After waiting three months for the South Carolina Department of Corrections to fulfill a FOIA request, we now have more details about the August 2023 infractions that caused Alex Murdaugh to lose his telephone and canteen privileges.
In late October, we asked SCDC for a variety of records, including all of the disciplinary reports relating to the infractions that are visible on Alex Murdaugh's public inmate record. What we learned was that Murdaugh found himself in trouble for participating in an interview for the Fox Nation documentary while behind bars, using another inmate's pin number to call defense attorney Jim Griffin's cell phone, and for having another inmate make a phone call to Griffin's office to let them know Alex was unable to use the phone and needed money to be put on his canteen account.
The phone usage wasn't the only time Murdaugh ran afoul of prison rules in 2023. In early October, a routine shakedown of his cell revealed that he had an excessive amount of ink pens and sticky notes. See the entire disciplinary file below:
What We Asked For
Our FOIA request to SCDC included the following items:
- A list of everyone on Alex Murdaugh's visitor list, as well as the dates he has had visitors and who they were
- Any and all information regarding his sent and received via USPS "snail mail," including copies of the contents if available
- Any disciplinary or incident reports for Murdaugh during his time in SCDC custody
- Any and all messages sent and received via Murdaugh's prison-issue tablet since July 1, 2023, through the present
- Recordings of Murdaugh's phone calls between July 1, 2023, and [October 26, 2023]
Ultimately, SCDC cited some of the FOIA exemptions — unreasonable invasion of privacy, attorney client privilege, and matters specifically exempted from disclosure — and did not return any information about Alex's snail mail or any recordings or logs of his phone calls.
What We Received
- Information about Murdaugh's only visitor
- The messages that (mostly) women send him on his prison issue tablet
- Disciplinary records
You can hear more about Mandy and Liz's take on the release in True Sunlight Episode 38.
Please sign into your Premium account then refresh this page to view this content.
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.
Leave a Reply