COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hampton lawyer Alex Murdaugh plans to turn himself in to law enforcement Thursday after police obtained an arrest warrant to charge him with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, his lawyer said.
Murdaugh is expected to leave an out-of-state drug rehabilitation clinic Thursday and voluntarily surrender in Hampton, according to his lawyer Jim Griffin.
Griffin said they learned Wednesday that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division obtained a warrant for Murdaugh’s arrest.
“The arraignment and bond hearing will be held at 4 p.m. at the Hampton County Magistrate Court,” Griffin said.
Murdaugh’s lawyer did not disclose which drug treatment facility Murdaugh was staying in.
On Tuesday, SLED accused a Walterboro man with assisting in a suicide plot to shoot Murdaugh on Sept. 4 in Hampton County, in order for Murdaugh’s surviving son to collect a $10 million life insurance policy.
The man, Curtis Edward Smith, is a former client of Murdaugh’s from a 2010 personal injury lawsuit.
SLED accused Murdaugh of conspiring with Smith, calling him a “co-defendant.”
Although Murdaugh’s former Hampton County law firm has alleged he stole substantial amounts of money from the firm, no criminal charges have been placed against Murdaugh in that case.
SLED said it is investigating the accusations of Murdaugh taking funds from the firm.
News of Smith’s arrest shocked South Carolinians as details of the alleged scheme emerged. This was the first arrest in over three months after SLED began investigating the murders of Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son on June 7.
SLED has not indicated Smith’s arrest is related to the murders, and Murdaugh has maintained his innocence.
