digitgroww

The South Carolina judge in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial said at a panel at Cleveland State University Tuesday that he doesn’t believe the convicted killer despised his wife or son.

“In my mind, no doubt he loved his family. I don’t believe that he hated his wife and certainly do not believe he did not love his son, but he committed an unforgivable, unimaginable crime and there’s no way that he’ll be able to sleep peacefully,” said Judge Clifton Newman, elaborating on a comment he made at Murdaugh’s March 3 sentencing in Colleton County.

Newman told the disgraced lawyer when he handed him two terms of life in prison for the slaying of his wife, Maggie, 52, and his son, Paul, 22, that they would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“And I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the nighttime when you’re attempting to go to sleep. I’m sure they come to visit you,” Newman said in court.

CONVICTED KILLER ALEX MURDAUGH SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

The South Carolina circuit judge stood by his decision to allow in pivotal evidence of Murdaugh’s expansive financial crimes, telling the spectators, “Once a defendant takes the stand and testifies, almost everything is fair game at that point.”

At the defense’s request and over the objection of lead prosecutor Creighton Waters, Newman allowed jurors to visit Moselle, the 1,700-acre hunting estate where Murdaugh slaughtered his wife and son on June 9, 2021. 

ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER’S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL

“It ended up, I thought, being helpful to the prosecution and not to the defense though requested by the defense,” the judge said in the 75-minute video posted to the Cleveland State University College of Law’s website. 

Alex Murdaugh during his sentencing at the Colleton County Courthouse on March 3, 2023, after he was found guilty of killing his wife and son. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool)

It took the jury just three hours to convict Murdaugh, 54, of all counts after a six-week trial, which many legal experts described as an unusually swift verdict.

But Newman disagreed, calling the speed of the decision “about normal as far as I’m concerned.” Murdaugh has insisted he’s innocent, and his lawyers have filed a notice of appeal.

MURDAUGH MOSELLE ESTATE ITEMS SELL FOR BIG BUCKS AS BUYERS DESCEND ON SOUTH CAROLINA AUCTION

Newman, who graduated from the law school in 1976, was the valedictorian and president of the student body, according to a statement from the university. 

Dean Lee Fisher called Newman, “the best known judge in the world right now.”

The hanger and dog kennels are seen March 1, 2023, during a jury visit to the murder scene at Moselle. Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s bodies were found at the property in Islandton, South Carolina, June 9, 2021. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool)

Newman is also assigned to Murdaugh’s financial crimes trial. The disbarred South Carolina attorney has been indicted on 99 counts stemming from the theft of nearly $9 million from his former law firm and clients. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Murdaugh hunting estate in Hampton County sold Thursday for $3.9 million. Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, will receive $530,000 from the proceeds and the remainder will be divvied up among creditors.

Temple University President Jason Wingard resigned Tuesday as the north Philadelphia campus struggles to deter violent crime. 

The Temple University Board of Trustees announced that it accepted Wingard’s resignation, which will take effect on Friday. The 51-year-old has led the 33,600-student university since July 2021. Before then, Wingard was a dean for Columbia University and also previously worked at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford.

“Among the priorities the Board set for Dr. Wingard were developing and executing a strategy to enhance the value proposition, reputation, and external profile of the University,” Temple Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan said. “He demonstrated unwavering commitment to that mandate, and his contributions to advancing the University’s mission have been significant. We are confident that the University will benefit from the strategies and initiatives launched by Dr. Wingard, in the years to come. We thank him for his leadership and dedication to the Temple community.”

“Given the urgent matters now facing the University, particularly campus safety, the Board and the administration will ensure the highest level of focus on these serious issues,” Morgan, the founder and chairman of Morgan Properties, who has led the Temple trustees board for more than three years, said in the statement. “We understand that a concerted and sustained effort must be undertaken as we attempt to solve these problems.”

DNA FROM HALF-EATEN BURRITO TIES EX-WISCONSIN DOCTORAL STUDENT TO PRO-LIFE CENTER FIREBOMBING ATTACK 

“At the same time, we acknowledge that these issues adversely affect all of the University’s constituencies,” the statement continued. “We recognize that solutions will be most effective, impactful and long-lasting when they reflect the perspectives of so many different groups who care deeply about Temple’s future. We remain confident that the University can overcome these challenges with your support.”

The board said it will designate a small group of senior Temple leaders to guide the university. “This group will have many years of experience at Temple and devotion to its mission. Each will have discrete responsibilities for the university’s essential functions and provide a stable foundation for us as we look toward the search for our next president,” the statement said. 

