"Murdaugh" Episode Sixteen | The 192k Mistake

0:10 Hey, everyone, and welcome back to Exposed Scandalous Files of the Elite. I am your host, Jim Chapman, and we are back with this sixteenth installment in our myrtall series. And it's been a little while. A couple of volumes of the myrtaal jeilhouse phone calls have been headed your way the past couple of weeks. Everybody's enjoyed that. But we are back into the trial, and this is the sixth day of that trial, and we're going to pick up with that day and I'll kind of just summarize the testimony that is not critical. All of it's critical to the case, but some of it a lot more dramatic than others. So I'll summarize some of the people from that day. A representative from Snapchat by the name of Heidi Galore. She is the law enforcement operations lead for Snapchat, and she was able to get into the account of Paul Murdall and find a Snapchat video that he had posted. Now, that video was posted at seven point thirty six PM on the night that Paul and Maggie were murdered. If you'll remember, police theorized they were murdered between eight forty five and nineh three, I think is what they came up with. And the issue with that time and the fact that Alex Murdall was actually in that video pulling on a tree by the kennels.

1:42 He was clearing some shrubs or something and Paul was laughing in the background. That's a big problem because Alex said he wasn't there at that time. Timing is important in this case. Obviously that's just like an hour and a half before they were killed. So the prosecution in an effort to form a timeline that would make it kind of hard for Alex Murdall to have not committed the crime. They stressed the importance of this snapchat video. Next up was an investigator from the Solicitor's office and his name was Dylan high Tower, and he was the one who actually discovered Maggie's foam by the roadside at Mozelle.

2:29 He just kind of testified as to how he found the phone, etc. It wasn't anything very dramatic. Then Jennie Secklinger, who is the CFO of the law firm that Alex was a partner in. She testified about finding a ton of thefts that Alex committed during his time at the law firm. After a forensic audit was performed that was performed by an outside company. All of this came out with Alex mrdall. And of course the reason this was allowed in the trial is the financial crimes are important because that would prove a motive as to why Alex lost his fucking mind. If he's having to steal millions and millions of dollars and he's in all this financial trouble, what does that do? It makes you very desperate. So staying on that topic, and who you are going to hear from today is the testimony of Chris Wilson of the Wilson Law Group. Now, in addition to being a fellow attorney, Chris was also one of Alex's best friends.

3:45 They have known each other since high school and they went to law school together. They even were roommates during law school. So I'm gonna set this up and then I'm gonna play the club. But essentially what you're gonna hear is Chris Wilson discussed a little about how him and Alex came to know each other, and then he's going to talk about a specific case that they worked on together where they sued the Mac Truck Company. It's insane and this is really a good look at the emotional told that this took on Alex's friends, people that trusted him, his best friend in this case. So here's that clip. Chris Wilson's testimony.

4:36 Rachel right left? Any known about it? Do you think from the testimony. That get the play that I shall be the truth to help you. I want to see one of the esten it's your name again for the records for your last name. Please, My name is James Christopher Wilson. Be A I L S O N. I go by Chris. Mister Wilson. You understand that we're here for an end camera hearing to determine the admissibility or testimony I do. All right, you're a lawyers, you get that, yes, sir. So I'm not going to go into a lot of everything that I might cover with you in a trial, but I do want to focus on particularly the Ferri's case.

5:22 You know, it's what I'm referred to. Sure. First of all, though, just very quickly, you're a lawyer? Is that corrupt? I am since nineteen ninety eighteen ninety eight. And describe very quickly your practice for the record. Actually since nineteen ninety five. I haven't own practice since nineteen ninety eight. In the last fifteen years, I've done primarily personal injury work, automobile liccense people that are injured at work. I'll practice type cases those things. And where do you normally practice? Where's your home days? My only offices in Bamberg. You do a lot of clans for work. That's all I do anymore for the last fifteen years, That's really all I do.

6:05 And do you know the defendant? I do? And when did you get to know the defendant? I've known Elick since we were in high school Bamberg and Hampton. I grew up in Bamberg and they're only about thirty miles apart, and so I knew of Elkin, had been around him some growing up. We had some mutual friends. I was a lot closer to some other guys in Hampton that I grew up playing golf and things like that with, but I would cross paths with Elick played on the same baseball. Team one summer. I think like our senior years in high school or somewhere around high school age. Didn't really keep in touch with him. Or cross paths with him until we ended up going to law school and we started law school together at Carolina three years there together at law school and lived together part of the time.

