On Tuesday, federal authorities said that convicted killer Alex Murdaugh violated the terms of a plea agreement by failing a polygraph test regarding his financial crimes.
Prosecutors, who did not provide specifics, said the FBI interviewed Murdaugh on four instances and he was deceptive and avoided providing answers. They also claimed Murdaugh, 55, failed two polygraph tests in October, according to Greenville News.
READ: Crime Online’s Coverage on Alex Murdaugh’s Fall From Grace
In September, Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 federal counts of financial fraud and money laundering. Murdaugh agreed to cooperate with an ongoing investigation — including passing polygraph tests. Prosecutors said Murdaugh violated the terms of his plea deal by failing the polygraph tests and dodging detectives’ questions.
Greenville News reported that Murdaugh’s sentencing is scheduled for April 1. As part of the plea deal, Murdaugh’s federal sentence would run concurrently with his state sentence for similar crimes. Murdaugh, a disbarred attorney, was already sentenced in state court to 27 years for stealing more than $8 million from clients and his former law firm.
According to the Associated Press, Murdaugh’s attorneys are claiming that the FBI examiner who conducted the polygraph test made several comments that rendered it unreliable. They alleged the examiner commented about recently testing Joran van der Sloot, who admitted to killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
Per Murdaugh’s attorneys, the FBI examiner told Murdaugh that he didn’t believe he killed his wife and son before asking him a confusing question about missing assets.
“There are legitimate questions as to whether the Government intentionally manipulated the results to void the plea agreement and achieve the prosecutors’ stated desire to ‘ensure that he’s never a free man again’,’” defense lawyers Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian wrote, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors also alleged on Tuesday that $6 million remains unaccounted for. They sought to have Murdaugh’s polygraph test sealed, citing an ongoing investigation.
In March 2023, Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. He was denied a new trial in January.
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[Feature Photo: Alex Murdaugh/Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool]
