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Mandy Matney
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
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And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
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Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Mandy Matney
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
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Anyways, get a quote@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Mandy Matney
Liberty. Liberty.
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Liberty.
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Joseph Scott Morgan
If you're seeking to try to understand the forensic science behind these cases that we hear about in the news, body bags is where you need to turn. There's no fluff. We do a deep dive into the forensics. Listen to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan and start listening.
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Mandy Matney
Came as fast as I could after Jesse called for help. It's been too long, cowboy.
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Toy Story 5 is only in theaters,
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so that's Lily Pad.
Mandy Matney
What are you, some sort of old man toy?
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She thinks you're old because you're bald.
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Woody from Disney and Pixar.
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Toys are for play. Tech is for everything.
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It's toys versus tech.
Mandy Matney
The screen just took over all the tapping.
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The tapping on June 19th.
Mandy Matney
I want to talk to you. Device along Toys. I responded.
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I have plastic fingers.
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Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested only in theaters June 19.
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Amy Robach and T.J. holmes present.
Mandy Matney
Killer thriller with your host, Alisa Donovan.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Hey, everyone. Elisa Donovan here. And this is. Killer thriller. For years, the Alec Murdoch case has felt less like one crime story and more like a Southern gothic nightmare. A powerful legal dynasty, financial fraud, addiction, mysterious deaths, a fatal boat crash, a staged roadside shooting, and ultimately the shocking murders of Maggie and Paul Murdoch at the family's hunting estate in South Carolina in 2023. Alec Murdoch was convicted of murdering his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison. But now, in a stunning twist, the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned those murder convictions, ruling that former Colton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced the jury and denied Murdoch a fair trial. At the same time, journalist and podcaster Mandy Matney has been pulled into a separate contempt fight connected to a deposition dispute. Today, Mandy returns to Killer Thriller to help us break down the latest bombshell developments in one of the most complicated and bizarre true crime sagas in America. Oh, Mandy. Welcome back to Killer Thriller.
Mandy Matney
Thank you.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Let me just say, first of all, when you know you are our very first guest on this podcast, you and Liz, and when I said, we are going to have you back, and we all said, yay, I in no way, shape or form thought this would be the circumstances under which you would be back here. So, I mean, we have a lot to cover here. But first, when Alec Murdoch's murder conviction was overturned, what was your immediate reaction?
Mandy Matney
Well, I knew about it a few weeks ago. We had source. I did. And we reported it on our podcast, True Sunlight, a few weeks ago. Our sources were always good, and they still are. Just have to say that. Um, but. So I at least had, like, a couple weeks to kind of come to terms with it and, like, feel, you know, let the emotions go through the emotions of the whole thing. And so when it happened, I was not shocked. Was I angry, though? Yes. And was like, reality hitting me that this story that I feel like I've been trapped in or like, I. I'm sure on the last podcast we discussed, like, I was really ready to break free. I thought the Hulu was like a bookend, a nice bookend of that part of my story and that part of my life. And so it's just been coming to terms with, like, we're opening up all those chapters again and nothing is ever over.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I. I mean, I. I can't imagine. Yeah, I can't imagine how you feel, because I feel that way from outside of it. Like, this is like, yet another turn with this whole saga. And I mean, did you really. Did you initially think when he was convicted that this was a possibility, that
Mandy Matney
they would overturn it? Honestly, I really didn't and I haven't been asked that question. And I really thought that everything was so solid in the trial. I mean, the trial was six weeks long. It was very extensive. Creighton Waters did a fantastic job, and I thought Judge Newman did a fantastic job. This doesn't happen often, but at that point, I was proud of the South Carolina justice system. And I was really thought everything was solid. I was. I expected Alex's attorneys, Dick and Jim, to find something wrong with it. Right. They. They are very expensive, well resourced attorneys that can turn over every single leaf in a trial, and they have that in time to do so. I saw this coming from when the Supreme Court had their hearing in February. And I could tell the justices were all on his side. And that is when I really, like, knew that it was a possibility, knew that it was a big possibility. And there was just moments where they were almost helping him in that hearing. And it was just kind of weird. There was a moment where one of the Supreme Court justices called him Ellick, like by his first name. And instead of the defendant or Mr. Murdoch, like, he was referring to him as his buddy Alec. And I was just like this word, oh, my God, we're screwed.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
So this whole thing, they. They didn't just. So this is regarding Becky Hill. The. I, first of all, how unusual is this for a court clerk to have any influence over a jury at all? And they use very strong language. The Supreme Court saying things like she shocking jury interference and she, quote, placed her fingers on the scale of justice.
Mandy Matney
Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
So what are they talking about?
Mandy Matney
Oh, the Becky Hill story. So, yes, all of this is extremely unusual. And it all goes back to Becky's book coming out in, I believe, July of 2023. So a couple months after the murder, after Alex Murdoch was convicted, the clerk of court came out with a tell all book about the tr. Like, that does not happen is not. And that's like, where all problems kind of start to bubble up. And I really would like to know at this point who encouraged her to write this book, because this book obviously made her an easy target. That, like, this lady does not follow the rules. There was somebody completely unethical in this trial. And so it gave Dick and Jim permission, those are the attorneys, to do dig into everybody in the jury. And they went to. They knocked on the doors of their houses and asked, like, did Becky influence you in any way, shape or form? And all of them, except for one, said, no. They said, I came up with my verdict on my own because of the evidence. Becky had nothing to do with it. Like, they said, yeah, she was a little weird. And like, yeah, she had, like, decorations and like, she.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
She decorated her desk.
