‘More holes than Swiss cheese’: Murdaugh attorneys blast SLED investigation, attorney general

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Alex Murdaugh’s defense team continued blasting the state’s handling of the murder investigation into the deaths of his wife and son.

It comes days after the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out Murdaugh’s murder convictions, nearly three years after he was found guilty in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin held a press conference Monday in Columbia, addressing the latest developments in the case.

“The job is not finished yet. And we’re going to see it through,” Griffin said Monday.

‘MORE HOLES THAN SWISS CHEESE’

Much like he told WIS in an interview on Friday, Harpootlian maintained that the investigation conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division into the murders does not prove his client was the culprit.

He said that the state zeroed in on Murdaugh as a suspect from day one and did not do enough to look at other possible suspects.

Those claims range from questions from the defense about investigators not processing the crime scene at the family estate properly to what they call inconsistent cell phone data.

“This thing has more holes in it than Swiss cheese,” he said.

‘PLAYING PROSECUTOR’

Harpootlian and Griffin also had strong words for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who said Friday that the state has all legal options on the table for a possible retrial - including the death penalty.

“Why is he saying he’s going to seek the death penalty? Is there some new piece of evidence? So we’re a little sick and tired, and we’ve seen this process since the beginning of this case, where Alan Wilson plays politics as opposed to playing prosecutor,” said Harpootlian.

Wilson responded Monday afternoon, saying Harpoolitan and Griffin’s comments about SLED were “disappointing.”

“What is disappointing is watching Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin spend their time trashing SLED and attacking South Carolina law enforcement instead of treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves,” Wilson said in a statement. “At the end of the day, our responsibility is simple: follow the law, protect the integrity of the process, and ensure justice is pursued fairly and professionally.”

MURDAUGH V. HILL

Murdaugh’s defense team also fought back against the ex-court clerk, whom the South Carolina Supreme Court said “put her fingers on the scales of justice.”

Griffin detailed a new federal lawsuit filed by Murdaugh against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill.

In its ruling last week, the state’s highest court said Hill used her position to influence jurors during the highly publicized trial in 2023.

“With the South Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling, it has been adjudged as a matter of state law that she deprived Alec of his constitutional rights, deprived him of a right to a fair trial, and as a result, we’ve got to do it all over again, which nobody wants to do,” Griffin said.

Murdaugh claims in his lawsuit that Hill’s actions violated his constitutional right to a fair and impartial trial.

Griffin said there are two goals for the lawsuit: accountability for Hill and a full investigation into jury tampering.

Both of which, Murdaugh’s attorneys say, the state has not pursued aggressively enough.

Griffin added that there are more lingering questions they’re hoping to answer in the suit.

“Was she a lone wolf? Has she done it on other cases? But certainly, it was a despicable act. And the Supreme Court found it to be such,” he said.

WIS reached out to Hill’s attorney Will Lewis on Monday, but he did not immediately respond.

WHAT’S NEXT?

It’s unclear when and where a retrial for Murdaugh would take place. Harpoolitan and Griffin have argued that a second trial should not take place in Colleton County, where the first was held.

No final decision has been made, and the attorneys said Monday they are considering a motion to change venue.

Harpootlian said it would have to be a county with similar demographics as Colleton, though, which would likely exclude Richland and Charleston counties.

Wilson and his office, meanwhile, have stated they intend for a second trial to be in Colleton County.

Murdaugh’s defense team also reiterated Monday that there is no possibility of him taking a plea deal in this case.

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