Alleged Murdaugh co-conspirator Russell Laffitte’s conviction overturned by appeals court

Russell Laffitte outside federal court in Charleston, September 2022. (WCIV)

(WCIV) — Former banker and alleged Alex Murdaugh co-conspirator Russell Laffitte’s federal conviction was vacated Thursday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a new filing.

United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina Adair Boroughs said the ruling has no impact on charges filed against Laffitte moving forward, stating:

The Fourth Circuit ordered a retrial based only on the district court’s replacement of a deliberating juror. Its ruling has no impact on the charges against Laffitte going forward. We respect the court’s decision and stand ready to prove Laffitte’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt a second time.

The former Lowcountry banker was sentenced to seven years in prison in August 2023 and ordered to pay over $3.5 million in restitution by Judge Richard Gergel. He was convicted in November 2022 on six felony financial crime charges.

Laffitte had been accused of working with Murdaugh to allow the convicted killer to steal money from his own clients, with Laffitte working as a top official at Palmetto State Bank.

The three-judge panel’s decision means Laffitte will be remanded for a new trial, according to legal documents.

The reason the conviction was vacated was due to the removal of a juror, which the appeals court ruled violated Laffitte’s Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury, legal documents show.

Murdaugh is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul who were found shot to death on June 7, 2021.