Alex Murdaugh pleads not guilty to federal charges

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh pleaded not guilty Wednesday to multiple federal charges during a bond hearing held in downtown Charleston. But his attorneys say that plea could change in the future.

The hearing was quick – lasting approximately five to 10 minutes. Surrounded by US Marshals, Murdaugh was seen wearing an orange South Carolina Department of Corrections jumpsuit with handcuffs on his wrists and chains around his waist and ankles inside the federal courthouse.

Wednesday’s hearing came one week after a federal grand jury handed down new indictments on a slew of charges connected to alleged financial crimes which consisted of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering.

Many of the charges carry up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million each.

His attorney, Jim Griffin, told Judge Molly Cherry that his client was pleading not guilty – but he noted that Murdaugh may change his plea at a later date.

News 2 spoke with Murdaugh’s defense attorney Dick Harpootlian after he left the courthouse.

“We believe that comments should be constrained to in the courtroom – that’s the rules. That’s the rules we operate by. Some folks choose not to follow those rules. We do. So, the response will always be …. No comment.”