Mandy Matney
Right. And like, obviously used this case as, like, she thought it was like her ticket out you or like, her ticket to money and fame. And like, she thought that she. She's a very. She's a small town clerk of court and had never seen anything or. Or the attention so publicly. Right. So publicly. Or the Colleton county has never gotten. Or most cases never get like, a fraction of the attention that the Murdoch case got. You know, so she felt important for several months there where, like, journalists were buddying up to her, trying to get the scoop. Like, she felt like she had power of, like, who has press passes and who. Who doesn't in the case? And, like, she was definitely power hungry. Like, and I saw that, too. Like, Liz and I joked at the. During the trial that Becky was, like, using press passes, like, backstage passes. We called her backstage. We called her backstage Becky because it was like, oh, I got one. Like, she was using it. Is this even legal?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
This seems absurd. That's like a circus. Is she. I just. Like, I'm struck that you could even. I mean, I'm not surprised. You could get a book deal. I feel like anybody that thinks they can sell something, but it seems illegal because she. Is she allowed to do any of those things? So.
Mandy Matney
Right. And she went to the South Carolina Ethics Commission. And this also goes back to the fact that, like, we have very, very weak rules when it comes to ethics in South Carolina. And Becky is a part of a system where everybody is so used to bending the rules and getting away with it. Like, Becky is not the first clerk of court to be inappropriate or break the rules or bend the rules. By all means. Like, this is a whole system that constantly. I mean, Becky did it in a very, very stupid and public way. But so she is accused of, like. Like you said, the justices really came down hard on her and said she had a finger on the scales of justice in this case, but at the same time, she was criminally charged with a few things, but never jury tampering. And she was. She was never convicted of jury tampering. So that's, like, really important to know. And still to this day, like, besides one juror who flip flopped back and forth, and like, again, she only said that her juror. Her verdict was interfered with after Dick and Jim came knocking on her door and asking her to sign an affidavit and asking her, you know, like. And so you have this one juror that said, like, yeah, maybe Becky did say something weird or like, yeah, Becky did influence. Know. And then she went back. And so all of this is because of that. But there was never anything, like, incredibly solid. And this is important to know. There's never anything, like, incredibly solid that they ever pinned down that she actually tampered with the jury or influenced the verdict at any point. And also the jury all swore after. Swore to Judge Newman after they rendered their verdict that they were. That they came to that conclusion on their own. Like they all. And that. So what I'm worried about at this point and sorry, I don't even know what the question was. I'm like, you're answering it, you're answering it. But like, but my, what my concern is is what does this tell other defense attorneys who have like, lots of money once a. They get a jury verdict that they do not agree with, that they can just go knocking on jurors doors and find the problem? You know, like, there's. There's something really important. I've talked to lawyers about this with the finality of a verdict, you know,
Interviewer / Podcast Host
like, yes, that's what our legal system is for. That's what they say. And if you want to change it, then you have to, you know, have a new trial. Like, I just. It seems crazy to me that it's like very coercive.
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Mandy Matney
And like, yes, Becky was dumb and like her book was stupid. Like, she, she did. She asked the South Carolina Ethics Commission, like, can I write this? And they basically said like, we advise against it, but like, don't do X, Y and Z. And she broke all the rules. Like, she did everything that they told. Like, she was just in it. You could see it so clearly. I've gone through her emails, I've gone through like, I have unfortunately dug way into Becky Hill. And like she, you see just this small town clerk of court who got a little bit of power and got a little bit of fame and like she went on the Today show right after the verdict with the jurors and that was her first time that she had ever been on a plane.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, wow.
Mandy Matney
So like, think about how small her world was and how like.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah. How exciting that all was.
Mandy Matney
Right.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
And how it's.
Mandy Matney
It could be easy to get swept up and think like, this is my chance. I got to write a book and I got to do all these things. And who knows who was pressuring her too, to like appear to be super unethical because. Well.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Right. That's what I was gonna ask is that. I mean, I suppose there's no way to. Nobody will ever admit it, but it feels like were Alex attorneys going, you know, paying her off or something. I mean, it just seems like so possible, the whole thing.
Mandy Matney
It's. It's just very shocking, but not shocking. Because all along on the Murdoch Martyrs Podcast, we've said two systems of justice. Right. And, like, it was all shocking to us that he was convicted to begin with just because of our system in the way that it is. And so, yeah, I really did not foresee an appeal, especially this quickly. I always thought appeals took a lot. I mean, I guess we're three years out.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah. Further. So, okay, so now that they have been overturned, the murder convictions, what happens next? Procedurally?
Mandy Matney
That's a great question. So Attorney General Allen Wilson has said he's going to retry the case. He does not have to recharge him because it does not charge. It does not, like, take the charges away. But. And he also has said that the death penalty is now on the table. But there's. There's also background here. Attorney General Allen Wilson, who's the, like, in charge of the prosecution on the case, he is running for governor right now. Now. So that makes a different. That, that makes a different factor. Right. He is obviously motivated to puff his chest up and say things like, I'm going to go for the death penalty and I'm going to. We want to get this done as soon as possible. And I. We want to get this done this year, is what he has said. But will they? I don't know. So procedurally, I am not sure what happens next, to be honest with you. But I'll tell you this. Right before we got on the phone, right before we started talking, Alex's attorneys filed a lawsuit against Becky Hill on behalf of Alex Murdoch. So now we have a federal lawsuit, and it just keeps coming.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, my God. And I. Do you think so?
Mandy Matney
Right?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I'm gonna say that the prosecutors, they wanted as aggressively this time as the last, probably, I would think more so. No.
