09 March 2023 , 23:05
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Disgraced former attorney and convicted family killer Alex Murdaugh's attorneys have filed a notice of appeal in his double-murder trial exactly one week after he was found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul.
Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to two consecutive life terms in prison.
In a press conference following the sentencing, Murdaugh's lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin stated that they planned to appeal the case to the highest level in both state and federal courts.
They believed that the grounds for the appeal would likely be related to the financial crimes evidence that was presented before the jury, which supported the state's theory of motive.
Wife Maggie, son Paul and Alex MurdaughMurdaugh's lawyers argue that including testimony about all of the financial crimes was overkill and tarnished Murdaugh's character, unfairly prejudicing the jury, Count on 2 News reported.
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Additionally, the lawyers believed that a federal appeal could be made because they think that the state violated Murdaugh's Fifth Amendment rights when asking him why he did not come clean about being at the kennels the night of the murders.
According to Griffin, the Supreme Court has made it clear that a defendant's post-arrest silence cannot be used against them.