Judge Daniel Hall has declined a two-part motion that would sever Parker’s Kitchen from the Murdaugh defendants and change the venue in the wrongful death suit filed by Renee Beach after her daughter died in a 2019 boat crash.
Mike DeWitt of editor of the Hampton County Guardian tweeted throughout the hearing on Friday afternoon in which Parker’s attorney argued that the Murdaughs have too much notoriety due to Alex Murdaugh’s double homicide conviction and alleged financial crimes and that Parker deserves to have his portion of the civil trial heard without the weight of Murdaugh as a codefendant.
Parker’s attorney also argued that Murdaugh is too well-known for the trial to be fair.
Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley reportedly fired back, saying that if a fair murder trial could be held in neighboring Colleton County, then a fair civil trial was possible in Hampton County.
With Hall’s ruling to deny these motions, the trial is slated to begin on Aug. 14. According to DeWitt, court officials expect to mail 600 jury summons and only need a pool of 20 to impanel a jury and seat alternates.
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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