6:51 Did y'all become friends? We did become close friends, very close best friends. He was one of my best friends, yes, and I thought, you know he was, and I thought he felt the same way about me. You feel that way now. I don't know how I feel now much waters fair enough. Over the years, as you developed that close friendship with Ali, did y'all also have a professional relationship as well? We did. When I finished law school, I went to work in Greenville for a judge for a year. Elick went to Beaufort to work with a law from there, So we didn't we see each other, but it was more socially.

7:43 Then when I moved back to Bamberg to start practicing where I had grown up and he moved back to Hampton a couple of years later, we started doing a little bit more work together, and we've done cases together really since nineteen ninety eight. I opened up my own firm in ninety eight. I think that's about the same time he had moved back to his Firman it was a bigger firm with resources that I didn't have starting out on my own, and so we started working cases together and worked a lot together. Tell me for the record how that works when you're in a different firm than the firm he was in correct, Yes. And so when two lawyers from different firms or three, however many it is, share a case, how do you hand all the payment of the fees if there's a successful recovery.

8:30 Well, it really all depends on the agreement that's reached up front between the lawyers and with the client's consent. But generally. All the cases that I work with his firm, and with most firms I do business with, it it's a fifty to fifty split on the fee recovery, or at least an equal split. Maybe if there are more than two lawyers, it'll be an equal split across the board, But generally it was just my firm and his firm with a fifty to fifty split on attorney's fees recovered, and each firm recovers whatever costs they've advanced in the case. And sometimes his firm would advance more of the cost because you know, they had a larger number of lawyers bringing them more money than I was and could afford to handle some of the bigger costs. But it's kind of whoever got the bill, paid the bill.

9:15 And then. We reimbursed at the end. Whoever had advanced the cost client signs off on all of that. Who ultimately in those situations where splitting a fee is out a good way to call it, Yes, sir, who handles the ultimate dispersement? How does that work? Whichever lawyer receives the settlement checks or the checks to pay whatever verdict or judgment that was received. I can't say in every single case with Alex Firn, but and having gone back through my files and all that did my paperwork, it looks like in almost every single case that we worked together, the disbursement, the money would come through to me and I would handle the disbursement. They were generally clients where I would associate his firm. They were my clients. They were people that had come to me and I wanted them to, uh, you know, frankly know that I was the person that took care of.

10:10 Them and. If they needed anything, that's they could come back. And so I wanted to be the person hand on that part of it also, all right. So if the money comes through you, then just mechanically, how do you go about paying alec And in case where y'all are splitting a figure paying the firm? Money comes in, client has to come sign the check or whatever it is is along with my firm. If it's made, it's generally made payable to Wilson Law Group, a Wilson Law firm, and the client client comes in and signs the check. I endorse a check. We deposit that into my trust account. If it has to sit under Supreme Court rules, sometimes it has to sit for ten days or more. Some smaller checks don't. Once it's been in the account long enough to be able to be dispersed pursuit for our rules, then then my bookkeeper does the checks that I instruct her to do, and I signed the checks to make dispersements. If they're checks to another law firm, then the money is dispersed to that firm.

11:10 All right. In the course of litigation, are there typically costing expenses that accreu during the course of that litigation almost always, and those we get paid out of whatever settlement is reaching, assuming a successful result. They do all of my fee agreements in every lawyer I've ever worked with have a provision in there that the clan understands that the fees are advanced by the lawyer, but upon recovery they're reimbursed or recovered by by the lawyer. In a particular case where you're splitting a fee, and there were in fact fees and costs associated with a successful recovery, excuse me. Costing expenses associated with successful recovery are those issued in a separate check, typically or a check together.

11:51 When I first started, I think my firm was doing cost and fees, not just for other firms, but costing fees that were payable to if firm in the same check. But I mean ten plus years ago, if not longer, we started doing separate checks just to make the accounting and keeping up with it easier. So generally it's a feed check and a separate cost check. And in twenty twenty one, were you issuing those separate checks, yes, very quickly, without getting into the details. Did you have a case in Allendale where you split it with Alec in the early part. Of twenty twenty one, Yes, sir, all right. And ultimately was there a recovery in that case, there was, and it was actually three cases, but they were similar factually, and so we treated them as one case.

12:39 But it was three separate three separate plaintiffs, three separate cases. And ultimately, did you your office disperse the fees and the expense check to PMPD on all three cases, Yes, sir, And those checks were made out to what. All three of the feed checks were made payable to. I don't know if we used the acronym pm p e D if we actually spelled out Peter's Murdoch, Parker, Dietrich and Elsroeth, but pmp. D generally except for the Farris case, which we'll talk about. In a minute. Sure, when you had those feast splits with alect worthy checks made out the pm p D, they readys signed by.

