After an all day hearing yesterday, Judge Toal overruled the defense motion for a new trial (as she should have), stating: “I simply do not believe that our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court"
Only one juror testified that the clerk's comments made a difference to her, all the others said either that they never spoke to the clerk, or that whatever she said made no difference to the verdict.
I would have been shocked and really disappointed if the defense had gotten a new trial, I once read that a defendant is entitled to a fair trial, but not a perfect trial, no such thing exists in a six week trial. Besides, the evidence of his guilt was overwhelming, e.g., after saying for months that he was elsewhere when the murders occurred, he had to confess on the witness stand that he was in fact at the kennel just moments before the murders, the two weapons, which match the two weapons known to have been owned by the Murdaugh family, were nowhere to be found in a search of the property after the crime, he asked his parents caretaker to "remember" that he had visited his parents for two hours the night of the murders . . . when he actually just stopped by for a few minutes.
In short, justice was served.
Only one juror testified that the clerk's comments made a difference to her, all the others said either that they never spoke to the clerk, or that whatever she said made no difference to the verdict.
I would have been shocked and really disappointed if the defense had gotten a new trial, I once read that a defendant is entitled to a fair trial, but not a perfect trial, no such thing exists in a six week trial. Besides, the evidence of his guilt was overwhelming, e.g., after saying for months that he was elsewhere when the murders occurred, he had to confess on the witness stand that he was in fact at the kennel just moments before the murders, the two weapons, which match the two weapons known to have been owned by the Murdaugh family, were nowhere to be found in a search of the property after the crime, he asked his parents caretaker to "remember" that he had visited his parents for two hours the night of the murders . . . when he actually just stopped by for a few minutes.
In short, justice was served.
