Alex Murdaugh waives his extradition hearing in Florida and returns to South Carolina to face charges
CNN
By Amanda Watts and Alta Spells, CNN
Alex Murdaugh waived an extradition hearing in Florida on Friday, according to the Orange County Corrections office, and returned to South Carolina a day later to face charges related to the misappropriation of settlement funds in connection with the 2018 death of his family’s longtime housekeeper.
He was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, according to Richland County, South Carolina, online records.
The waiver of extradition, provided by Orange County Corrections, said Murdaugh agreed to “waive the issuance and service [warrant] and all other procedures incidental to extradition proceedings,” and agreed to remain in custody without bail.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Friday Murdaugh’s bond hearing on charges of obtaining property by false pretenses will take place on Tuesday, October 19 at the Richland County Courthouse in Columbia.
Murdaugh was out on bond on an insurance fraud case and was in a drug rehabilitation facility in Orlando, Florida, when he was arrested on Thursday on charges related to misappropriation of settlement funds.
The housekeeper’s death
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, announced in mid-September it was opening a criminal investigation into the death of Gloria Satterfield, Murdaugh’s former housekeeper. SLED launched the investigation after a request from the Hampton County coroner highlighting inconsistencies in the ruling of her manner of death, as well as other information gathered during other investigations involving Murdaugh.
Satterfield worked for the Murdaughs for 25 years and died following what was described as a “trip and fall” accident at the Murdaugh home in 2018, said Eric Bland, an attorney for Satterfield’s estate.
In its request to SLED, the coroner’s office wrote Satterfield’s death was “not reported to the coroner at the time, nor was an autopsy performed.” Her death certificate notes the manner of death was “natural,” which the coroner wrote was “inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident.”
After Satterfield died, a $500,000 wrongful death claim was filed against Murdaugh on behalf of her estate, Bland told CNN. The estate has not received any of the money owed as the result of a 2018 civil settlement, according to Bland.
In September, Bland filed a lawsuit against Murdaugh on behalf of Satterfield’s estate, seeking the money they say they are due.
Bland released a statement Thursday on behalf of Satterfield’s children — Tony Satterfield and Brian Harriott — in relation to Murdaugh’s arrest.
“Today is a bittersweet day for the Satterfield and Harriott Families,” Bland’s statement read. “The families and their attorneys are proud of how our justice system has conducted itself since the family had the courage to file its initial lawsuit … no one is above the law.”
Other cases
Thursday’s arrest represents the latest legal and personal challenge for Murdaugh, who survived being shot in the head in September and, authorities said, then admitted the shooting was a conspiracy with a former client to kill him as part of a fraud scheme so his only surviving son could collect an insurance payout.
Medical records released by Murdaugh’s attorney show he was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, following the shooting and was discharged two days after being admitted.
The documents show Murdaugh called EMS himself and arrived in a trauma bay “awake and alert.”
A “head to toe examination … revealed two superficial appearing bullet wounds to the posterior scalp with no active hemorrhage,” the records say, noting he had no other signs of trauma.
Authorities have said several other investigations related to the Murdaugh family are underway, including into the June deaths of Murdaugh’s wife and other son, who were gunned down at their family estate in Islandton.
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CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Giovanna Van Leeuwen contributed to this report.