13:20 You, Yes, sir. And I'm the only person can signed checks in my office so well, and now I had a partner at one time, but now I'm the only person that can sign checks. Did you have a case involving mac trucks that involved elim Yes, sir, And can you describe to the court how you ended up getting that case and how you ultimately associated ALEC in that case? Sure? And you know. I've heard it referred to as the Farris case of Mac Trucks and Ferris I'd rather refer to as the Mack Truck's case. Another lawyer had contacted me about a case that he was working on. Felt like he had a wreck involving a tractor trailer on an automobile.

14:06 In which a gentleman was injured. I believe he had already filed suit against the tractor trailer company and its driver, and maybe another party started looking at the case for and with him. It involved a drive shaft that had fallen out of a Mac truck into the interstate, and this gentleman had and a number of other cars had hit that drive shaft, and and looking at it and doing a little bit of research, I and he together realized that there very likely could be a product's liability case involving a defect with the drive shaft of the truck. Or something like that. So so I reached out to Elic and asked him if he could get involved in the case or would get involved in the case. And that's what his firm specialized in a lot with products liability cases. And we were pushing some deadlines to bring in all the parties that we needed to And so I re sed out pretty quickly because I knew we needed some help.

15:03 And did he agree to be part of that case? He did? As that litigation proceeded, Did y'all have as his typical some discovery hearings, discovery motions and. That sort of thing, Well, we had a number of them. I don't remember how many. I don't remember how many, but we had a number of different motions and discovery that went back and forth, documents me and exchange things like that, all right, And. Did that ultimately set up the prospect of a trial. In that case? It did, but it was unusual. It wasn't a jury trial like is normally done in personal injury cases. It was a non jury trial tried before a circuit court judge with an emission of liability.

15:43 We waived punitive damages, and there was an agreement between the parties that neither party would appeal the result. And in a case Planeff's case, civil planets case like this, if there's a large recovery let's say, for the plaintiff and the defendant size to appeal, does that typically delay payment of the recovery and until that appeal is heard and resultd I mean it can. Appeals. You never know how long an appeal is going to take. And so if the losing party, the defendant, the company that you're suing, whoever it might be, decides to appeal, they can tie the verdict up for a while. If you win the appeal, you're going to recover cost and interest, so you know that's the remedy, but it can tie up money for people that are injured that need that money.

16:32 Did y'all ultimately try that case in a bench trial? We did? We? Excuse me? What county it was in Richland County, Columbia? And when did y'all try that case? The first part of January of twenty twenty one? And who did the closing argument in that case? Al? Did y'all ultimately there's been a concession of liability? So the amount was really well in question? Is that correct? Yes, sir? And how many plans did you have? There were actually two cases and when we call it ferris or the mack truck's case throughout all of this, but there were actually two cases. The gentleman that was injured and then his wife. We brought a loss of consort claim for her for the loss of companion services that she had lost from him, and just not to get too detailed swards that her case had gone into default.

17:31 In other words, mack Trucks hadn't answered the papers like they should have, and so they were in a really bad position on that case. And then the gentleman's case they had answered, but we were discovering some things. When we were doing some discovery, it was clear they didn't want us looking much much further. And so that's why this deal everybody agreed to a non jury trial without appeal with a waiver of punity damages under the Mission of Liability was done and we were in COVID and it was gonna take us a while to get the trial. So it worked out well for both parties and the result worked out well for us. And that's all now goes on litigation. Both sides kind of decide what's best and sometimes they can have a meeting. Of a minds. Yes, sir, all right, was there ultimately perverting by the judge in that.

18:14 Gay Well two verdict since two cases, Yes, sir, I believe it was four million for the injured man and one point five for the wife. I remember it was five point five combined, but I think it was four in one point five. And so how did the fees break down, to the best of your recollection, that were going to be split among the three lawyers involved? There were. Let me ask you this, Do you remember how much Alex share. Of the seven hundred ninety two thousand? Okay, and you're there was a larger split to the attorney that initiated the case, But I believe Alick was seven ninety two.

18:55 The math didn't work out perfectly. I was seven ninety one, and the other attorney will higher than that, but I don't remember the exact numbers. In recognition of his origination, Yes, sir, in March of twenty twenty one, did you ultimately receive the moneys and prepare for dispersing? Yes, sir, I believe they came. In late February, because we dispersed in March and I had to wait at least ten days. Part of the money came by a wire, which would have been kind of immediately available and accessible, but it was a smaller portion of the money. The larger portion came in a check, and because it was such a sizeable amount, I waited, how maybe twelve or fifteen, fifteen days or so. I didn't disperse on the tenth day.

