South-Carolina
South Carolina judge who sentenced Alex Murdaugh ‘felt sorry’ for killer
The veteran South Carolina judge who sentenced Alex Murdaugh to two consecutive life terms for the murders of his wife and son said this week that he “felt sorry” for the disgraced attorney — adding that he was convinced the one-time Low Country heavyweight regrets his extreme actions.
“I felt sorry for [Alex Murdaugh],” Judge Clifton Newman told the “Today” show about the blockbuster trial in an interview that aired Wednesday morning.
Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty March 2 of fatally shooting his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, in order to cover up his alleged financial crimes and worsening drug dependency that colored his time running his family’s storied law firm.
The case — culminating in the guilty verdict and emotional sentencing — garnered national headlines and media scrutiny from around the world.
Newman admitted that he “shouldn’t have been surprised” by the case’s notoriety.
“You know, high-profile lawyer. Death of a wife, death of a child. Accusations of stealing millions of dollars from clients. Allegations of a lawyer hooked on drugs,” he explained, listing several of the bombshell revelations that came to light both before and during the six-week proceedings.
“It had all the ingredients for something of major public interest.”
Newman, 71, added that he was not shocked when the jury returned with a verdict after less than three hours of deliberation.
“Jurors don’t take a long time deliberating after they’ve spent weeks and weeks and weeks listening to testimony and receiving evidence,” he said.
Newman — who attended segregated schools in South Carolina before going to law school in Ohio — made headlines with his measured but blistering words during the sentencing the morning after the conviction.
“I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the nighttime when you’re attempting to go to sleep … and reflect on the last time they looked you in the eyes,” he told Murdaugh at the time.
Newman reiterated this belief in Wednesday’s interview, noting that he “cannot imagine [Murdaugh] having a peaceful night, knowing what he did.”
“I’m sure if he had the opportunity to do it over again, he’d never do it.”
During the high-stakes trial, Newman listened as the court heard the gruesome details of how Murdaugh gunned down Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, in the family’s kennels.
An autopsy report showed that Paul, who was facing his own legal troubles stemming from a fatal 2019 boat crash, was killed when a shotgun blast to the neck and shoulder completely detached his brain from his skull.
“I felt that he was just in a position where he could not … where if there’s a hole that he could go into that, he would dive in that hole and keep going to the lower depths,” Newman said of Murdaugh, who sobbed multiple times while testifying.
“I wasn’t trying to pull him out of that hole, but I still wanted to give him an opportunity to say something.”
Murdaugh maintained his innocence at sentencing.
He announced plans to appeal both murder convictions on March 9.
Due to the ongoing appeal process, Newman declined to answer some of “Today”’s questions about the case, the outlet said.
Additional footage from the interview will also be aired in an upcoming episode of “Dateline.”
Newman, who is a father of four, was briefly joined in the interview by his daughter Jocelyn Newman, who is an at-large judge of the South Carolina Circuit Courts.
“You know, just scrolling through Instagram and seeing a ‘Dateline’ post about Alex Murdaugh was just amazing. I’m pretty sure I took a screenshot of that and sent it around to the family,” she recalled of watching her father’s trial unfold.
While he remained reserved on the bench, Newman was grappling with his own personal tragedy: His youngest son, Brian Newman, died unexpectedly just two weeks before the trial started in January.
Although officials offered to delay the proceedings, Newman insisted on moving forward, “Today” reported.
For the first time in his career, Newman’s wife was in court every day to support her husband.
But while Newman — who was lauded by one attorney as “the best that we want in our jurists” — plans to retire in the fall, Alex Murdaugh’s legal struggles are far from over.
He is facing a slew of charges related to alleged financial crimes, as well as the mysterious 2018 death of his family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.
Murdaugh will also be questioned in a wrongful death suit filed by the family of Mallory Beach, 19, who died when Paul Murdaugh crashed his power boat into a bridge in February 2019.
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his coaching staff have less than three weeks before National Signing Day. (Remember when recruits signed in February?) The Early Signing Period begins Wednesday, December 4th, and the majority of teams’ high school recruiting classes will be completed by the time the Early Signing Period ends on Friday, December 6th. In the weeks leading up to NSD, GamecockCentral will profile each player in the 2025 recruiting class. Today, we will look at wide receiver Malik Clark.
