Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers wants judge removed from future trials

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The lawyers for convicted killer and disbarred Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh want the judge who presided over his murder trial removed from all future trials and hearings.

In a petition filed on Wednesday, lawyers Dick Harpotilian and Jim Griffin argue that Judge Clifton Newman should not be able to preside over any future cases because he “has personal knowledge about the clerk of court’s conduct” which will be disputed at a hearing about on whether Alex Murdaugh should get a new trial.

The Petition for Writ of Prohibition also alleges Judge Newman made statements after the jury returned guilty verdicts that violated the Code of Judicial Conduct.

“Mr. Murdaugh’s right to have his cause heard by an impartial judge will be violated if Judge Newman proceeds to hear his motion for a new trial,” the documents state.

In 2021, the chief justice of South Carolina’s Supreme Court appointed Newman to handle the criminal matters involving Alex Murdaugh.

Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and his youngest son Paul Murdaugh, and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.