Murdaugh Faces Severe Privilege Losses During the Week

Imprisoned double murderer, Alex Murdaugh, is facing consequences for breaking prison rules in order to participate in a Fox Nation docuseries. Murdaugh, a former prominent lawyer who received a life sentence without parole for the killings of his wife, Margaret, and their son, Paul, in June 2021, made a phone call to his lawyer, Jim Griffin, on June 10. This call was recorded by Griffin, who captured Murdaugh reading diary entries from his double murder trial. The South Carolina Department of Corrections confirmed that these recordings were made for the Fox Nation docuseries, titled “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh,” which will air soon. This violation resulted in the loss of Murdaugh’s cell phone, tablet, and canteen privileges.

According to the AP, calls between prisoners and their lawyers are normally not recorded for confidentiality purposes. However, the Office of the Inspector General reported on August 15th that Murdaugh had participated in a Fox Nation interview. The warden of the McCormick Correctional Institution, where Murdaugh is imprisoned, received this report. Speaking to the media requires permission from prison authorities due to the Corrections Department’s belief that crime victims should not be exposed to the individuals who harmed them or their families through the news. The incident report also mentioned that Murdaugh had violated prison rules by using another inmate’s pin number to make a call, presumably because his own was not functioning correctly.

As a result of this violation, Murdaugh’s disciplinary hearing on Monday resulted in the loss of his cell phone and tablet privileges, as well as his ability to purchase items from the prison canteen, for one month. Additionally, his lawyer, Jim Griffin, was warned that he could lose the ability to communicate with his client if he assists Murdaugh in further prison rule violations. Meanwhile, Fox News is teasing exclusive prison revelations from Alex Murdaugh as part of the docuseries, including behind-the-scenes trial footage and never-before-seen home movies. In an interview clip, Murdaugh’s son, Buster, describes his father as a “psychopath” and expresses his belief that his conviction was unjust because jurors had already made up their minds before hearing evidence. (Read more about Alex Murdaugh stories.)