SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #14

[Elley Mae]

The state took its time displaying check after check signed by Russell that appeared to move settlement money that belonged to the law firm’s clients to the personal accounts of Alex, his wife, his father and Russell’s father. The state listed the Plyler sisters, Arthur Badger, Hakeem Pinckney and Natasha Thomas as major victims.

‘He cheated’: Emotional first day of testimony in trial of alleged Murdaugh conspirator

The man accused of helping Alex Murdaugh and suspended attorney Cory Fleming divert nearly $2 million from clients was back in court Wednesday for the first full day of testimony in his trial.

www.live5news.com

 

[Elley Mae]

Attorneys for former Hampton banker Russell Lucius Laffitte, the primary alleged accomplice of accused former South Carolina attorney Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, have filed a flurry of pretrial motions in both state and federal courts — including a motion to dismiss criminal charges and a motion to give Laffitte’s wife half of his frozen assets.

Alleged Murdaugh accomplice Russell Laffitte moves to dismiss charges, give wife assets

The accused South Carolina banker’s motion asks that more than half of the net proceeds, or $250,000, be paid to his wife, Susanne Laffitte.

www.greenvilleonline.com

The counter motion also says that Laffitte’s wife should not be able to simply “raise her hand” and claim half of the proceeds of Laffitte’s alleged illegal activity, adding that the law says the “uninvolved spouse should not receive a windfall at the expense of the victim where community assets were acquired with funds that were stolen from the victim…”

 

[Marysmith]

Attorneys for former Hampton banker Russell Lucius Laffitte, the primary alleged accomplice of accused former South Carolina attorney Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, have filed a flurry of pretrial motions in both state and federal courts — including a motion to dismiss criminal charges and a motion to give Laffitte’s wife half of his frozen assets.

Alleged Murdaugh accomplice Russell Laffitte moves to dismiss charges, give wife assets

The accused South Carolina banker’s motion asks that more than half of the net proceeds, or $250,000, be paid to his wife, Susanne Laffitte.

www.greenvilleonline.com

The counter motion also says that Laffitte’s wife should not be able to simply “raise her hand” and claim half of the proceeds of Laffitte’s alleged illegal activity, adding that the law says the “uninvolved spouse should not receive a windfall at the expense of the victim where community assets were acquired with funds that were stolen from the victim…”

No kidding! Ugh! This makes me so mad! This is such entitled behaviour!!

 

[Elley Mae]

Daniel asked Seckinger whether Murdaugh had certain qualities, such as “the gift of gab, ... a big personality ... and a god-given gift of using people as pawns.”

“I agree,” Seckinger said.

When Daniel asked whether Murdaugh “created an illusion, an illusion of chaos,” Seckinger said she agreed.

Seckinger also testified that Murdaugh had an extraordinary memory and “was able to keep all his lies straight.”

In addition to Murdaugh, Seckinger testified that Chris Wilson, a lawyer and longtime friend of Murdaugh’s with a different firm, lied about a major fee of nearly $800,000 that Murdaugh was supposed to turn over to the firm in the spring of 2021.

All partners in the firm were supposed to turn over money won in lawsuits to the firm’s client trust account, where it would be used to pay bills and, every December, distributed to the partners.

In February 2021, Murdaugh and Wilson had won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Murdaugh persuaded Wilson to give him his firm’s fee at that time and not turn it over to the law firm’s client trust account. Wilson did that, according to testimony, but Seckinger found out about it, she testified.

That was what she was asking Murdaugh about on the morning of June 7, 2021, she testified.

https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article268531562.html

 

[girlhasnoname]

<snipped & BBM - not surprised >

Federal Prosecutors then called JS, Chief Financial Officer at Murdaugh’s former law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick Law Firm (PMPED) — now Parker Law Group — to the stand as a witness. S is also married to Russell Laffitte’s brother-in-law.

S spoke about her role overseeing the finances at PMPED and how money, settlements, payouts, and expenses were typically handled at the firm.