Surveillance captures three people following a Temple University student during an attempted carjacking earlier this year. Temple University President Jason Wingard resigned this week amid safety concerns and dropping enrollment. (Provided to FOX 29 Philadelphia)

Wingard’s departure comes as graduate students have been striking for more than 40 days. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing a source close to the dean, reported that enrollment has dropped 14% since 2019, with deposits for next year having plummeted by 25% compared with the same time last year. 

The Temple Association of University Professionals, the faculty union, was reportedly planning on holding a no confidence vote for Wingard, Morgan and provost Gregory N. Mandel next month amid concerns over falling enrollment, financial issues, and labor disputes.

SHOOTERS UNLOAD 60 ROUNDS AT GROUP OF TEENS IN PHILADELPHIA TRIPLE SHOOTING: VIDEO 

Wingard, the first Black president at Temple University, told a panel of state lawmakers last week that Philadelphia’s homicide rate has wrought a climate where students, faculty, parents and staff are afraid.

A Temple University police officer was shot and killed near the north Philadelphia campus last month. 

Christopher Fitzgerald served with the Temple University police force since October 2021. He was shot and killed in the line of duty last month. (Temple University Police Association)

Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, was shot after pursing three people dressed in black and wearing masks in an area where there had been a series of robberies and carjackings. Two youths were arrested nearby, and an 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody the following morning in neighboring Bucks County. Fitzgerald was the first Temple University officer killed in the line of duty, Temple University Public Safety Director Jennifer Griffin said. A father of five children, Fitzgerald joined the school’s police force in October 2021.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a statement to the Inquirer Tuesday, Wingard said safety and enrollment challenges proved a “perfect storm of societal crises” that “drastically and disproportionately” impacted Temple.

“While I am confident in my ability to pivot and lead Temple through this crisis, I understand, and it has been made clear, unfortunately, that too much focus is on me rather than the challenges we seek to overcome,” Wingard told the newspaper. “In order for Temple to overcome these safety and enrollment challenges — and all of the related issues they instigate, the campus community must work in collaboration and minimize divisiveness.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Crews were working Wednesday to remove three remaining barges that got loose on the Ohio River, including one carrying methanol.

A total of 10 barges got loose early Tuesday on the river near Louisville, the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said. Most were recovered, but the U.S Army Corp of Engineers said three were pinned against the McAlpine Locks and Dam and the locks are closed to traffic until the barges are stabilized.

One of those barges was carrying 1,400 tons of methanol and was partially submerged, Kentucky officials said.

OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT WORRIES EXPAND, CINCINNATI PAUSES OHIO RIVER WATER INTAKE

Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, is a colorless liquid that’s flammable and acutely toxic, according to the National Institutes of Health. It’s used as a solvent for paints and plastics and as an ingredient in a wide variety of products.

Louisville Metro Emergency Services told news outlets they are monitoring air and water, but “there is zero evidence of a tank breach or any leaks.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The Corps said it was working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, navigation industry and marine surveyors on recovery efforts. No injuries were reported.

So-called “cult mom” Lori Vallow is set to stand trial for the October 2019 murders of her two children and her husband’s ex-wife on April 3.

Her defense team will have to address questions of an unknown killer to prove Vallow’s innocence after she was found competent to stand trial.

“It’s not unusual … to raise an alternate suspect defense,” Richard Robertson, a private investigator hired to work Vallow’s case in 2019, told Fox News Digital.  “We refer to it as the SODI defense — some other dude did it.”

While many of the most prolific murder suspects and convicted killers have pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, the following five defendants and their defense teams have pointed fingers at unknown assailants in their efforts to prove innocence. 

LORI VALLOW CASE: J.J. VALLOW’S GRANDMOTHER DOESN’T ‘RECOGNIZE’ SO-CALLED ‘CULT MOM’ SMILING OUTSIDE COURT

Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced South Carolina personal injury lawyer, was convicted on March 2 of the June 2021 murders of his wife and son.

ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER’S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL

“I respect this court, but I’m innocent,” Murdaugh said when he took the stand in his own trial in February. “I would never under any circumstances hurt my wife Maggie, and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son, ‘Paw Paw.’”

Alex Murdaugh listens to testimony during day 25 of his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Jeff Blake/The State/Pool)

In video evidence presented in court, Murdaugh implicated his groundskeeper in Maggie and Paul’s murders, but a jury ultimately decided that discovery presented in court was enough to sentence him to serve life in prison.

O.J. Simpson

In one of the most widely televised criminal trials in the United States, former NFL star O.J. Simpson was accused of killing his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted in 1995.