19:40 And did you have a conversation with a defendant about dispersing those fees. I had a conversation with Elick and with the other attorney I worked on the case with when the fees and were ready to be dispersed. What about your specific conversation with Elec did he make any requests of you or having a discussion in view about how to handle his seven hundred and twenty two thousand dollars share of the fees? He did, and tell me about that conversation, please. When I contacted him and told him we were getting ready to disperse and we would have checks ready, he indicated to me that he was looking to place his fees in an annuity. He called it like a structure. I'm never done one of those before, so I didn't really know how worked. I've never done structure for my fees myself. I've structured client money, but not my fees.

20:24 He indicated he was looking to do a structure by putting the moneies into annuities, and that the checks needed to be made payable directly to him that he had already cleared it with his firm, that the moneys were going to be put on the books and accounted for, and he would be credited as having received those moneies. Based on his representations to you, that he had cleared it with his firm. Did you agree to do something different and make the checks directly out to him? I did here quickly westpend marches zib at three forty five safe three forty five for purposes in camera hearing, and see if you recognize that particular guy. I do, all right, And what is that? So this is the initial check that was written per alex instructions directly to him on the gentleman's case for fees made pay able to Richard Alexander Murdock Esquire for six hundred thousand dollars mis avoided.

21:18 Why was it avoided? Because he instructed me. Afterwards, And I don't remember if it was in the same conversation, in the same conversation or shortly thereafter. It must have been shortly thereafter. That the checks on that case needed to be made in two separate check payments, so he was doing two separate annuities. I'm sure it was from margins three for persus the sin camera hearing. And see if you recognize these documents, yes, sir. The first page is the check payable directly to Richard Alexander Murdock Esquire for one hundred and ninety two thousand dollars and that is on the loss of consortium case for the wife. And on the bottom, just like that six hundred thousand dollars check that was voided, it indicates it was for fees. I guess the other writing on here is maybe from my I'm just like the check check has something to do with the way we recovered the checks. The back page looks like an endorsement Bank of America deposit only looks like a signature Bank of America.

22:29 Okay, And again I'm just asking you to Jennifer. See if you recognize that check. Yes, I did, I recognize? All right? Tell me the second check, city amount and what that's for. The second check is for two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars payable directly to Richard Alexander Murdock Esquire. It indicates on the bottom of that is for fees. This would be part of the rewrite of that six hundred thousand dollars check that had been voided. And then the third check is three hundred and seventy five thousand dollars check payable directly to Richard Alexander Murdick Esquire and it indicates fees, and that would be the remainder, the remainder of the rewrite of that six hundred thousand dollars check initially written that was avoided. And there's a second two where ringading why.

23:09 At Elex's request he had indicated that he was putting the money into two different vehicles or annuities and needed the checks written that way. What did you do with those checks after you the three checks, after you had finally cut them. Obviously I signed them, and at some point in time, I think Alex sent somebody up to. My office to pick them up. I don't think I delivered them. Oftentimes I put checks in the mail sometimes when they're larger, I either offer to have them picked up or delivered, And I think he had somebody come pick those up from my office. Like a law firm runner or somebody like that or. Something like that. Yes, sir, I don't even think I was in the office when they picked it up.

23:52 You known Alec for a long time, right. Since they're a yeah, since the mid eighties, earlier than the mid eighties. Yes, worked with him for a long time many times. Did his explanation to you about what he was going to do? Did that raise any suspicions with you to your friend that you've done for such a long. Time, No, sir, it was. It was different, but it didn't raise any red flags or suspicions to me than. Anything wrong was going on because you trusted your friend right very much? Was your What was your perception of Alex's general wealth and success? He made a lot more money than I did, always seemed to do well in his practice. All I ever heard is that he was one of the biggest producers in the firm. He you know, it's his family's name on the firm, but they acted like it was it was his name on the firm too. He and I handled big cases together. When I talked to the partners and other members of that firm, they were talking to big, big cases that they were handling with him. Felt like he did really well, and there were we never got into direct discussions about the amount of money he made or the amount of money I made. We talked about, you know, sometimes business and sometimes money and sometimes things, but I never I always thought he made a lot of money.

25:14 Is that part of the reason why your suspicions weren't didn't get didn't arise when you were asked to do this request by Elec? I guess so, not so much as just I'd never had any dealers with him that I had any reason to distrust what he was telling me. I mean, he was a partner in that firm. He had the authority as far as I knew, to make decisions. If he'd have wanted to reduce the fee and take less and it was payable to deffirm, I wouldn't have questioned that. I didn't feel like he had to have his authority, his partner's approval was to make those type decisions.

