FITSNews Week in Review – Details, episodes & analysis

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It was another huge week in the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga as prosecutors and defense attorneys for disbarred lawyer/ accused killer Alex Murdaugh faced off in a courtroom in Florence County, South Carolina – debating several key motions in advance of a scheduled January 2023 trial.

The hearing revealed significant new information related to the double homicide at the heart of this multi-faceted, multi-layered Southern Gothic drama – including a more detailed timeline for when the murders of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh took place.

The Florence hearing before S.C. circuit court judge Clifton Newman was scheduled after a flurry of motions from Murdaugh’s lawyers sought to redefine this case – which is part of a broader investigation into a criminal network revolving around Murdaugh and a yet-to-be-defined network of accomplices.

Speaking of this network, federal prosecutors are seeking to suppress potential evidence in a federal trial of one of Murdaugh’s alleged coconspirators. The evidence in question could help expose that network – making this another troubling development as it relates to the conflicted federal prosecution of the Murdaugh empire.

Stay tuned … this news outlet plans on breaking plenty of additional Murdaugh-related news in the coming week.

In this heavily caffeinated edition of the FITSNews Week In Review we dove right into recent bombshell Murdaugh crime and corruption saga developments.

For months informed speculators – ourselves included – have posited it is highly unlikely a few ‘lone wolves’ could have successfully executed the complex financial crimes Alex Murdaugh, Cory Fleming, and Russell Laffitte stand accused of committing.

Are we to believe that a rouge banker hid hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraud over an extended period of time from the other members of the Palmetto State Bank board of directors?

Are we to believe that a rouge lawyer hid similarly serious crimes from his law partners?

Until this week the answer to these questions were yes, but according to sources close to the federal prosecution of Russell Laffitte, audio referenced at secretive hearing held Thursday addressed a $680,000 payout to Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm.

The alleged details of the recording call the 'lone wolf' narrative into question, and could usher in an expansion of the prosecution of alleged co-conspirators. 

The Murdaugh saga has exposed the world to a side of the South Carolina justice - or injustice - system that many hadn't seen before. 

Are the alleged crimes, crimes which should have been detected and prosecuted years ago, indicative of systemic rot in the Palmetto State? Are they evidence of a dynasty built on decades of uncontested power in the state's southeastern corner? Or are they merely evidence of a few bad apples? 

These questions remain unanswered, and have led to many debates between those who argue that the state's Judicial system is fundamentally flawed and those who believe it is fundamentally benevolent

The alleged details of the recording call the ‘lone wolf’ narrative into question, and could usher in an expansion of the prosecution of alleged co-conspirators.

The Murdaugh saga has exposed the world to a side of the South Carolina justice – or injustice – system that many hadn’t seen before.

Are the alleged crimes, crimes which should have been detected and prosecuted years ago, indicative of systemic rot in the Palmetto State? Are they evidence of a dynasty built on decades of uncontested power in the state’s southeastern corner? Or are they merely evidence of a few bad apples?

These questions remain unanswered, and have led to many debates between those who argue that the state’s Judicial system is fundamentally flawed and those who believe it is fundamentally benevolent.

FITSNews founding editor Will Folks had a spirited discussion with Strom Law attorney Alexandra Beneventoin which the two debated the efficacy of the state's judicial system. 

It was a blustery edition of our popular ‘Week In Review’ program as we filmed the show during amid the arrival of Hurricane Ian – which made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina on Friday afternoon as a strong category one storm. With the exception of some intense coastal flooding and the destruction of the Pawleys Island pier, Ian’s impact on the Palmetto State paled in comparison to the deadly destruction in wrought on Florida three days ago.

More than two dozen people are confirmed dead in the Sunshine State after Ian struck its gulf coast on Wednesday as a category four storm – doing billions of dollars in damage. Meanwhile, more than 1.3 million Floridians were still without power as of Saturday morning.

By comparison, an estimated 65,000 people were without power in South Carolina as of Saturday morning.

In addition to our coverage of the storm, this week brought a renewed focus on the Palmetto State’s "injustice” system - notably the many ethically challenged state lawmakers whose cozy relationships with the judges they appoint continues to corrupt that system.

A pair of lawyer-legislators attempted to defend that system this week after I called out another judge for the unconscionably, inexcusably lenient sentence he doled out to a violent criminal earlier this month.

How did the debate end for these lawyer-legislators? Poorly ... very poorly.

Look for this issue to be addressed more competitively this week when we welcome a special guest to our studios ...

This week also brought another major expansion of the Cheer Incorporated scandal, some significant developments in the 'Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga and a pair of big political stories.