Alex Murdaugh: Convicted Murderer Appears in Court for the First Time Since Double Murder Trial

Disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh made his first public appearance since his murder trial during a state court hearing on Thursday, AP reports.

This appearance is in connection with a series of financial crimes he is alleged to have committed.

Alex Murdaugh, convicted in March for the fatal shooting of his wife and youngest son in June 2021, briefly left the maximum-security prison where he is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

During the hearing, both the prosecution and the defense agreed that some of the 101 total charges against Murdaugh would be addressed in a trial scheduled for November 27.

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Murdaugh sat in court and occasionally conferred with his legal counsel as he learned about his schedule for the week following Thanksgiving.

However, this respite will be short-lived, as Murdaugh is set to appear in another courtroom soon. A federal hearing concerning similar charges is slated for the following Thursday in Charleston.

Murdaugh is expected to plead guilty to theft and wire fraud during this hearing.

This could mark the first time he legally takes responsibility for any of the criminal charges that have accumulated since he initially reported the deaths of his family members over two years ago.

Alex Murdaugh Financial Crimes

The allegations against Alex Murdaugh are deeply troubling and encompass many criminal activities.

It is claimed that he conspired with personal injury attorney Cory Fleming to arrange settlements for his children while directing the settlement checks to be deposited into his bank account, the NY Post noted.

Moreover, it is alleged that he falsely informed her family that no settlement had been reached.

In addition to the state charges, Murdaugh faces federal charges related to these alleged fraudulent activities.

He was expected to plead guilty to multiple charges in a Charleston courtroom, marking the first time he would admit wrongdoing.

The charges against him include money laundering, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and bank fraud, all related to the purported embezzlement of clients' settlement funds over a period spanning decades.

Further complicating matters, Murdaugh is accused of embezzling $7 million from his family's law firm and laundering $2.4 million through a drug operation he was involved in.

Additionally, there are allegations that he hired his drug dealer to stage his murder to secure a $10 million life insurance payout for his surviving son, Buster.

However, this attempt failed, resulting in a non-fatal gunshot wound to his head. Murdaugh is also alleged to have evaded approximately half a million dollars in state taxes.

Alex Murdaugh Associate Pleads Guilty to Helping Him Steal Millions, Faces 20 Years in Prison

Former South Carolina attorney and longtime friend of Alex Murdaugh, Cory Fleming, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, according to CNN.

He had pleaded guilty to state charges related to assisting Murdaugh in stealing millions of dollars from his clients.

Fleming's sentencing occurred in a Beaufort County courtroom, and his guilty plea last month implicated his involvement in conspiring with Murdaugh to defraud two clients referred by Murdaugh.

Fleming is also accused of embezzling from the family of Hakeem Pinckney, who was seriously injured in a car accident in 2009 and passed away in 2011.

Prosecutors allege that settlement funds meant for the Pinckney and Satterfield families were diverted to a fake bank account and used by Murdaugh and, in some instances, by Fleming.

Judge Clifton Newman, who pronounced the sentence, emphasized that the disbarred attorney must face the consequences of his actions.

He acknowledged that Fleming's victims were vulnerable individuals who had trusted him as their attorney.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Alex Murdaugh led on a leash as he appears in court for first time since double murder trial - From New York Post