SC attorney pleads not guilty to killing wife, son

(20 Jul 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: POOL Walterboro, South Carolina -- 20 July 2022 1. Alex Murdaugh standing at the table, then sitting 2. Medium shot of Murdough sitting 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Creighton Waters, Prosecutor, speaking to Alex Murdaugh in court: Waters: "Richard Alex Murdaugh, if that is your name, please raise your right hand. Do you waive reading of the indictments?" Murdaugh: "Yes, sir." Waters: "What say you, Richard Alex Murdaugh? Are you guilty or not guilty of the felonies where in you stand indicted." Murdaugh:  "Not guilty." Waters: "How shall you be tried?" Murdaugh: "By God and my country." Waters "Thank you." 4. Judge in courtroom 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Creighton Waters, prosecutor: "The evidence in this case is substantial and it all points back to Alex Murdaugh. There's forensic evidence as well as all other evidence of his guilt of these murders." 6. Judge in courtroom 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dick Harpootlian, defense attorney: "Our response to that is he's wrong. And that's why a jury will sit in that jury box." 8. Murdaugh walking into courtroom 9.  SOUNDBITE (English) Dick Harpootlian, defense attorney: "He believes he's innocent, (unintelligible) he's innocent. And two, he believes that the killer or killers are still at large and this would allow SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) to put this behind them and go for the real killers." 10.  SOUNDBITE (English) Creighton Waters, prosecutor, followed by Dick Harpootlian, defense attorney: Waters: "One of the first motions that has been discussed is a gag order. The state has no objection to a gag order, and Mr. Harpootlian discussed it with me. And we do agree that that would be appropriate in this matter, given the amount of media attention this case. As I've been saying all along, at various bond hearings along the way, it needs to be tried in the courtroom. And so the state has no objection to that." Harpootlian: "Your Honor, in addition to that, I believe we have an agreement that all the discovery material furnished to us will be, even though this is not a statewide grand jury case, be subject to a confidentiality order." 11. Murdaugh leaving courtoom STORYLINE: The once-powerful and now disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to murdering his wife and son 13 months ago.   Prosecutors agreed to keep the evidence secret amid media attention. His defense said Murdaugh can't afford to post any bond and wants a speedy trial because "he believes the killer or killers are still at large." The prosecution said all evidence shows he was responsible for the fatal shootings. "The evidence in this case is substantial and it all points back to Alex Murdaugh. There is forensic evidence as well as other evidence of his guilt of these murders,"   said Creighton Waters, a deputy state attorney general. "Our response to that is he's wrong. And that's why a jury will sit in that jury box," defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said. Murdaugh has been behind bars since October, charged with financial crimes and several other misdeeds that were uncovered after the killings of his wife Maggie, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, at the family's Colleton County hunting estate in June 2021. Murdaugh, 54, was indicted last week on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...