BACK TO WORK

Murdaugh Lawyer Returns to Day Job as Senator After ‘Maelstrom of a Trial’

Dick Harpootlian spoke to his colleagues about his decision to represent convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh.

Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorney Dick Harpootlian returned to work as a South Carolina state senator this week—and spoke with his colleagues about the “maelstrom of a trial” he lost. On the Senate floor on Tuesday, the Richland County Democrat said, “‘Fun’ is the wrong word, but it’s still enjoyable today for me as it was almost 50 years ago when I began this process of trying cases. That process, if it operates correctly, can be so satisfying to the lawyers.” He also discussed the hate mail he has received. “Not all of them wished rectal cancer on me, but most were fairly critical,” he said, adding that he had also been called a “piece of scum.” Harpootlian also addressed the “naysayers” in a tweet Wednesday that said everyone is entitled to the same legal representation. Convicted double killer Murdaugh remained in a single cell at Kirkland Correctional Institution in South Carolina on Wednesday as he goes through 45 days of onboarding, a department of corrections spokesperson told The Daily Beast. Afterward, he will be placed in a maximum security prison.

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Pilar MelendezSenior National Reporter

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