Mandy Matney
Yeah. I mean, I do think that the. The one thing that's good about Alan Wilson running for governor is that he is motivated to please the people. And I think he will be motivated to get this done quickly and correctly.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
So do you think that people are emotionally separating two ideas right now that, like, Alec probably did it versus he may not have received a fair trial? Like, I'm always curious about those things. Like, this is where the justice part is. So, yeah, murky to me.
Mandy Matney
I was talking to a podcast from Ireland the other day about this too, because I. I wrestled with that question as well. Like, what is a fair trial if right person is behind bars? And most of us believe that the right person is behind bars? And, like, isn't that what our justice system aims for the other thing that I can't really. That I wrestle with and that I can't really fully conclude is, like, I don't think that this. People love to say, like, two things can exist at once. He can be guilty, but he deserves a fair trial. But it's not like this betters everybody in the system. It's not like. It's not like every. Every black person that is. That would have the exact same argument would get the same outcome. It is not like a. A poor white person would get the same outcome. It's. Alex Murdoch is somebody with a lot of power and a lot of sway, and that is a huge part of this outcome. So, like. Yes. Was Becky inappropriate? Yes. Does that necessarily mean that he did not get a fair trial? I just can't really. I can't come to conclusion because I. I believe in my heart and soul that he did it, and I believe that we have seen the evidence, and I'm also a South Carolina taxpayer. I don't want to pay for another trial.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yes. I mean, the. The amount of time and energy and emotional strife and all of that, but the actual financial burden that this puts on this, like, it's outrageous.
Mandy Matney
Yeah. Right. And then, like you said, I do think. I do think, for the most part, a majority of people are saying, okay, the Supreme Court said what they said, and maybe he does deserve a new trial or he does deserve a new trial, but I still believe that he's guilty. I'm seeing a lot of that, but I am also seeing a lot a rise in the comments of, like, but did he do it? Which is. Which is weird. We haven't seen any more evidence. Like, there has not been a shred of evidence since he was convicted showing us that he was innocent or showing us that another person did it or pointing us to any other direction. There's not. There has been nothing new in all of this. And I feel like that's another, like, solid point to get across. This does not mean that he presented any new evidence, because he definitely didn't.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I mean, the. The kennel video, the confession lie thing like that, that's such a defining piece of the first trial. And they can still. Will they use that again? They can use all of the same things. Right.
Mandy Matney
They.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Nothing is sort of exempt. It's just. They just have to have a new trial.
Mandy Matney
So unfortunately, the Supreme Court, in their ruling, said, a, we're giving you a new trial because of Becky, but B, we believed that too much of the financial. Was allowed in.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
What?
Mandy Matney
Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Isn't that part of the M.O. that's part of. Goes to motive.
Mandy Matney
It goes directly to motive. And what I was talking to my co host of Cub of Justice about a longtime South Carolina attorney, great attorney Eric Bland, who. He and I uncovered the financial crimes together. He was like this, put this. What the Supreme Court laid out in their ruling puts the next judge in a really, really tough position to allow any financial crimes in, because then it's immediately appealable.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, my God.
Mandy Matney
Yeah. And it's part of it, because, like, it's like you said, anyone who was paying attention understands how it's not a far leap from the financial crimes to the motive. You see the gathering storm. You see all the pressure that he was facing in his life and that, like, his law firm was coming down on him that day and he was being caught.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
How can that not be allowed?
Mandy Matney
Right?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
And what.
Mandy Matney
And it was weird the way that they put it. They didn't. They didn't necessarily say, like, they didn't say it's not allowed, but they said, you went too far and too hard on the financial crimes. And an example of that, which I thought was really weird, was Tony Satterfield's testimony. And he was the only financial victim who testified.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
He's the son. Correct.
Mandy Matney
Of Gloria and Gloria Saturday, and was
Interviewer / Podcast Host
supposed to receive the. The money from the Alec when he did the reverse. This is another. Like, it's okay, explain that quickly. I know it is, but I can't explain it.
Mandy Matney
You're doing a great job, and it's really difficult. And, like, I've had to review so many things in the last couple weeks, so I'm like, what did happen there? No.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
So
Mandy Matney
Tony Satterfield is the son of Gloria Satterfield, and Gloria Satterfield was the housekeeper and nanny. And a lot of people close to the Murdaughs really credit Gloria for raising the children. Like, she was a huge part of both Buster and Paul's lives. She was a part of the Murdaughs family. And Tony also considered Alex Murdock like a father figure, like somebody who he really looked up to. So Gloria, unfortunately died after allegedly falling on the Murdaugh's property. And that's a whole nother thing that has never been completely. There's no closed loops on that. But what we do know is that Alex took that as an opportunity to steal from her family. And he went to Gloria's sons at the funeral and said, hey, look, we can get you money. Here's my buddy, Corey Fleming. He's gonna be your lawyer and you guys are gonna sue me because I'm
Interviewer / Podcast Host
such a stand up guy.
Mandy Matney
Because I'm such a standup guy. And they were, you know, confused, but also Alex. It's Alex Murdock saying that, like, his father, his father, grandfather, and great grandfather were all prosecutors of that area. So, like, the. I don't question Tony of, like, he was probably like, okay, well, that's weird, but that's fine.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Sure.
