Alex Murdaugh attorneys ask judge to lower $7 million bond

By MICHELLE LIU
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Lawyers for prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh say he’s so broke he can’t pay a phone bill — much less $7 million in bail. Meanwhile, a court-appointed overseer said during a virtual court hearing Monday that Murdaugh needs to use whatever money he has to pay his alleged victims, not free himself from jail. In the hearing, attorneys combed over Murdaugh’s assets and hotly debated whether his attempt to have himself killed in the fall makes him a current risk to himself or the community. Circuit Judge Alison Renee Lee did not immediately rule on a request from Murdaugh’s attorneys to lower his bond.