S revealed that flags were first raised in 2019 following the boating accident in which Mallory Beach died and Paul Murdaugh was charged. She said the law firm became worried AM would begin hiding money and settlement earnings to protect his family from a pending civil suit in the case.

Later, S noticed missing attorney’s fees from a case Alex Murdaugh worked on with long-time from and Bamberg County Attorney CW to the tune of $729,000.

S says she confronted Murdaugh in his office on June 7th, 2021 — just hours before Margaret and Paul were murdered — about the money and asked for proof it was being held in trust by CW.

Day two of Laffitte trial provides new insight into alleged crimes

 

[Skigirl]

This bank was a nightmare from a corporate governance perspective. I can't imagine why anyone has left deposits there. It's certainly made me want to check on the governance of banks that I entrust with my money. An all-family senior management and board is a huge red flag. MOO.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Russell Laffitte did not have SC bank approval to make Murdaugh payments, official testifies​

<snipped>
A top executive at Russell Laffitte’s former bank testified Thursday that Laffitte was removed as CEO after he secretly paid Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm $680,000 to head off a lawsuit and also made hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loans without bank officers’ knowledge or approval.

JM, an executive vice president with Palmetto State Bank, testified at a Charleston courthouse that he and other executives were “shocked and amazed” when they learned of the loans, which ultimately led to Laffitte’s firing and his indictment by a federal grand jury on bank and wire fraud charges.
Russell Laffitte did not have SC bank approval to make Murdaugh payments, official testifies

 

[girlhasnoname]

From above link: <snipped & BBM>

On Thursday, Judge Richard Gergel mentioned the existence of a letter from Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, to Laffitte’s defense team and to prosecutors but did not describe its contents.

In an interview later Thursday, Griffin said he told the opposing lawyers that Murdaugh would agree to testify on Laffitte’s behalf if he would be granted immunity for any incriminating statements he made during his testimony.

Since Murdaugh also faces state charges of both murder of his wife and youngest son and numerous financial fraud crimes, the state Attorney General’s office would also have to agree to grant Murdaugh immunity, Griffin said.

By 1 p.m. Thursday, no public discussion in court about that letter had taken place.

 

[Wallendo]

From above link: <snipped & BBM>

On Thursday, Judge Richard Gergel mentioned the existence of a letter from Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, to Laffitte’s defense team and to prosecutors but did not describe its contents.

In an interview later Thursday, Griffin said he told the opposing lawyers that Murdaugh would agree to testify on Laffitte’s behalf if he would be granted immunity for any incriminating statements he made during his testimony.

Since Murdaugh also faces state charges of both murder of his wife and youngest son and numerous financial fraud crimes, the state Attorney General’s office would also have to agree to grant Murdaugh immunity, Griffin said.

By 1 p.m. Thursday, no public discussion in court about that letter had taken place.

Not a big surprise.

If no immunity is offered, AM keeps quiet, and Laffitte appeals his conviction.

If AM is allowed to testify, he will likely try to inject testimony which helps his case without having to testify in his own trials.

I suspect AM's testimony is not going to help in this case, and he likely will not testify. A legitimate offer of this sort would not occur in the middle of the trial.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Not a big surprise.

If no immunity is offered, AM keeps quiet, and Laffitte appeals his conviction.

If AM is allowed to testify, he will likely try to inject testimony which helps his case without having to testify in his own trials.

I suspect AM's testimony is not going to help in this case, and he likely will not testify. A legitimate offer of this sort would not occur in the middle of the trial.

Posted with sarcasm <which obvi didn't translate>.

 

[Luna20]

Posted with sarcasm <which obvi didn't translate>.

Is this the last post or has another thread started?

ETA-Disregard

 

[scdiv]

Murdaugh, Laffitte families testify in day six of Laffitte trial

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Russell Laffitte’s older brother Charles Laffitte III and their dad Charles Laffitte Jr. took the stand as part of Laffitte’s defense in his federal tria…

www.counton2.com

The defense’s next witness was the shortest of the trial: Alex Murdaugh’s younger brother, John Marvin Murdaugh. John Marvin talked about his childhood growing up across the street from the Laffittes and said he’s had a personal relationship with Russell Laffitte much of his life, calling him an “honest man.” Federal prosecutors asked John Marvin if he had any knowledge of the cases against Laffitte and those involving his brother, he answered no and was dismissed from the stand.

