A judge denied bond to former lawyer Alex Murdaugh on Tuesday, saying he wanted an independent psychiatric evaluation before determining whether Murdaugh would be a danger to himself or others if released
by hiring an accomplice to shoot him over Labor Day weekend. His lawyers said that attempt was prompted by a longstanding opioid addiction, which had spiraled out of control after the unsolved murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul on June 7 at the family’s hunting estate in southeastern South Carolina.
Mr. Murdaugh, a 6-foot-3 former college football player, appeared thin Tuesday as he hunched over the defendant’s table, wearing a navy jail jumpsuit, navy mask, pink sneakers and ankle shackles. Judge Clifton Newman, appointed by the state supreme court to oversee criminal cases involving Mr. Murdaugh, said two-thirds of the defendants he sees are addicts. State prosecutors had recommended a $200,000 surety bond on the insurance charges, but Judge Newman said “there’s no amount of bond that the court can set that can safely protect Mr. Murdaugh the community.”
He said he would reconsider bond if he receives ample assurance that Mr. Murdaugh’s mental health is sound after his six weeks of treatment to date. Dick Harpootlian, a lawyer for Mr. Murdaugh, said after the hearing that he is requesting Mr. Murdaugh’s records from rehab and will share them with a local psychiatrist in advance of a mental health evaluation, which he said he hoped would be done within a week. Mr. Harpootlian said he has worked closely with Mr. Murdaugh for more than a year on various civil and criminal matters.Ms. Satterfield’s adult sons were in the courtroom seated directly behind Mr. Murdaugh.
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