Mandy Matney
He did not get any of that money. They settled for over $4 million against Alex Murdock's insurance company, and Alex took the money. Also, Tony was questioned because I had written an article that Tony had seen that had been his only awareness of the settlement existing. He had no idea. Alex kept telling him, hey, buddy, like, if we. We're not getting there, like, nothing's happening. Don't worry about it. I'll. I'll tell you about it when it's settled. And then he reads in the newspaper from my article, and so he starts asking Alex questions in the spring of 2021. Like, hey, like, I read that there's this, this $500,000 settlement, which is just a part of it. And what really gets me is that he could have just given them, like, $10,000 or, like, just a little part of it, and they would have been over the moon. Like, these were boys working really, really hard. Gloria's son got kick during this time because he couldn't afford to live there. Like, they were struggling so any ounce of money, but he was so incredibly greedy and so incredibly short sighted that he didn't give them a single dime. And so for the Supreme Court, it's
Interviewer / Podcast Host
so despicable, it's almost. It's unfathomable.
Mandy Matney
So for the Supreme Court, right, to say, like, that was way too much. You. We like hearing from that guy that was over the top. And it just feels like a slap in the face to the victims. It feels like they don't care about the. What it speaks to, the motive and what it. Like. Tony Satterfield is also, like, an example of, like, how despicable Alex Murdoch can be. He looked this. He looked this young man in the eyes who had just lost his mother and said, I got you. Don't worry. And then he stole from him.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
He stole from him.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Oh, no, we help people Customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together, we're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
Mandy Matney
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Anyways, get a quote@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
Mandy Matney
Liberty. Liberty.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Liberty.
Mandy Matney
Liberty.
Joseph Scott Morgan
If you're seeking to try to understand the forensic science behind these cases that we hear about in the news, body bags is where you need to turn. There's no fluff. We do a deep dive into the forensics. Listen to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan and start listening.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.
Mandy Matney
I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bed. Then there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Mandy Matney
This is Saigon, the story of my
Interviewer / Podcast Host
family and of the country that shaped us.
Joseph Scott Morgan
The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
From iheart Podcasts, Saigon.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman.
Mandy Matney
You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I like hearing you talk.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
This is for Vietnam.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire.
Mandy Matney
Do you read me?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
They're pouring patches all over him. He's holding matches.
Mandy Matney
I'm on a landmine. For freedom. Let's get out. Freedom. Call me at night.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Saigon. Starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.
Mandy Matney
Staying here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything.
Liberty Mutual Spokesperson
Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
How difficult is it, do you think, to seat an impartial jury now that this case has become so globally famous and people have such big feelings about it?
Mandy Matney
You know, it's. It's really. It's literally. First of all, it's impossible to seat a jury that is not aware of this case, at least a jury. I'm sorry, but, like, you have a sane mind in the state of South Carolina. You've heard of the Murdoch case and, like. And unless you're, like, real Weird. And living. And, like, do we want those people as jurors, like, living under a literal rock? No. So, like, people that have already built their opinions and had. Are aware of the case. There's. That's. I don't think we can go anywhere in the United States without that. Maybe even, like, a good portion of the world. That would be difficult. But can we get an impartial jury, a jury that's able to look at the facts and decide, again, if there's enough evidence to convict him of double homicide, which is what this case comes down to? I think that that's possible. I mean, but I also feel like nowadays that's something that we have to discuss with our jury system of, like, people have heard the true crime has evolved so much, are so much more involved in cases and know so much more. Do we really want jurors who have never heard of cases and. Right. And do that?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Don't we all have, you know, minds that are. That can process a lot of information and be influenced by, like, that's sort of the. You can't. You have to come to the table with some sort of, you know, opinions and moral groundwork for things. And it doesn't mean you can't be. You should be influenced by what happens. It's a. It's a confusing. I don't know. It feels very un, you know, imperfect
Mandy Matney
to say the least. Yeah. Right. And like. But I do think, like you said, and we need to think of, like, jurors do have the ability to think of their opinions separate from them. Separate their opinions from what they're seeing in court and the evidence and decide from that. And I also do think. Think that the jurors did do that in this case. I think that there was. I think that if the jury tampering that the Supreme Court is making out is. Is acting like happen existed. I think one of the jurors would have said something before Dick and Jim came knocking on their doors asking, you know, like, I think something would have came out before the book. I think that something would have come up if she was truly being this, like, out of control. We have to convict him.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Right. I mean, it also just seems so illogical that she could be in the courtroom. Like, don't listen to the evidence. I mean, it's just, like, ludicrous.
Mandy Matney
Right. And that they wouldn't. And I also, I feel bad for those jurors. Like, they. They gave up six weeks of their lives and came to a decision, and it's just kind of insult for Them. And for. I feel like Judge Newman did a really great job, and it's unfortunate that this is reversed and he's retired now, so he's not gonna come back. And so that's another thing that's gonna happen, and a new judge, and that's gonna make a. I think this time is gonna be very, very different.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah. So one of the things that you get into on your podcast is the fear that this could re. Traumatize everyone who's connected to the case all over again, again. And you've spent, obviously, years talking to people that are connected to this story. So do you feel that people in South Carolina are emotionally exhausted by this whole case?
Mandy Matney
Yeah, I. I do. I think that. I think that they take comfort in the fact that he's not getting out of prison for the next few decades because he should die in prison just for the financial crimes alone, right?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah, like, 90 make that clear that he isn't. He won't be release from prison because of this.
Mandy Matney
He's still. And that's a huge part to discuss with the process. He is, like, he has 27 years in state prison for his financial crimes and 40 years in federal prison for his federal financial crimes. So, like, that's a pretty solid. He's going to be behind bars forever. So I think they do take comfort in that. I do. But I also think, yeah, they're exhausted by it. And, yeah, most people. People think that he's guilty, so they're like, why are we doing.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Why are we doing this?