25:55 All right, I'm gonna show you Wes with Marches three forty seven and see if you recognize that document. Yes, sir. The first check is a check that was made in May of twenty twenty one, May thirteenth to Peters Parker, Murdoch, Elsroth and Dietrich for fourteen thy six six hundred nineteen dollars and thirteen cents. I don't think on the bottom it says anything. But this was a cost reimbursement check on one of those two cases. And then the second check is a check may beayable on the same day, May thirteenth for the same amount of money plus one cent, so for fourteen cents. And it was a cost reimbursement in the other case. And that's made payable to the law firm.

26:41 Also, it was your assistant or paralegal at this point in time. Vicky means she's one of several, but VICKI is my primary baralegal. At some point in May of twenty twenty one, did Vicky advise you of any inquiry coming from PMPD about where these fees were. No, she didn't advise me in May about any inquiry about where the fees were. She had received an email in May from Alex paralegal and at that said, Hey, we got the cost checked, but we don't have the fees.

27:26 Where the fees. And she replied to that email to Annet and said, your boss has already been paid the fees, just like mine and the other lawyer. Vicky replied to that email, I didn't know about that email until all of this came out in September. Of what was going on. I didn't know about that reply email to ann At. Vicky did receive an email another email from an AT, and as I recall, it was a email that an Ed received from Genie Seconder that Vicky did forward to me sometime towards the end of May. I think she had gotten it, but she was out on vacation for a couple of days and when she got back she forwarded it to me and it was an email from Genie Seconder that said something to the effect of ELEC thought he was owed more cost in the case, had some questions about costs and they were trying to get some information so they could determine if they were owed more cost.

28:29 She did forward me that email. Yes, sir, this looks like the email string where Genie Seconder, the chief financial officer at pmp ED emailed ann Att. Griswold, which was Elec's primary paralegal, basically says that Nicole and I don't know who that is brought them the expense check and that didn't match their records. Eleck thinks he has more outstanding cost, but Kate say what and they they want to see if they can get some information concerning expenses and dispersements. Looks like Annett forward to that to my paralegal, Vicky on May the twenty seventh. Vicky was out. Looks like Annett ask her again on June the second if she could get her some information, and Vicky replied to Annett that she didn't deal with some of the documentation they were questing, and so she would.

29:30 Forward it to me. What that's June the second? When twenty twenty one, June second, June second, Yes, sir. At this point in time, are Alex Fi still in your trust account? No, sir, they were dispersed. The check is March. I don't know exactly, but they were dispersing three separate checks in March. Kay, at some point in time around this June second thereabouts, did you receive any call from Lee Cooke?

30:14 I believe I had a conversation with Lee Coke. I was trying to case in Hampton the week before that, and I was in and out of their office, and I. Believe I had a conversation with Lee. That would have been like the week of May the twenty fourth or some of those days in there, and I believe. I had a conversation with Lee. He asked me. If all the money had been dispersed in the Ferris case, and I told him that it had not been that we had some lians outstanding medical bills and lians outstanding, and we were holding money for some additional costing case things came in and he didn't ask me any further questions. He did not mention that there were any issues or concerns about fees.

30:56 After he had received that call from Lee Cooke. What did you tell me, Cod, I. Told I might have to check into it. After that. Did you reach out to the defendant? I did, and what was your conversation with him? I reached out to Elik and I said, Elick, you know, hey, I don't know what all we talked about in that call, but at some point in time we talked about it. I said, hey, I've got this email that's been forwarded to me by VICKI where you're firm is saying that you believe you're owed more cost. I put the cost down on the cost on the disbursement sheet that you had given me. But if you've got more costs, just figure out what it is and get it to me, we're holding some money to deal with some medical bills and leans and with the clients consent, we were holding some money in case additional costs come in. Sometimes cost or slow coming in, and that's normal. And if there's an issue, just let me know, he said, you know, I'll check on it, or there's not an issue where I'll check on it. And I said, hey, this is the case that I dispersed the fees to you, you know, per your request. Is everything all right? And he said, yeah, I just got to make sure they know it's on the book books the right way and that this is the case that that that we've already worked out the put in on the books.

32:06 Did he tell you he had structured those fees and annuities as he had told you before. Yeah, that he had put him in the annuities. Put him in the annuities. Firms gonna make sure they're on the books. As far as I knew, the firm was aware that the moneys had been paid to him, that he was putting them into annuities, that they would credit him as already having been paid and they would account for that whenever or however they split up money. Just to be clear of those funds were not in your trust account. They were gone about. Them, yes, sir, they've been gone since March and whenever those checks were cash after I wrote them. In March seven, ninety two thousand dollars, yes, sir. For purposes of this serum, I'm not gonna go into the night when maggiew Paul were killed, but just very quickly you did have some texts and calls with that like that night exact right, yes, sir, and you were at the residence and responding as friends and family did in the aftermath of that event.

