocus its time, attention and resources toward the preservation of the murder convictions, the Labor Day... shooting charges, and any other drug conspiracy charges that may come down the pike,” Bland said.
“Justice is rarely pretty or perfect, but there should be no confusion that justice was served in this case. I have no doubt that Alex Murdaugh will never get a fresh breath of air outside of state prison, and if he lives long enough in federal prison before he dies, he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
“This is a win for the victims and for justice in South Carolina,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a Friday statement. “We hope the families he betrayed and stole from feel a little peace that he is going to serve time for those crimes. It doesn’t matter your last name, your position, or your connections—no one is above the law in South Carolina.”
The plea deal came a day after Newman, who presided over the murder trial, asked the Supreme Court to remove him from all future hearings related to the double homicide. Murdaugh’s legal team is pushing for a new trial on the murder charges, arguing that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury that convicted him in March.
The state trial on financial crimes, however, was set to focus on Murdaugh’s actions years before the 2021 murder.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2018, after Satterfield died from a fall at Murdaugh’s home, Murdaugh urged her two sons to file a claim against him to collect his hefty homeowner’s insurance policy. Instead, prosecutors alleged, Murdaugh conspired with his long-time friend Cory Fleming to divert the insurance payout for his own financial gain. The Satterfield sons didn’t learn about the payout until after the 2021 double homicide, but Murdaugh has since agreed to pay the missing money and has apologized.
Fleming was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges for his role in the scheme. He was also sentenced to 10 years in state prison for the crime, which will begin after his federal sentence.