Mandy Matney
Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah, that's what I was just gonna ask.
Mandy Matney
Are we over this? Like, yeah, aren't we over this? And again, if this was a. If this was a situation, I would feel a whole lot differently about it if there was new evidence. Like, I also See datelines in 2020s of, like, people who do deserve to get a new trial because of various reasons and don't get it across the country, not just in South Carolina. But, I mean, I have no idea how many innocent people are in prison in our system. But as we were talking about, like, we know it's not perfect, and we know. I know that there's a lot more people that deserve another trial. Well, more so than Alex. Like, I. I've. I've seen cases where, like, DNA has basically exonerated a person and it still takes years for them to get a new trial.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah.
Mandy Matney
If they do,
Interviewer / Podcast Host
it's so upsetting to me. It's just really, really upsetting. So before we get into the contempt hearing that you are currently involved in, which also outrages me. One thing that, you know, we. That people forget is how quickly Alec, he started unraveling publicly after the murders. The. There were the financial theft allegations, the roadside shooting, the opioid addiction claims. So how much of this case do you think is really just about privilege and power protecting people? People for decades, all of it.
Mandy Matney
I mean, I think that it's really impossible to talk about this case in a responsible way that helps people understand what's going on without talking about power and privilege. It's. I mean, this man, his family was the law in South Carolina. And we can't, like, get past. We can't, like. I remember we covered stories on the Murder Rock Murders podcast of, like, his father. His father got him out of everything that he ever did. And he would. So many people would tell me, he would joke like, my daddy's the solicitor. I can do whatever I want. And like, my family is the law in South Carolina. Sorry for my bad accent. I'm not trying to insult Southern people, just Alex Murdock, by the way. But, like, yeah, I. It's when it. When you really look at this case and everything about it and why people are so fascinated by it, I think it's a man that was given so much power and privilege his entire life and believed that he could get away with anything, and he's still doing that. Like, I still think that he believes that he's going to wiggle his way out of all of this. Right.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
That he's quite literally above the law. Just.
Mandy Matney
Right. And. But. But the system has created that monster. It's not like it came out of nowhere. Yeah.
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Interviewer / Podcast Host
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Mandy Matney
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
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Mandy Matney
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Interviewer / Podcast Host
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Mandy Matney
Wave to earth the Pieces tour live across North America.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Get tickets now@live nation.com. Do you think that the, all this media attention ultimately happens helped to expose corruption in South Carolina or did it just create chaos around the trial?
Mandy Matney
I think it helped expose it. I think at the end of the day, I think that again, our prosecution did the best that they possibly could have done and what happened with Becky was not their fault at all. I think that they, because the eyes of the world were on them, they really, really cared to do a great job. And yeah, I mean, I think that it does help, but it's also really frustrating when you uncover corruption and you show everybody and then like people in California are outraged and people in Wisconsin are outraged and people in Italy are outraged. But it's still like, I need the people, the few people in power in this state to see it, you know, like. Right, it does help, but at the same time, it's, it gets so frustrating when we're all like, we see it. Don't you see it? It's so messed up. I mean, like, what do you, what have you heard with it? Like, what has your been like, as you have seen in the last week, the reaction to the case? What have you seen?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I mean, everyone is outraged. I mean, the amount of people that are sending me all the articles, like, did you see this? Did you see this? Could you believe it? You know? Yeah. I mean, everyone thinks that, that he's guilty and it's ridiculous. Like, that's what. That's generally what the, the feeling is. And then a fascination again, because here we go again. Here is yet one more tributary. And this whole thing that is just gonna, it just keeps. It's like it has more and more tentacles, this whole family. And I think anytime I went back and watched one of the documentaries and I was like, God, it's just, it's all right there. It's all right there. He basically says it in court on the stand, you know, that he's guilty. It's just like, it's kind of unreal. So, yes, that's a long winded way of saying everyone that I have ever spoken to about this thinks he's guilty.
Mandy Matney
Right. And like, it's funny because they say one thing to me, right? And like, what I see in con, I try to limit myself and not get too crazy with looking through Facebook comments. But it's the same thing when I. What I've seen, like, I think that overwhelmingly people see it and we all saw it in the trial. And like you said, like, during the trial, first of all, he testified, which is supposed to decrease your chances of getting an appeal. It's supposed to, like, when you testify, I mean, I'm probably saying it wrong for lawyers will probably correct me, but I remember my lawyer friends were saying at the time, like, basic, because when you, when you testify, like, you're rolling a big, big dice and you are, you're also convincing. Like, you're also giving a lot of wiggle room for the jury to say, I believe what he did. I believe he did it because of what you said, which is what hat, like a lot of them said. His testimony convinced me. His testimony in the kennel video because, because it all comes down to, like, he could not explain why he was there at the kennels right before they were murdered and then lied about it. And then lied about it. How.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I mean, yeah, I, I don't know.
Mandy Matney
How do you get past that? And like, it's, it's also, I guess that's reassuring for whatever happens with a new trial. If nothing about, if for some reason nothing about, like, the motive is allowed in. I mean, you still have that and that's pretty damning and hard to get past of. Like, why were you there? What do you know? Why did you lie about it?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
And also that there's no other evidence. They've never presented someone for some other reason.
Mandy Matney
Right. Another theory.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Right.