33:04 Is that correct, Yes, sir. After the few weeks after the murders, did you tisss changed? I've gotten one and got one good thankest second. Yeah, yes, uh. A few weeks after the murders, did you have another conversation with Alec asking him if everything had been handled with the firm in those days?

33:49 Yes, sir. I don't remember if it was two weeks or three weeks or what it was. I mean, everybody was destroyed. I don't think he might was focusing all man. I know I wasn't. But at some point in time after that, I just said, hey, is everything all right? With the you know, contact I got him with those fees, and he said it. Was at some point in mid July twenty twenty one, a month after the murders, that ALC call you up and ask you anything about these fees. He did tell me what the conversation with Alec was about these fees.

34:32 He contacted me and said that he was not able to structure the fees the way that he thought he was going to be able to do that he had messed that up, and that the fees needed to be paid to the firm and they needed to go back through my trust account. Yeah, and what did you say at that point? I didn't. I didn't see anything that caused me any red flags or anything, and felt like if that's what had to be done, that the fees had to be paid to his firm and needed to go back through trust count, he could send me the money and I could run it back through my trust account and then pay it to his firm. Did I So he's promising, He's saying I will send you the money back. Is that correct?

35:13 Yes, sir? Did you ultimately receive any funds. Six hundred thousand of the seven hundred. Ninety two you only received six hundred thousand, yes, sir, And how did you receive that? Do you recall? I think it came in two different wires wires excuse me that either came on the same day or on back to back days. Did one of those wires come from Palmada State Bank for three hundred fifty thousand. Dollars I believe so, yes, sir, and. That was on about July fifteenth. That sounds right, yes, sir. And the other was. About two hundred and fifty thousand dollars on July sixteenth, twenty twenty. One, I believe from Bank of America. Yes, sir, that was only six hundred thousand dollars. Yes, sir, so you're. Short from what you'd already given to ALC correct, Yes, sir.

35:55 How much are you short? One hundred and ninety two thousand dollars. One hundred ninety two thousand dollars? Sir? Did you have a conversation without like about being sure? I did? And what was your conversation without it? He told me that he wasn't able to access the one hundred and ninety two thousand immediately, that he had already put it into the annuity. But he couldn't do it the way he wanted to, but he couldn't access it because it would be penalized if it was withdrawn, and that he would get. Me the money. So what did you do in response to what your friend told you to do or told you about the reason why he was short one hundred ninety two thousand dollars. I mean, at that point, I had indication that I was supposed to have seven hundred ninety two thousand dollars in my trust account that was supposed to have been paid to his firm. I'm responsible for that trust account.

36:41 I put one hundred ninety two thousand dollars of my own money in that trust account to cover. The shortfall. Based on his representation that he'd get you back. Yes, sir, I'm gonna show you what's my mark. Just exhibit three forty nine, States three forty nine with a say in camera hearing, and do you recognize that I.

37:24 Do tell me what that is? Please. This is an email that I sent to Elik at his request. He said he needed to be able to provide it to his firm so they'd know the money was being held. And it was dated July nineteenth, of twenty twenty one. It says Elick is discussed. I'm confirming that I'm holding in trust six hundred thousand dollars in the gentleman's case and one hundred and ninety two thousand dollars in the lady's case, which represent attorney's fees. I'll continue to hold these moneys in trust until I am instructed by you, excuse me, by you or your firm regarding payment.

38:16 You sent that email at that point in time. Did you receive any further inquiry at that point in time, at least from the law firm saying all right, go ahead. And sent us to seven ninety two, mister Waterers. I didn't hear anything else from the law firm at all until September third, twenty twenty one, about three o'clock in the afternoon, when mister lee Cope called me. The first question he asked me, was I still holding seven hundred and ninety two thousand dollars in my firm. That seemed to be his first concern, and I said yes, I am, And he said, well, we need to get that money paid to us. And then he told me that they had done They had discovered a check that. I think I remember him telling me that was from me to Elec in the firm, and that they had discovered that Elc was stealing money from the firm and from clients, and that he could not talk very long and asked me not to say anything to anybody until the following Tuesday when they could issue a press release.

