Staff reports | Prosecutors and defense lawyers are making final preparations for next week’s blockbuster murder trial in Walterboro of disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh of Hampton County. Murdaugh is charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021. He’s also facing dozens of charges in separate cases involving alleged financial improprieties.
Defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian, a Columbia state senator, and Jim Griffin of Columbia continue to file motions to throw out certain evidence and question the state’s handling of the murder investigation. Meanwhile, prosecutors have remained silent in the lead-up to the trial.
The motions are expected to be taken up after state Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman has set a jury, which could be a tough task for Colleton County’s relatively small population, according to WCBD-TV. The trial is set to begin Monday in Walterboro, with many local and national news outlets converging in the town to cover the high-profile case.
In other news this week:
S.C. Supreme Court set to be all-male bench. No woman is expected to serve on the state Supreme Court for the first time in 35 years. Lawmakers appear to be ready to replace Justice Kaye Hearn with state appellate court Judge Gary Hill after the other two candidates under consideration dropped out.
McMaster to offer State of the State address next week. Gov. Henry McMaster will offer the 2023 State of the State address Wednesday at the Statehouse. Meanwhile this week, the governor said he wanted $10 million to replace two state planes that some lawmakers say aren’t needed.
S.C. lawmakers want to shuffle how to boost jobs in the state. S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith and members of a special committee proposed a bill to create the Office of Statewide Workforce Development within the state Department of Employment and Workforce. The new office would be in charge of state-funded workforce development programs.
Tax money for students for private school hits the S.C. Senate floor. A bill that would give some less well off parents and guardians up to $6,000 a year for private school tuition was expected to be the first thing up for debate in the 2023 session for South Carolina senators.
South Carolina still seeking ways to hold executions. South Carolina’s execution methods are currently under debate over the legality of the electric chair and firing squad. Meanwhile, lawmakers are struggling to figure out how 14 other states are receiving drugs to perform lethal injection by attempting to pass a law that would shield the identities of companies that provide the drugs.
Statehouse Republicans divided over who is a Republican. Members of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus and their GOP colleagues butted heads Jan. 19. The debate opened when House Majority Leader Davey Hiott said lawmakers who have not signed onto rules agreed to last month will not be recognized as Republican Caucus members. However, state representatives can still be a part of the Republican Party without being a caucus member.
S.C. lawmakers aim to crack down even more on drunk drivers. A pair of Upstate lawyers in the legislature have sponsored a bill that would require those convicted of drunk driving to pay child support if a parent was killed in a drunk driving-related crash.
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