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'Don’t waste court’s time': Outrage as Alex Murdaugh appeals his life sentence for murders of wife and son

Before the guilty verdict was announced, Alex Murdaugh's attorney had claimed investigators fabricated evidence

WALTERBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA: Alex Murdaugh has reportedly filed a motion to appeal his conviction for the murders of his wife Maggie, and son Paul. Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering them after jurors deliberated for three hours on Thursday, March 2, 2023. The 54-year-old trembled as the verdict was read at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina. This came after six weeks of testimony. He was later sentenced to life in prison.

Murdaugh is being held in his own cell at the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center. He is reportedly being housed with the state's most violent inmates. The 54-year-old disgraced legal scion's lawyers have now filed a motion to appeal his conviction and sentencing.

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'Alex’s constitutional right to a fair trial'

Before the guilty verdict was announced, Murdaugh's attorney had claimed investigators fabricated evidence. He said the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) focused on his client's alleged financial misdeeds instead of securing the crime scene and investigating key evidence. Assistant Attorney General John Meadors then said it was not necessary for prosecutors to prove motive because all the evidence pointed to Murdaugh.

Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, Murdaugh's attorneys, had hinted in the past that they would file a notice of appeal within 10 days of him being sentenced. On Friday, March 10, Harpootlian tweeted, "Today @lawyergriffin and I filed our notice of appeal for Alex Murdaugh. This is the next step in the legal process to fight for Alex’s constitutional right to a fair trial." He added, "No amount of vitriol or misguided attacks will stop us from pursuing due process for Alex to the fullest extent of the law."

"Richard Alexander Murdaugh appeals his convictions and sentences in the cases referenced above," the court document says, according to the Daily Mail.

Who can appeal a conviction?

 "Even after a defendant is found guilty, they can appeal to the Circuit Court if the defendant believes they were wrongly convicted or the sentence was too harsh. An appeal is not another trial but an opportunity for the defendant to try to raise specific errors that might have occurred at trial," according to the Offices of the United States Attorneys.

It adds, "A common appeal is that a decision from the judge was incorrect – such as whether to suppress certain evidence or to impose a certain sentence. Appeals are complicated and sometimes result in the case going back to the trial court. A specific conviction may be reversed, a sentence altered, or a new trial may be ordered altogether if the Appeals Court decides that particular course of action."

'He had a fair trial'

Outraged social media users reacted to the development in the case, with one user saying, "He had a fair trial, but he feels too entitled to get away with murder." "That appeal has a less than 1% rate of success once your client testified. Trial was fair. But if you want to talk about fair…Was it fair to classify your client’s lies as “mis-statements”? Fair to call Blanca, Jeanne,Shelley &others liars? Fair to say Paul wasn’t driving boat?" one user said, addressing Harpootlian. Another said, addressing him, "What exactly constitutes a “fair” trial to you? Because that’s exactly what I recall watching." "He’s guilty. You know, I know it, and everyone in America knows it," said one user.

"He had a fair trial. You’re wasting the time of the S.C. Supreme Court and you know it. All they’ll do is look at the videos and the gavel will swing yet again. Give it up," one user said, while another wrote, "He had a fair trial. Just because the jury that you helped select didn’t believe him doesn’t mean he didn’t get a fair trial. But carry on." "He got a fair trial but you have a right to appeal. Seems like a waste of money since he will never be out of jail due to the financial crimes. But I guess your best case is a cushier prison. Unlike most criminals he has a good lawyer and well you too," said a user. One said, "He killed Paul and Maggie. The outcome will always be the same. The jurors said the main factors in convicting him were the timeline and the kennel video. He purposefully tried to cover up the fact that he was there when they died. Don’t waste the court’s time."

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