Murdaugh Murders: Reflections On South Carolina’s ‘Trial Of The Century’

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While we await word on whether convicted killer Alex Murdaugh will be granted a new trial in the aftermath of jury tampering allegations leveled against embattled Colleton County, South Carolina clerk of court Becky Hill, our news team is recalling its coverage of Murdaugh’s original ‘Trial of the Century’ earlier this year in Walterboro, S.C.

This six-week spectacle – which drew international audiences – ended with a pair of guilty verdicts (and subsequent life sentences) for Murdaugh, the 55-year-old scion of one of the Palmetto State’s most powerful families. It took jurors less than three hours to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that Murdaugh was guilty of the graphic murders of his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son – 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh – on the family’s hunting property near Islandton, S.C. on the evening of June 7, 2021.

Researcher Callie Lyons recently interviewed our trial coverage team – myself, producer Dylan Nolan and research director Jenn Wood – on our experiences covering this international story as a small, homegrown South Carolina media outlet.

Thanks to Callie for taking the lead on this informative behind-the-scenes peek at our coverage of the main event of the ‘Murdaugh Murders‘ crime and corruption saga …

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

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