A federal sentencing appeal has been denied, the South Carolina Supreme Court has taken action and set a timeline in another appeals process, a disgruntled former juror takes legal action, and a high-profile attorney is releasing a new memoir: here's the latest in the Alex Murdaugh true crime saga.
Alex Murdaugh's March 2023 double murder conviction in the 2021 slayings of two family members marked a new chapter in the Murdaugh crime saga in South Carolina, one filled with appeals and lingering legal questions.
Even as Murdaugh serves consecutive life terms for murder, augmented with state and federal fraud sentences , appeals are pending in federal court and before the S.C. Supreme Court and questions remain about jury tampering and alleged misconduct behind the doors of justice.
Here's the latest:
Federal court denies Murdaugh's federal sentencing appeal
In the wake of his March 2023 convictions in the June 2021 killings of his wife and son, and amid a guilty plea deal on state fraud charges , Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in September 2023 and was sentenced April 2024 to 40 years in federal prison .
Yet despite signing off on the 22-count, no-contest federal plea deal, which has general provisions prohibiting appeals, Murdaugh's attorneys filed an appeal on that sentence on July 11 , framing his appeal argument around the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits excessive and cruel or unusual punishments.
That 40-year federal prison time "represents a death sentence for the 55-year-old Murdaugh, " stated the appeal.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit disagreed, issuing an order dismissing Murdaugh's appeal.
Three federal appellate judges ruled that Murdaugh "knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to appeal" when he accepted and signed his guilty plea deal.
It is unclear if Murdaugh and his attorneys will continue to pursue this appeal with a higher court.
What's the latest on Alex Murdaugh's Supreme Court appeal? Will Murdaugh get a new murder trial?
The appeals of the murder conviction and state prison sentencing of Alex Murdaugh now lie in the jurisdiction of the S.C. Supreme Court, but nothing will be heard on this matter until after mid-December.
Attorneys for Murdaugh have technically filed two appeals. First, Murdaugh filed an initial appeal of his double murder convictions and twin life sentences in March 2023, just days after the guilty verdict was delivered.
Then, after being denied a new trial in a hearing before S.C. Justice Jean Toal in January 2024 based on allegations of jury tampering by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill , Murdaugh filed a second appeal, asking the state Supreme Court to review Toal's decision.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear Murdaugh's case s in August, and on Sept. 13 issued an order consolidating those appeals into one case.
With that same order, the Supreme Court also granted Murdaugh's attorneys an extension of Dec. 10 to file their initial brief making their case. No date has been announced yet when the court will hear this case.
What's going on with Juror 785, the 'Egg Lady'? Disgruntled dismissed juror files motions to unseal court documents
Another ongoing legal controversy in the Murdaugh crime saga relates to a jury panel member who was dismissed before final deliberations.
Myra Crosby, once identified only as Juror No. 785, and often derogatorily referred to as "The Egg Lady" or "The Egg Juror," was dismissed from the jury before its final deliberations for allegedly violating the judge's instructions involving discussing the case outside the courtroom.
The court has sealed court records pertaining to Crosby's conversations with Judge Clifton Newman in chambers and her subsequent dismissal.
On Sept. 4, attorneys for Murdaugh joined Joseph M. McCulloch, an attorney representing Crosby, in filing a motion with the S.C. Supreme Court asking that those records be unsealed to the public to clear her name and public reputation and possibly shed some more light on the alleged backroom jury tampering that could have influenced Murdaugh's conviction.
Crosby has held interviews with the press in which she claims she was dismissed unfairly, alleging that the process wasn't fair.
In that motion, attorneys claim that Murdaugh "became a victim of secret misconduct in a Lowcountry courtroom."
On Sept. 16, the S.C. Attorney General's Office filed a motion in opposition of this request, asking the court to hold this petition in abeyance until after Murdaugh's brief is filed before the Supreme Court.
That motion pointed out that in November 2023, Judge Newman allowed Crosby access to her own records but did not grant her access to publish or disseminate those records.
In August, Crosby and a co-author released " Because Enough is Enough," a book about her experiences on the Murdaugh jury .
Are there any other new Murdaugh-related books coming out?
The Murdaugh murder saga and subsequent courtroom drama sparked waves of documentaries, podcasts, scripted series and books, and the story is still being told from varying points of view by those closest to the case, from journalists to jurors.
The latest literary contribution comes from one of the key attorneys in the Murdaugh civil cases, Eric Bland of Bland Richter LLP.
During the peak of the crime saga, Murdaugh was facing a dozen civil suits after being accused of stealing millions from scores of his legal clients, partners and friends.
Bland and his partner, Ronnie Richter, helped uncover the depths of Murdaugh's more than 100 fraud charges and represent several of his financial fraud victims.
True crime fans can learn more about Bland's work, as well as his 30-year personal journey from law school to South Carolina's trial of the century, in Bland's new memoir, "Anything But Bland: Moxie, Murdaugh, and Making Life Happen On Your Own Terms."
Anything But Bland is set to release the first week of November, said Bland. The work will be available in paperback, hardback, eBook and Audiobook, with further details to be released soon.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh latest: federal appeal denied; SC Supreme Court sets timeline for state appeal;
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