Mandy Matney
I mean, before trial it was a big question if they were going to blame. Blame like drug dealers or like the cartel, you know, that was a big rumor. Yeah. Blame the cartel. And I was kind of surprised that they didn't. They. They still have never offered anything like that because even that, like, makes it. And I'm not. I don't believe that. But, like, it makes a lot more sense than you have. This guy who was there right before they were murdered, and there's evidence showing that he's right there. And he claims that he, like, ran into his house and took a nap while they were. While his family was.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
And then, like, put the clothes out. There are so many weird details of the case that you're like, this makes no sense.
Mandy Matney
Right. Unless she was mother's house and at 9 o' clock at night, like, and was going 70 miles an hour on a country. Like, there was all these things that it was like, what. And drove past Maggie's phone. How do you drive past Maggie's phone? Like, we're gonna go down all of these stupid rabbit holes again. But it all, like. And I know that everybody. The biggest criticism that I've ever gotten is that I'm biased. And it's like, I, I've been very open to hearing other theories that make sense and seeing other evidence that would make sense.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Wait, isn't bias more defined by when you. You don't. It's like a. You. You have actual evidence and experience of research, which I feel like that's a different word. That's just. You're educated on the facts. Right.
Mandy Matney
An educated opinion. Right. Like, and I'm fine with telling people that, like, here's, here's everything that I've known about this guy. And like, I really believe that he did it. And I think that there's enough evidence to believe that. That for other. For another jury, again, to believe that he did it.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Will they be able to bring in the boat crash and Mallory Beach's death and all of that? Will they be allowed to bring that?
Mandy Matney
It's a financial part. Right. Like, it's a part of the financial pressure that he was facing. So I think that in circling back to your last question, probably we're going to have some hearings about what's going to be allowed in and what isn't before the trial. And I will be very interested because of the wording that the Supreme Court gave, how careful they're going to be with allowing anything. But, yeah, the boat crash was a huge part of it. There's just all of these crazy events going on in this man's life that led to the moment where I believe he killed his wife and son. And I will also say this. I just don't understand for the life of me how in other cases that we've seen, like, cheating is always an easy motive for people to believe, you know, like, oh, he was cheating or she was cheating, so of course she, he killed his wife. Right. Like, wanting a divorce is always an easy motive. And then you see in trials, like, them hammering that home of like, the husband being unfaithful or whatever, I, I just don't see how this is any different. It's a fact. Like jumping to the conclusion of murder and jumping to like, I'm gonna use murder to solve my problems should never be like, anything that makes anybody, that makes sense in anybody's brain ever. Like, I, I find it weird when people are like, it makes sense why he killed Maggie, but why did he kill his son Paul? I'm like, it does not make any sense.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
None of it makes sense.
Mandy Matney
No. Like, it never makes sense unless you're defending your life as like, in real time. Murder should never make sense. And like, this motive is complicated, but is it that far fetched?
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Well, he has like all of them. The. He was unfaithful to her exact financial problems and he had a drug addiction.
Mandy Matney
Right.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Sort of has all of the factors. So like, just pick. Or, you know, it's any and all of them.
Mandy Matney
Right.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
It's.
Mandy Matney
It's all of the factors. But it's just really funny, like, speaking to like, you, for instance, and people from other places besides South Carolina, because here it was such a big deal and it's hard. Like, do you remember another recent trial that's captured people's attention in the way that, oh, J1 has O.J.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
simpson.
Mandy Matney
Which is a very long time ago. Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Very long time ago. Yeah. Or Scott Peterson.
Mandy Matney
Scott Peterson was pretty big. Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
He's also trying to get a new trial. And I think they just said, bye, bye.
Mandy Matney
I think later. Yeah. On that they did. Which. Fine. But, yeah. I mean, there are very few trials that capture people's attention to this extent. And so the fact that everybody and I keep getting messages of like, how are you feeling? Because I don't want to go through this again.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Right, right. Everybody's like, looking to you. I guide us through, through this.
Mandy Matney
Yeah.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Help us, help us make it.
Mandy Matney
We're gonna be okay. I mean, I, I do feel like they can do the, they can get a guilty verdict. Again, it's. But it's, again, it's, it's a, it's all proving the point. It's all proving the point that our justice system is not fair. And it's definitely not fair in South Carolina. And he gets this system that everybody else doesn't. Mm.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Talking about not fair, that's a great segue into whatever you're comfortable talking about or allowed to. You have found yourself pulled into a legal drama yourself and I that is really tangentially related or quite directly related to the Murdoch murders and the entire case. I just want to say before I even talk about this, that I am so disgusted at the way that you have been treated publicly by people that are supposed to be upholding the law, by people that are, you know, should be exemplary in their moral, you know, behaviors. I just was like, my jaw is on the ground at some of the things that have been said to you. So what is going on exactly?
