SC Attorney General responds to latest comments from Murdaugh attorneys

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson responded Monday after new comments from Alex Murdaugh’s defense team.

The comments come days after the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out Murdaugh’s 2023 murder convictions in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

Following the high court’s ruling, Wilson stated that his office would seek to try Murdaugh a second time for the murders. He also said late last week that all options for the state are on the table, including the death penalty.

One of Murdaugh’s attorneys, Dick Harpootlian, claimed Wilson’s comment was an example of where Wilson “plays politics as opposed to playing prosecutor.”

In response, Wilson said the case “is being treated exactly as it should be, as a brand-new trial.”

“In 2022, the legal and practical realities surrounding the death penalty were very different. South Carolina had not carried out an execution in more than a decade. That has changed, and it is one of several factors that must now be considered as we move forward,” the attorney general continued.

Wilson also called out Harpootlian and fellow defense attorney Jim Griffin’s criticism of his office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Murdaugh’s defense has stated that there is no direct evidence tying him to Maggie and Paul’s deaths, and that SLED mishandled the crime scene.

Wilson, in response, called those comments “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. “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.”

You can read Wilson’s full statement below this story.

FULL STATEMENT FROM ALAN WILSON

“This case is being treated exactly as it should be, as a brand-new trial. Every legal option is on the table, and those discussions are happening as they should happen, with the dedicated prosecutors and staff within the Attorney General’s Office, not as part of some campaign apparatus.

In 2022, the legal and practical realities surrounding the death penalty were very different. South Carolina had not carried out an execution in more than a decade. That has changed, and it is one of several factors that must now be considered as we move forward.

Mr. Harpootlian himself acknowledged that the Becky Hill matter was previously referred to and reviewed by an independent prosecutor. Those issues were already evaluated outside of our office.

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.

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.”

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