 

[scapa]

Another report:

"The former CFO of Murdaugh’s family law firm PMPED, Jeanne Seckinger, told the court during Laffite’s trial Wednesday the family firm confronted Murdaugh about missing money on June 7, 2021, WCBD reported.

That’s the same day Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul were brutally shot dead....Seckinger testified... that hours before the shootings, the firm approached Murdaugh looking to identify where client settlement cash was, according to WCBD. She added the firm decided to hold back from further investigating the missing money after Maggie and Paul were murdered, saying it sent the family law firm into a “tizzy," the local TV station reported

The former CFO said the company was particularly worried about Murdaugh hiding money from the firm after his son Paul was charged in the boating crash death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach."

Alex Murdaugh was confronted about stolen cash just hours before family’s murder: witness

The allegation came in the federal financial crimes trial of Russell Laffite, the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank who had close ties to the disgraced South Carolina legal scion.

nypost.com

Sure smells like motive...

Had the boat accident not happened when it did, given how deep some of the great and not-so-good of Hampton County seem to be wading in the Murdaugh mud, how long could the AM con have continued?

He must have had some deep, raw anger towards the agent/s of his financial unwinding on that day at the stables.

And that preemptive "defence" of dad/ pal/ son / community good guy RL by his wife ranks up there with most tone-deaf things I've heard this year. Yikes.

 

[Marysmith]

Sure smells like motive...

Had the boat accident not happened when it did, given how deep some of the great and not-so-good of Hampton County seem to be wading in the Murdaugh mud, how long could the AM con have continued?

He must have had some deep, raw anger towards the agent/s of his financial unwinding on that day at the stables.

How long could it have though? It’s so wild that it went on as long as it did! For sure Mallory Beach’s untimely and very tragic death started his unraveling but I would think one of the lawsuits, inquiry’s, would have soon started it as well? I would hope…

 

[StarryStarryNight]

One of the questions asked of John Marvin Murdaugh by defense attorneys was if he knew who the beneficiary of Maggie’s estate was. JMM answered that he thought Alex was the beneficiary.
I don’t know what the purpose of that question was, but to me, it sounded like a motive for murder.

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1593353624415080453

 

[Countem]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1593353624415080453

Calling five people over the course of a 20-minute drive seems a little… excessive IMO. Wonder what was said over these short phone calls? Hopefully, we will find out at trial!

 

[girlhasnoname]

Calling five people over the course of a 20-minute drive seems a little… excessive IMO. Wonder what was said over these short phone calls? Hopefully, we will find out at trial!

Playbook for building an alibi. Geez, I bet he's never called that many people in that short amount of time prior to the murders.

MOO

 

[girlhasnoname]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1593353624415080453

If it weren't for the seriousness and tragedy of Maggie and Paul being brutally murdered, I'd have to laugh at AM's weak attempt at an alibi. It's pathetic and so is he. How convenient he molded his timeline based on what the State provided as time of death. Even though he told another version while the investigation was happening. It's physically disgusting to me.

MOO

 

[girlhasnoname]

Murdaugh, Laffitte families testify in day six of Laffitte trial

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Russell Laffitte’s older brother Charles Laffitte III and their dad Charles Laffitte Jr. took the stand as part of Laffitte’s defense in his federal tria…

www.counton2.com

The defense’s next witness was the shortest of the trial: Alex Murdaugh’s younger brother, John Marvin Murdaugh. John Marvin talked about his childhood growing up across the street from the Laffittes and said he’s had a personal relationship with Russell Laffitte much of his life, calling him an “honest man.” Federal prosecutors asked John Marvin if he had any knowledge of the cases against Laffitte and those involving his brother, he answered no and was dismissed from the stand.

BBM - Only another Murdaugh would consider RL an honest man, considering he aided and abetted AM to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars from innocent victims.

JMO