Malik Clark (4-star, Wide Receiver, 6’2.5″, 180 pounds)
What the rankings say: 4-star in On3 industry rankings, No. 177 nationally, No. 2 in South Carolina, No. 23 among all wide receivers; Malik Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect
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Malik Clark is a stud. The Rock Hill High School product is everything a coach could want in a wide receiver. He’s fast (clocked in the 10.5 range in the 100-meter and 4.35 in the 40-yard dash). He’s big (listed at 6’2.5″ and 180 pounds with a frame that could hold more weight). And he’s got ridiculous hands (check out the catch at this line).
Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect for a reason. He is extremely talented, and it’s not all just future potential; he’s already really good. Before the playoffs even began, Clark put together the first 1000-yard receiving season in Rock Hill High history this season.
The type of receiver who can develop into “the man” on the outside, Clark can beat defense deep but has enough wiggle in his bag to be a factor in the quick game or in the short-to-intermediate passing game, as well. He is fast, but he also plays with real physicality. He excels at winning contested catches and bouncing off of weak tackle attempts.
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Clark’s combination of size and speed will make him a special teams candidate as soon as he steps on campus. However, he’s good enough that he might play immediately on offense. Playing time will be available for the Gamecocks at wide receiver in 2025. With at least three players leaving via graduation, youngsters like Clark could force their way onto the field. In fact, it seems likely that at least one of the freshmen will earn significant early playing time. It could be the in-state standout.
Clark is one of five receiver commitments in the South Carolina football recruiting class of 2025, along with Jayden Sellers, Brian Rowe, Lex Cyrus, and Jordon Gidron. With a chance of adding another name, this year’s haul of pass-catchers is one of the best in the country.
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Wofford football game]
You can watch some of Clark’s film below.
Jupiter (Fla.) Spanish River quarterback Champ Smith is one of only a handful of quarterbacks in the 2027 class with an offer offer from South Carolina and the 6-foot-1, 175-pound signal caller was in Columbia over the weekend to get an in-depth look at the program as it took down Missouri in a thriller.
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has his Gamecocks at 7-3 and ranked in the top 20. Both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll dropped on Sunday, USC is No. 19 in each ranking. The College Football Playoff Rankings will be updated on Tuesday, and Carolina will be in the top 20 there, too.
However, the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) has been higher on the Gamecocks for a while. In fact, the latest FPI update slotted South Carolina just outside of College Football Playoff territory.
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Based on ESPN’s FPI rankings, the Gamecocks are the 13th-best team in college football.
The move to 13th is just a one-spot jump for South Carolina. However, with an upcoming matchup against No. 12 (Clemson) and several top teams having to play each other (Indiana vs. Ohio State, etc.), the small step closer to the top 12 represents hope. Making the College Football Playoff is still a bit of a longshot, but the odds are shortening.
The Gamecocks’ No. 13 ranking stems from a nice combination of efficiency numbers. According to ESPN, strong recent play has bumped USC to No. 46 nationally in offensive efficiency. South Carolina ranks 5th in ESPN’s defensive efficiency metric. Special teams isn’t weighted as heavily, but the Gamecocks are 70th. Because of those numbers, Carolina is 17th in the ESPN FPI overall efficiency.
With the update, the FPI gives the garnet and black a much better chance of a great season. The predictive model now projects a final record of 8.4-3.6. South Carolina has won at least nine games in a season just seven times. They’ve won at least 10 games in just four seasons; those years were 1984, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Reaching both the 9-win and 10-win thresholds are on the table.
Based on ESPN’s percentages, the Gamecocks have a 41.9% chance to win their remaining regular season games. That includes a 99% chance to knock off Wofford and then a 42% chance to beat the rival Clemson Tigers. The outlet also gives Carolina a 10.9% chance to win out AND make the College Football Playoff at 9-3. Even if they don’t make the 12-team field, USC should find themselves in a nice bowl game this winter.
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Wofford football game]
Because they are an FCS team, the Wofford Terriers are unranked in the FPI. However, the Spartanburg-based squad is 5-6 on the season and 3-5 in SoCon play.
Saturday will be South Carolina’s final home contest of the season, and the Gamecocks and Terriers will kick off at 4:00 p.m. Fans not in attendance will have to stream the game on ESPN+ or SEC Network+.
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