Mandy Matney
Well, thank you for that and I appreciate that. This could take hours, so I will be as short as possible. I could go on and on and on about all this craziness. But yes, I have unfortunately been been wrapped up in legal warfare for six months now with, of all people, Greg Parker and his attorneys who represented Alex Murdoch's co conspirators. So this legal warfare that involves the second beach case, so the Mallory beach case for just a recap of everybody. And when I started covering this case, this was like ground zero of everything. Thing was this lawsuit where Mark Tinsley, on behalf of the beach family, sued Alex Murdoch, Buster Murdoch, the Alex Murdoch's father, whose house they were at that night, another restaurant that they were at that night, and a gas station called Parker's Gas Station. And most everybody settled very quickly in the lawsuit, except for Greg Parker, Buster, and of course, Alex Murdock. And as we know, this lawsuit was a big pressure point for Alex Murdoch and his financial crisis that he was experiencing at the time that his and his father was dying. And all these other things were going on around the time of the murders. But he no longer had insurance. Insurance was not covering him on this massive lawsuit. And so this billionaire, Greg Parker, owns a gas station. And I always thought it was weird that, like his gas station sold. Sold the liquor or sold the alcohol to Paul Murdoch and Paul Murdoch's friends that night before she died, they were underage. And it was. It was pretty much point blank. Like, they did this. It was bad, right? And I always wrote it like that. Like, it's just weird. This guy isn't set up settling. Like, we all know why Alex Murdock isn't settling because he's got all this other crazy stuff. But why isn't this guy settling? So Greg Parker did not like me for a lot of reasons, for a lot of years. And he finally settled with the beach family for millions and millions of dollars in 2023. But during the course of his lawsuit, he won. He was sued again by the beach family for intentional infliction of emotional harm. Harm. And what Mark Tinsley accuses him of doing, which is so horrible, is basically pressuring the beach fan, making the beach family's lives more horrible, and pressuring them to sue, to drop the lawsuit against him. And one of those things, a. This is so horrible. But a. A fake wannabe journalist who was hired by Greg Parker to sort of shape the narrative in his favor, got a hold of these horrible photos of Mallory Beach's body and used them for a sizzle reel, for a document, to sell a documentary.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, my God.
Mandy Matney
Somehow, in the course of this crazy lawsuit, I. My name was brought up as, like, but what did Mandy do? And people start accusing me of having the pictures, of selling the pictures. I had nothing to it. Of being paid by Mark Tinsley to push his narrative. All of these crazy things that, like, did not happen. And there is no evidence completely contrary
Interviewer / Podcast Host
to any sort of way you have presented yourself since you have been in the public eye.
Mandy Matney
Thank you. Thank you. Right? It would be, like. It'd be the dumbest thing that I could possibly. Like, it is the. I stand for victims. I stand for people who are pushed around by the justice system. Like, I would never do that. I hate when journalists use their. Use their positions to do things to make grieving families worse. Like, and make. I take that very personal. Like, like you said, it's just. It's everything that I've ever been against that I was suddenly accused of. And I was like, what? So I got a subpoena to be deposed, and my lawyer stood up for my rights as a journalist to not be deposed. And, like, also just said, like, she has nothing to do with this. And then Liz was deposed as well. Liz sat in this deposition where they tormented her for hours and used this case basically to badger her, torment her, get information about our company and post it on the Internet. And they just done all these horrible things in the last few months. So now I don't even know how to, like, bring this to. Basically, I finally did a deposition. I. They. I also have have seen evidence of them collaborating with this man, who I believe is a stalker of mine. He posts about me obsessively all the time. This is Like, I could get into this for really forever, but, like, just all of these horrible and crazy things that made me feel unsafe about these people. And like you said, there should be some meeting about being an officer of the court, but there is not in South Carolina. Like, I do not trust these people whatsoever. And I believe that, Like, I believe that they want me to feel unsafe. I believe that they want me to be quiet because I also, I expose their clients. I expose Corey Fleming and Russell Lafitte and Liz, and I made them both look dumb. And they are, it feels like wanting revenge on that. So all of that is to say that they are using the court system now in an attempt to hold me in contempt. So I have kind of like a mini trial going on. God. And I, I, I laugh so I can't cry. And I know that they will use this for, like, they use everything, all my words against me in a long motion. So that's been a really fun. Like, every single thing that I say appears in a legal motion of, like, shame on her for saying that. But, yeah, I mean, I, this has just been so stressful and has all proven my point of, like, just how wrong the justice system is. This all could have been so, like, if these lawyers behaved in a way that was ethical and that made me feel safe, none of this would have happened. But, like, here we are. And I could possibly end up paying a billionaire's legal fees, which could be up to $500,000.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, my God. I can't.
Mandy Matney
Again.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
It's like, I don't even, I don't have the words. It's. It's all so unbelievable. Like, it just is. So. Even the things like that. I was reading and listening to Liz, the episode where she really broke down everything that had been going on with you, I was like, I can't. Like, I just, it's, it's unfathomable that this is happening. So I just really, like. And I, and I've read. I'm so happy that you have so many people, people that support you. And I don't know, I'm assuming you don't even know half of these people on the Internet that support you. And I just read some comments where they were like, please let us help you with those fees if you have. You know, I just. So there is something quite beautiful about that.
Mandy Matney
Right.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Connection with the public. I just, I'm, I, I, I'm, I'm sorry. And I, like, you have so much support and.
Mandy Matney
Well, thank you. And thank you for listening to me. Like, I I'm like, I don't want to bore people. This is an exhaustive, stupid. It's like, it's. And it's extremely complicated. They also accuse me constantly of like, doing all of this to get views on my podcast. And I'm like, it is so hard to explain to people what's going on. Like, people just want to hear about murder. Like, that's it. Right? They just want to hear about, like, back and forth legal drama that does not get anybody.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
They want to fatigue you so that you can actually talk about what's really so in. Because you are so outspoken about victims rights through all your reporting. What concerns you most right now? For Maggie and Paul's surviving family members,
Mandy Matney
it's again, it's just a lot of trauma that they have to deal with. Again, a lot of. And some of them do believe that Alex did not do it, which that's their right to believe that. But I mean, this is just a lot of reliving trauma trial is a very, very horrific, grueling experience for anybody, but especially a victim. And that has been one thing that I have noticed and come to terms with with all of my legal stuff is like, I didn't lose a loved one and I'm not fighting for it. Like, there's a lot people, people fight the legal system and have a lot more to lose and a lot more on the line. And I'm thankful that it's, it's money that I have to worry about. But like, I, it, it is, I, I, I have experienced in a way, like how exhaust it. It's all exhausting. It's all stressful. It's exhausting. And you have to put people through so much. And people that just wanted, like, people want to move on, wanted to move on with their lives. Like most people involved in this wanted to move on to the next thing and not be stuck in this. Like, maybe Becky Hill probably wanted to talk about him forever. Not anymore.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Save Becky.