39:12 All right, let me slow down just real quick before we get in there. At some point in time in August, did you attend any event or any conference where you saw Elix? I did. And what was that? It's called South Carolina Association of Justice now I still call it the Trial Lawyers Association. We have an annual convention in Hilton had every August the first weekend, and I usually attend and was there and I did. And did you have any conversation with him at that conference about one hundred and ninety two thousand dollars that you covered for him when he was going to pay that back? I believe. I asked him about it, and he indicated he was working on it something, you know, something some discussion about his father's state. You know, father had just passed and there would be money coming from the estate, and then with Maggie's estate being tied up.

40:07 Also, did he say it might sell some property or something like that, and he. Did mention that he was working towards selling some property at. This point in time, still with a couple of months after the tragic murders of Maggie and Paul, were you still very sensitive to your friend's emotional health and well being? Sure? I mean I didn't push him then. Push it some point after that conference where you asked him about it, didn't want to push him. Did you have another conversation with him about when that money might be paid?

41:01 I believe I did. Yessir, All right, I'm gonna show you Westbon Marcus Stakes three fifty for this here. I'm seeking recognize. That I do, and tell me what that is. It is a very rudimentary handwritt scratched out promissory note that I asked Elc to sign for me, which he did August seventeenth of twenty twenty. One, acknowledging that I had loaned him. One hundred ninety two thousand dollars that he would repay within sixty days. I think is what it says. And tell me how the circumstances of how you came to get this essentially on a fold with pieces of paper. This is a coffee, it is, yes, sir, all right, tell me about it. That was more about I mean, I wanted to get repaid my money as quickly as possible, But that was more about I was concerned, just like everybody else, everybody in his firm and everybody in his family, that he was going to do something to himself.

41:52 You know that he was gonna kill himself. And I mean I knew enough to know to know that if he. That, I couldn't make a claim against his estate if there wasn't something in writing. And so that was more I went to him and said, oh, look, look, I hate to even ask this, but I need to ask you to do this in case something happens to you. And I phrased it like if you get hit by a car or something, But it was more about worried about what he might do, and I need to ask you to do this so that if there's a problem, I can deal with it. And he did. He didn't have a problem with it. You already said this far. But at some point a few weeks later, you get a call from Lee Coke asking about those fees and saying that out come and stealing money right, Yes, sir, that hit you like a thunderball.

42:43 It knocked me down. I mean, I was with a group of guys. I could not talk. Lee to on me. He could not talk very long. I mean, and I react try to get into I did. I mean, I couldn't do it immediately. I think I spoke to Lee for just a minute. He told me I needed to call him right back. I called him back. We talked for just a minute. He couldn't talk along. He said he had other things to take care of, to deal with all of what was going on. Do you remember what day this said? September third, Friday, three o'clock in the afternoon, twenty twenty one, twenty twenty one. Yes, sir, And you remember it like it was yesterday, and tell exactly where I was and who I was with.

43:32 I finished up what I was doing with that group. I think I tried to call Elic Or. I know I texted him, and I believe I tried to call also when I couldn't get him. Did you continue to try to contact I did? I think he did respond maybe that afternoon later and said I'm in the I forget what it was. It was in a meeting or something. I can't I'll call you back as soon as I can. But at some point in time, but I kept trying to get him and we did talk later. All right, what did you talk about? What day was that when you finally were able to. Talk to him? I think I spoke. I did speak to him that evening this Friday, September third, by phone. I don't remember the exactly of the conversation, but I said, look, Lee's called.

44:15 Me and told me what's going on? What is going on? He said, I really can't talk about that much right now. I said, I need to talk to you, and I wanted to be in person. I need to know what's going on and what happened. Well, he said he would try to meet with me the next morning and that he was sorry. And I don't remember all the gist of that conversation, but the next morning I tried to call him. I woke up and I started driving towards Bufort because I thought he was staying at John Marvin's house down that way, and I started calling him and driving his direction, and eventually he called me back and said he would meet me in our Meeta at his mom and daddy's house.

44:58 Did you meet him there? I did? Is that in the morning of September fourth, probably a little bit before lunchtime, kind of late morning, Yes, sir. Did y'all have a conversation? We did? Where was the conversation? I I got there before he did. I don't think. I pulled in the driveway. I kind of waited out on the road, pulled in the driveway. We went in the side door. The caregiver was there. She we went out onto the front porch and we talked on the front porch. And what did he say to you? I mean, the first thing I asked him was, you know, Elick, what the what the f? Or what the h is going on here? You know what is going on? And have you. Done something else to me or that involves me that I don't know about? Because I know about this and I've got to deal with this. But is there something else you've done that I don't know about that I need to that I need to be concerned with.