OJ SIMPSON REMARKS ON ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: ‘I DON’T KNOW WHY THEY THINK I’M AN EXPERT ON IT’

“I did not, could not and would not have committed this crime,” Simpson said when he initially pleaded not guilty to the murders in 1995.

OJ Simpson’s 1995 case for the killing of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman was widely televised. (VINCE BUCCI/AFP )

Part of his defense team’s strategy included evidence showing a botched crime scene, problematic DNA evidence and a pair of leather gloves found at the crime scene that his attorneys argued were worn by an unknown assailant who killed Brown Simpson and Goldman. Simpson squeezed into a new pair of gloves similar to those found at the scene during his trial.

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” his attorney, John Cochran, famously said at the time.

Scott Peterson

Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004 for the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors argued at the time that he killed Laci and disposed of her body on Christmas Eve 2002 in San Francisco Bay.

The California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s death sentence in 2020 after news that prospective jury candidates were improperly dismissed came to light, but the court maintained his conviction.

Scott Peterson listens to Stanislaus County Deputy District attorney Dave Harris speak during a hearing at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City, California, Dec. 8, 2021. (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, Pool  |  getty Images)

The case is far from over, according to Peterson’s lawyers, suggesting an unknown suspect killed Laci and Conner.

“Just in the last few months, we have learned new information that will prove Scott Peterson did not murder his wife, Laci,” attorney Pat Harris told Fox News Digital in a December 2022 statement. “And we are going to continue to push forward until he is freed.”

Robert Durst

Deceased New York real-estate tycoon Robert Durst was convicted in September 2021 for the murder of his best friend, Susan Berman, in 2000. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and died in January 2022.

ROBERT DURST TESTIFIES IN LOS ANGELES MURDER TRIAL

Prior to his death, he was long suspected of killing his wife, Kathie Durst, who vanished in 1982. Prosecutors allege that the millionaire attempted to silence Berman because she helped him cover up Kathie’s disappearance.

Prosecutors share photo of Robert Durst, left, Susan Berman, middle, and Kathie Durst, right at Robert Durst’s Aug. 11 murder trial. (Fox News)

Durst took the stand in his own trial for three weeks and repeatedly testified that he did not know who killed Berman.

He did admit under cross-examination, however, that he would lie under oath in order to get out of trouble.

“‘Did you kill Susan Berman?’ is strictly a hypothetical,” Durst said from the stand. “I did not kill Susan Berman. But if I had, I would lie about it.”

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell

Both Vallow and her husband are accused of killing 17-year-old Tylee Vallow and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019.

IDAHO ‘CULT MOM’ LORI VALLOW WANTS CASE DISMISSED OVER ‘SPEEDY TRIAL’ CONCERNS AFTER 1,169 DAYS IN JAIL

They were initially scheduled to stand a joint trial in 2021, but proceedings have been delayed due to Vallow’s competency examinations and an “exceptionally voluminous” collection of evidence, among other factors. Judge Steven Boyce ruled in February that their cases would be severed because Vallow has refused to waive her right to a speedy trial. 

An Idaho judge has blocked Lori Vallow’s request for a meeting with her husband, Chad Daybell, left. (Madison County Jail)

Their defense teams are expected to argue that the couple did not kill their children, suggesting that an outside party did. Additionally, while the couple has not blamed one another for the crimes, Robertson says it is not out of the question.

“What I don’t know is whether Chad is going to be testifying [in Vallow’s trial]. … He’s in a great position to cooperate against Lori,” the private investigator explained.

LORI VALLOW DEBUTS NEW JAIL LOOK AS DEFENSE CLAIMS SHE DIDN’T ‘PARTICIPATE’ IN CHILDREN’S MURDERS

Authorities arrested Vallow in February 2020 and Daybell in June 2020. 

Lori and Chad Daybell are accused of killing 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, right, and 7-year-old J.J. Vallow in 2019. (Rexberg Police Department)

The Fremont County grand jury initially issued indictments against Vallow and Daybell in May 2021 on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with Tylee and J.J.’s deaths. The two children disappeared in September 2019.

IDAHO ‘CULT MOM’ LORI VALLOW DENIED ‘STRATEGY SESSION’ WITH HUSBAND CHAD DAYBELL AHEAD OF MURDER TRIAL

They were missing for months when police say the couple lied about the childrens’ whereabouts and then slipped away to Hawaii before the childrens’ bodies were found in 2020 buried on Daybell’s property in rural Idaho.

