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On March 2, 2023, after the jury gave a guilty verdict to the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, his defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, revealed that they were going to file an appeal. Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, in June 2021.
Under South Carolina law, Murdaugh could file an appeal within 30 days, and his defense attorneys, Griffin and Harpootlian, have already revealed that they are about to file it. According to the attorneys, the verdict can be overturned in an appeal. When asked about the efforts the team would make to find the real killer, Democratic state senator Dick Harpootlian said in a press conference:
“Not our job to find the real killer.”
However, he received backlash on social media platforms after this comment. While the fatal boat crash that killed Mallory Beach in 2019 brought the Murdaugh family into the middle of criminal investigations, Alex Murdaugh has hired well-known and seasoned Columbia lawyers Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian for the murder case.
Twitteratis express their views on Dick Harpootlian's “killer” comment amidst the Alex Murdaugh murder trial
It was revealed that Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin were originally hired to defend Paul Murdaugh in the boat crash case. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian, 74, is reportedly a Democratic state senator and is described as “aggressive” and “theatrical.”
On the other hand, 60-year-old Jim Griffin is considered to be more “even-tempered” and “reserved.” The defense attorney mostly specializes in handling white-collar criminals. Many legal experts believe that the combination of Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin is perfect for a convict like Alex Murdaugh. Retired federal judge Dennis Shredd said:
“Whoever put this team together, they knew what the hell they were doing.”
As mentioned earlier, during a recent press conference, Harpootlian mentioned that it was not upon them to find the real murderer of Alex Murdaugh's wife and son. He further stated that the forensic investigation has been a "comedy of errors." As such, netizens have not taken lightly to the comment and took to Twitter to express their views on the "killer" comment.
Harpootlian had convicted USC President Jim Holderman on corruption charges
Dick Harpootlian was a student at Clemson University in the late 1960s who had also worked for the Tiger student newspaper. He is known to have strongly opposed USA’s involvement in Vietnam. Harpootlian applied to study law at the University of South Carolina’s law school and eventually began working as an assistant prosecutor at Columbia. Speaking about his interest in jury trials, he said:
“I loved it. I never understood what a narcissist I was. Twelve people who can’t get up and leave when I’m talking to them?”
In fact, he described litigation as “the most fun you can have with your clothes on.”
Talking about the defense attorney, Jack Swerling, Dick Harpootlian’s classmate at Clemson University, said:
“Dick is at home in that kind of situation. Give him a jury and a courtroom, and he’ll be all right.”
While being a prosecutor, Harpootlian convicted USC President Jim Holderman on charges related to corruption. He further scored the death penalty for serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins. The defense attorney has also extracted millions of dollars on behalf of his clients, primarily by suing government agencies while representing taxpayers and businesses.