45:49 And what did you say? He broke down crying, said I can't, said I can't right this second. He went inside, came back out with some paper towels. And. Told me that he had had a drug problem, that he was addicted to opioids, and that he had been addicted for I don't remember, he said twenty or twenty plus years, but I mean, you know, for twenty years or so. Did he say anything about the money. He told me that he had that he had been stealing the money. Did you have a particular phrase about what he had done to you? Shipped me up? He said, he.

46:30 Shipped you up, shipped me up, or shipped me up or shipped me off, or something like that, but I think it was he shipped me up. He said that he admitted to you he had been stealing a client money. Yes, sir, said he so he. Confessed that to you, as actually said he had shipped a lot of people up. I'm gonna show you what's been marked in States three thirteen in this end camera hearing you recognize that. Yes, sir, what is that? I think this is the original of that two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars fee check written in the Gentleman's case directly to Richard Alexander Murdock esquire.

47:14 Is that your signature? It is? I don't remember exactly how it ended to mister words. I was so mad. I'd loved the guy for so long, and I probably still loved him a little bit, but I was so mad. I don't remember how it ended. I left. I mean, I ask you how, you know? How did I not know these things or see these things? You know? And we talked, I don't. I mean, he was concerned about me getting one hundred ninety two thousand dollars back. Seemed concerned, so I wasn't worried about that at that point. I wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.

48:03 This was a little bit before lunch on September fourth. Yes, sir, we didn't leave. We didn't. I'm sure we I'm sure I yelled at the beginning, or at least raised my voice, But I didn't leave yelling and screaming and holorn. We didn't fight, but I left, and I wasn't happy. Where'd you go after you left? Remember? I rode through Hampton, actually threw hearties and grabbed something for a bite of lunch on the road, and headed back to Columbia, where I lived. That day? Did you hear anything else about el I did? About how long after you left Alec good Year or something. I had stopped in my office in Bamberg or at the post office to pick something up, and I was somewhere between Bamberg and Columbia when I got a call.

48:52 Uh, it was either from Randy or Lee Cope, but I believe it was Lee Cope. What were you informed? That Elik had been shot in the head and that he was on a helicopter going to the hospital in Savannah, and I think it was Savannah Hospital, but they said to the hospital, but I believed he said Savannah hospital. What did you do in response to that information? What the Devil's going on? I thought he'd tried to kill himself. I didn't think he was suicidal when I left, but when I heard that, I thought he had tried to kill himself. Did you go to the scene or did you return back home? I went back home. Did you try to reach out to Alick after that? It did not. I talked to his brother Randy, I think some that same day and some on the next day. But by that time, frankly, all this had, for lack of a better term, blown up to where I didn't think I'd be able to talk to Alec and I don't know that I wanted to.

49:50 Have you had a conversation with him. Since I have not spoken to him since that morning that I made him, have. You had any other communication with him? He's texted me. Once or twice, to which I responded something very generic like I'm thinking about your family, and I think he may have written a letter, some short letter that frankly I turned over to my lawyers. And Michelle Westbin Marcus states three fifty one. See if you recognize that I do? And what is that? This is one of the texts that I received from Elec And my. Response is that a number you previous say had recognized me and Alex.

50:32 I don't know if I'd ever seen that number before, but it's not the normal cell phone number that I would have used to contact him or he to contact me. I mean there was sometimes he'd tell me he was calling me from the phone in his car. Sometimes it would be a number I didn't recognize. Is that a text on screen there? Yes, sir? Does it say so sorry for all the havoc I created for you not do anything to make it right? Yes, sir, thank you, mister Wilson. That's all the questions for this on camera here.

51:26 And there you have it. This piece of shit stole one hundred and ninety two thousand dollars from his firm and left his best friend holding the bag. That guy had to pay this money back, and you could hear it in his voice he wanted to beat the living shit out of Alec for this, and rightfully so unbelievable. We got much more coming your way on this. And next up will be the testimony and I mean the eye opening testimony of attorney Mark Tinsley, who represented the Beach family in that boat crash. He discusses how Elick used intimidation. And that's right, I said Elick, because I go alex and Elick back and forth. It's Aleck Is. His name is freaking Alexander, so y'all know how it is. But he discusses how Eleck used intimidation during that lawsuit against Paul in which Mallory Beach was killed.

52:42 So stay tuned for that. You're not going to believe it. Check out the Patreonpatreon dot com Exposed podcast files. We upload all kinds. Of shit to that. We stay active on that Patreon. It keeps the show going. And I could not do it without those people. Thank you very much and until next time for exposed scandalous files of the elite, I'm your host, Jim Chapman, much love,