Vallow and Daybell, who married in November 2019, allegedly collected J.J.’s and Tylee’s Social Security benefits between Oct. 1, 2019, and Jan. 22, 2020, after their murders.

Lori Vallow Daybell, 49, right, and her most recent husband, Chad Daybell, 54, are accused of killing two of Vallow Daybell’s two children and collecting Social Security benefits in their names after their deaths. In a recent court filing, Vallow claims she was not present when they died. (Tony Blakeslee/East Idaho News)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The couple were indicted in late May 2021 on multiple counts each of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft by deception, first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the deaths of Tylee, J.J. and Chad Daybell’s ex-wife, officials announced at the time. Arizona officials in June 2021 also indicted Vallow in the July 2019 murder of her ex-husband, Charles Vallow.

Daybell has written several apocalyptic novels based loosely on Mormon theology. Both were involved in a group that promotes preparedness for the biblical end times. Vallow and Daybell bonded over their religious beliefs after initially meeting in 2018, when they appeared together for the first time on a podcast discussing theories about the end of the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A Washington man whom authorities described as a “high-priority offender” was arrested earlier this month after trying to escape from deputies who were investigating an armed carjacking, authorities said Tuesday.

The incident began just before noon on May 14 after investigators located a pickup truck that was reported stolen in at gunpoint 12 days earlier, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said.

The truck was found near Parkland at a “nuisance property” where several drive-by shootings had previously taken place and where numerous stolen vehicles were recovered, according to officials.

Deputies located the 33-year-old suspect and followed him to another residence, where he rammed two patrol cars before jumping on top of one patrol car and hopping from car to car to avoid capture, the sheriff’s department said.

DNA FROM HALF-EATEN BURRITO TIES EX-WISCONSIN DOCTORAL STUDENT TO PRO-LIFE CENTER FIRE-BOMBING ATTACK

The suspect then led deputies on a foot chase down the street and into the backyard of a nearby home.

Deputies tased the suspect after chasing him into the backyard of a nearby home. (Pierce County Sheriff’s Department)

“As the foot pursuit continued down the street, the [Special Investigations Unit] sergeant (a former college track star) blew by everyone and caught up to the suspect as he was jumping over a fence,” the statement said. “A patrol deputy tased the suspect and he was taken into custody.”

The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. (Pierce County Sheriff’s Department)

Deputies found a gun inside the stolen truck.

FLORIDA PLASTIC SURGEON MAY HAVE MURDERED MISSING LAWYER IN LAW FIRM BATHROOM: POLICE

The suspect, who was not publicly identified, was booked into jail on numerous charges, which included unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree robbery and obstructing. His bail was set at $75,000.

The suspect was classified as a “high priority offender” because of his long criminal history, officials said. 

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In 2009, convicted of first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon. While serving his sentence, he was convicted of perjury for lying during the trial. His sentence totaled to more than 16 years in prison.

Since 2022, he has also been separately charged with second-degree robbery, forgery and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.

An Oklahoma City man allegedly killed his girlfriend and locked himself in the house with her decomposing body for “several days,” police said. 

A passerby called police Saturday morning after possibly seeing a dead body in a northwest Oklahoma City home. 

The suspect, 31-year-old Jake Harris, ignored responding officers’ orders to surrender and barricaded himself inside, police said. 

The SWAT team rolled through the small, U-shaped road of Altadena Avenue, and was locked in an hours-long standoff until Harris allegedly opened fire, police said. 

MURDER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY DISMEMBERED MAN, TOLD GIRLFRIEND THEY HAD TO LEAVE ‘DUE TO THEIR MISTAKE’

The SWAT team used a battering ram to blast through the door and fired nonlethal rounds at Harris before slapping the cuffs on him, according to police.

Officers found Amanda Miller’s dead body inside, and Oklahoma City police said they believe Harris allegedly shot the 40-year-old woman “several days” earlier.

MISSING INDIANA TEEN BELIEVED TO BE IN ‘EXTREME DANGER’ FOUND SAFE AFTER EIGHT DAYS

Police said the couple had a disagreement that ended with Harris shooting Miller.

Miller leaves behind four daughters and 10 grandchildren.

The home at 4212 Altadena Ave., Oklahoma City, center, was where Jake Harris allegedly killed his girlfriend, Amanda Miller. (Google Street View)

One of Miller’s daughters, Haven Montoya, expressed her grief on Facebook.

“No, I’m not okay,” she wrote in one post. “I was a mama’s girl. That was my best friend. Ima make it to her too. I love you mommy.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Harris was charged with first-degree murder and is being held in the Oklahoma County Detention Center without bond.