Alex Murdaugh lawyer Dick Harpootlian explains biggest misconception about murder trial
Dick Harpootlian says jurors heard too much about unrelated financial crimes when physical evidence pointed toward his client’s innocence.
Alex Murdaugh's feisty defense attorney Dick Harpootlian told a packed room Saturday that he'd rather defend the convicted killer for free than buy a racehorse or play golf with his hard-earned cash.
Harpootlian, who is also a Democratic state senator, and his co-counsel Jim Griffin appeared together on a panel at a true crime conference to discuss the high-profile double murder in front of hundreds of people.
When asked who would foot the bill if the disbarred attorney got a second trial, they said they would represent him pro bono, which elicited surprise from the moderator.
"What's so astounding about that? We do cases for free all the time," Harpootlian said at CrimeCon in Orlando, Florida. "We make good money. I could spend that on, I don't know, a racehorse. I could spend it on a vacation somewhere."
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Alex Murdaugh's lawyer Dick Harpootlian said that he'd rather represent the convicted killer for free than buy a racehorse or play golf. (Luke Sharrett for Bloomberg via Getty Images/Joshua Boucher for The State via AP, Pool)
But, he said, he'd rather continue battling for his client, who was sentenced in March to life in prison for fatally shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and his 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh.
The defense team has accused Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill of tampering with jurors by pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict and has requested a new trial.
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Harpootlian told the crowd that he'd already raked in $500 million in the last two decades and didn't need the money.
"So why not? What else am I going to do, play golf?" he said. Griffin added that the first trial was also not a financial boon for the South Carolina attorneys, who each earned $25,000.
Defense attorneys Jim Griffin, left, and Dick Harpootlian speak after their client Alex Murdaugh is found guilty on all counts for the murder of his wife and son at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)
But the duo were paid handsomely in publicity.
"Jim and I believe our oath requires us to follow through on this. Is that too corny?" Harpootlian asked, inducing wild applause.
"I do appreciate that, but we really don't care what you think," the brash 74-year-old sniped.
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He said he had little concern for what people thought of him and gleefully shared the contents of a cherished piece of hate mail.
"My favorite email during this entire process…said, ‘You are a despicable son of a b---- for representing this murdering bastard. I hope you die of a-- cancer.’ Not pancreatic cancer, but you know, a-- cancer," Harpootlian recalled, marveling at the insult.
Jim Griffin, far left, Dick Harpootlian and ABC correspondent Eva Pilgrim discussing Alex Murdaugh's murder case at CrimeCon Sept. 23 in Orlando, Florida. (Courtesy of CrimeCon)
The lawyer, who is married to Jamie Harpootlian, Biden-appointed ambassador to Slovenia, said he truly believes that Murdaugh didn’t kill his wife and son June 7, 2021, at their hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina.
"I’ve represented many, many, many guilty people," he told the audience. "A number of them have been acquitted and that’s great. A number of them have been convicted and that’s OK. I did the best I could. I’ve never had an innocent client convicted except for this one for 50 years."
After the talk wound down, the attorneys took questions.
"How do you sleep at night?" a man asked.
"Soundly," Harpootlian replied.
Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of his wife and son by Judge Clifton Newman at the Colleton County Courthouse on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)
It wasn’t just Griffin and Harpootlian who were reveling in their newfound celebrity.
South Carolina Assistant Attorney General Creighton Waters took the stage 20 minutes earlier in the same capacious conference room to discuss the case that has given him international visibility.
Fans could wait in line on opposite sides of the same room to pose for a selfie with Murdaugh’s defense lawyers or the man who prosecuted him. Waters appeared to be the more popular choice.
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The event kicked off with a live performance from Waters singing and playing the guitar with his rock band.
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Murdaugh’s lawyers told Fox News Digital in a one-on-one interview that they were confident their client would get a new trial.
"Maybe this time Creighton will sing his opening statements," quipped Harpootlian.
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