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Everyone.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Everyone else was pretty done.
Mandy Matney
Yeah, we're like, we're, we're done. And it, I just, I feel horrible for like Blanca, the housekeeper who had testified, like, she has to relive all of this again. There's just a lot of really key witnesses that I'm sure that was probably the, one of the scariest things that they've ever done at the, their life of standing up and testifying against Alex Murdoch and then to have to do it again. I really feel for all those people.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah, I do too. I do too. Oh, man. Well, I mean, I. I wish I was saying I'm. Next time we'll talk about something else, but maybe. Maybe that won't be the case.
Mandy Matney
Yeah. I'll have me on whenever. I love talking to you. So whenever I feel like some of that was like, oh, this is like a therapy session. Let me get this out. Oh, good. Oh, good, good, good, good. But, yeah, I mean, it's. It's a Never ending. We're like, O.J. ended.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I mean, it took a lot. Then he wrote his book. If I Did it. I mean, good God.
Mandy Matney
And he just wouldn't go away.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
He just wouldn't go away until he actually died.
Mandy Matney
Right. He even commented on this case.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yeah.
Mandy Matney
He thought. He thought. Alex Murdock.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Oh, good.
Mandy Matney
He even didn't believe. Even.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Even O.J. thinks you're guilty.
Mandy Matney
Right. Trouble. Right. Exactly.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
So that guy thinks you did it.
Mandy Matney
You.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
You. You definitely did it.
Mandy Matney
Right. Yeah. I just loved how he chimed in. That was just such a. I was like. That was one of my moments where I was like, oh, God. Like, everybody's watching this. Like, oh, God, this is.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
OJ Is coming. What is happening?
Mandy Matney
But, yeah, I mean, we. I always believe, like, gotta be positive and see the positive. And I think that a thing that I will walk away from is like, yeah, that's. The discussion right now is like, what in the world is happening in South Carolina that this has to happen again? And what is wrong with their justice system there? And I'm glad that people are having those conversations.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
I am, too. Mandy, it is always such a pleasure to speak with you, and I continue to be in awe of the work that you do, and I just. I think you're a rock star. So keep going. And thank you so much for talking with us today. Thank you so much, and good luck with your case.
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Mandy Matney
I'll keep you updated.
Interviewer / Podcast Host
Yes, please. Please do.
Mandy Matney
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Release Date: May 21, 2026
Host: Alisa Donovan
Featured Guest: Mandy Matney (Investigative Journalist, Host of True Sunlight)
This episode of Killer Thriller tackles the bombshell development in the Alec Murdaugh murder saga: the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned his murder conviction due to "shocking jury interference" by Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill. Journalist and podcaster Mandy Matney returns to discuss the legal chaos, personal frustrations, and broader implications for justice, fairness, and power in South Carolina. Mandy also opens up about her entanglement in ongoing legal harassment tangentially related to the case.
“Was I angry though? Yes. Reality hitting me that this story … nothing is ever over.” – Mandy Matney [04:11]
"Becky is part of a system where everybody is so used to bending the rules and getting away with it." – Mandy Matney [10:30]
“He should die in prison just for the financial crimes alone, right?” – Mandy Matney [33:14]
“It’s not like every black person ... or poor white person would get the same outcome. Alex Murdoch is somebody with a lot of power and a lot of sway.” – Mandy Matney [17:33]
“It’s literally… impossible to seat a jury that is not aware of this case.” – Mandy Matney [29:08]
“People want to move on ... most people involved in this wanted to move on to the next thing and not be stuck in this.” – Mandy Matney [60:04]
“I stand for victims ... and I was suddenly accused of everything I’ve ever been against.” – Mandy Matney [55:09]
“His family was the law in South Carolina ... he could get away with anything and he’s still doing that.” – Mandy Matney [35:38]
“They use very strong language … ‘shocking jury interference’ … ‘placed her fingers on the scale of justice.’” – Host [07:37]
“All along on the [podcast] we’ve said two systems of justice … it was shocking to us he was convicted to begin with just because of our system and the way that it is.” – Mandy Matney [14:44]
“It’s really impossible to talk about this case in a responsible way … without talking about power and privilege.” – Mandy Matney [35:38]
“I’ve seen cases where DNA has basically exonerated a person and it still takes years for them to get a new trial ... I know that there’s a lot more people that deserve another trial well more than Alex.” – Mandy Matney [34:52]
Candid, exasperated, and at times darkly humorous—especially regarding the seemingly never-ending nature of the Murdaugh saga. Mandy Matney is resolute and passionate about journalistic integrity and the rights of victims, but visibly worn down and outraged by the legal and personal toll the saga has taken on her and the broader community.
This episode gives rare, behind-the-scenes perspective from the journalist who’s covered the Murdaugh saga closest and most persistently. Mandy Matney and host Alisa Donovan lay bare the emotional, legal, and ethical fatigue that has consumed everyone involved. They probe not just the what, but the so what—why this story won’t fade, and how it confronts not only South Carolina but America’s uneasy relationship with justice, power, and the media.
Note: This summary skips all intro, outro, and advertisement sections as per instructions.