A hush fell over the Williamsburg County court room when disgraced attorney and Murdaugh co-conspirator Cory Fleming appeared wearing a horizontal-striped jumpsuit identifying him as an inmate of the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Fleming, who is in custody after he pleaded guilty to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit fraud, appeared in state court on Aug. 23 to answer for an additional 23 charges in state court related to theft he allegedly committed with Alex Murdaugh as early as 2011. The hearing — which was initially expected to be a status hearing ahead of a Sept. 11 trial in Beaufort County — consisted of Fleming pleading guilty to all charges against him and while prosecutor Creighton Waters explained the state’s case to Judge Clifton Newman.
Waters, you may remember, was the lead prosecutor for Alex Murdaugh’s double homicide trial in Colleton County last winter, while Newman was the judge who presided.
Fleming’s voice was quiet and hoarse as he confirmed his intent to plead guilty to all charges and his understanding of the rights he waived by not taking the case to trial.
Waters pulled no punches as he laid out the evidence, which included 21 exhibits that included multiple emails indicating that Fleming was a willing participant in the alleged financial crimes and was not hoodwinked, hoodooed, or snowed by Murdaugh as he initially indicated.
“This is the first time we’re gonna see accountability for abuse of the state court system,” Waters said.
Fleming’s misdeeds reportedly include stealing money from the estate of Hakeem Pinckney, a deaf man who was left a quadriplegic following a 2009 car accident. He died in 2011 after the ventilator at his nursing home became unplugged.
Fleming also pleaded guilty to charges that he stole insurance money after settling Gloria Satterfield’s estate. Satterfield was the Murdaugh’s housekeeper who died in an alleged trip-and-fall accident at Moselle in 2018, the same hunting property where Murdaugh killed his wife and youngest son in 2021.
After Waters explained the evidence, Fleming and his attorney, Debbie Barbier, said they agreed there was enough evidence to prove his guilt, but indicated they took exception with some of the statements Waters made. Barbier told Newman she’d make her arguments against those allegedly erroneous statements when Fleming receives his state sentence in September.
Fleming is currently serving a 46-month sentence for his federal plea, but his state charges could net him a total of 275 years in prison after his federal sentence has been served.
You can hear more about Cory’s federal sentence in True Sunlight episode 12 and Cup of Justice episode 43, and his state guilty pleas in True Sunlight episode 13, which drops Aug. 24.
Contact Beth Braden
Beth Braden
Beth Braden is an award-winning investigative journalist who cut her reporting teeth in the hills and hollows of East Tennessee. She joined the LUNASHARK® Media team in 2023 as a researcher and journalist who handles FOIA requests, wading through and analyzing public records, and connecting with sources. She also provides a monthly update for premium members called Soundbites, which is a monthly review of everything happening at LUNASHARK®, and she occasionally writes and records for True Sunlight. Beth has her own solo podcast called Time of Death, which explores the 1992 homicide of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam in East Tennessee.
Prior to joining the team, Beth’s newspaper work had taken her into deep-dive stories about faith-based serpent handling and Appalachian coal mining, as well as data journalism work to analyze euthanasia drug irregularities at an animal shelter, uncover the most dangerous intersections on her beat, and see whether or not the local judge’s rulings passed muster when cases were appealed to the state appellate court. And of course, she’s been to her fair share of court hearings, city council meetings, and board of education work sessions.
In addition to her newspaper experience, her byline appears on HGTV.com, nytimes.com, and other internationally known websites.
In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, rock climbing, strange museums, and good cups of coffee.
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