Alex Murdaugh loses phone privilege in jail for giving interview to Fox Nation documentary through lawyer
COLLETON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh reportedly lost his telephone privilege after conducting a news interview using another inmate's PIN to make a phone call.
The 65-year-old disgraced attorney, who is serving two consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife and son, was also convicted of two internal disciplinary charges – including Abuse of Privileges and Unauthorized Use of an Inmate’s PIN Number.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections noted in a statement that Murdaugh recorded an interview subsequently given to producers for a Fox Nation documentary, ‘The Fall of the House of Murdaugh’, which is set to air on August 31.
"Murdaugh willingly and knowingly abused his telephone privileges to communicate with the news and media for his own gain," noted the incident report filed in the prison, according to Daily Mail.
Why did Alex Murdaugh lose his telephone privilege?
Murdaugh had a disciplinary hearing for the new charges on August 28, and he lost his telephone, tablet, and canteen privileges for 30 days as a result of his decision to provide interview information to producers.
"Inmates in the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections are not allowed to do interviews,” the statement from SCDC stated.
"SCDC's interview policy is rooted in victims' rights and is longstanding. The department believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family members on the news. Inmates lose the privilege of speaking to the news media when they enter SCDC," it continued.
The department will now decide when or if inmate Murdaugh will earn another tablet.
"The charges involve providing information to be delivered to the news media for an interview and also using a fellow inmate's PIN to make a telephone call," the statement further stated, adding, "These charges violate SCDC's inmate interview policy and our policy against inmates sharing PINs. They are not a violation of law."
How did Alex Murdaugh provide information for interview?
A report by SCDC noted that Murdaugh provided information for interview through his attorney. "Murdaugh provided the interview information to his attorney through a legal call," the report said.
"Legal calls are not recorded or monitored on the inmate phone system per attorney/client privilege. Attorney Jim Griffin recorded Murdaugh reading the information and provided it to the media," it further asserted.
SCDC also wrote a letter to Jim Gryphon, Murdaugh's lawyer, warning him that his actions would endanger future phone contact with his client.
"Your actions, whether you intended or not, assisted Mr. Murdaugh in violating our policy and could jeopardize your telephonic communications with him in the future. Attorney calls are provided to assist with legal claims, not for other unrelated purposes," the letter read.
Murdaugh is currently being held in protective custody at an unidentified state prison after his conviction in March for the shooting murders of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and son Paul, 22.