Alex Murdaugh moved to 8-by-10 cell in protective custody unit, South Carolina prison official says

Alex Murdaugh has been moved to a statewide protective custody unit of a South Carolina maximum-security prison, a state Department of Corrections spokesperson showed to CBS News on Saturday.

Murdaugh, 54, was once sentenced to existence in prison for the 2021 murders of his spouse Maggie Murdaugh, and his son, Paul Murdaugh. Murdaugh denied any involvement in the murders at his sentencing all the way through an ordeal that riveted the country.

His new house — which he moved to on Friday — is composed of an 8-by-10-foot cell with a mattress, rest room and sink, stated Chrysti Shain, the corrections division spokesperson. 

There are 28 different inmates in his unit, Shain stated, and come with “former law enforcement” or “corrections officers,” folks that want an “extra layer of security.” 

Murdaugh’s unit is separated from the overall inhabitants, an very important safety measure to stay him protected from different inmates. 

Notorious inmates can also be in peril in the event that they combine with the overall inhabitants. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was once overwhelmed to dying via a fellow inmate in 1994, whilst mob gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was once overwhelmed to dying via fellow inmates in 2022.

Although prisoners moved into protective custody are protected from the overall inhabitants, they are able to nonetheless be killed. Pedophile John Geoghan, who molested masses of minors as a Roman Catholic priest, was once killed via any other inmate in 2003 whilst in protective custody. 

The prison location the place Murdaugh is serving his sentence is probably not launched for protection causes, stated the corrections division.

He was once positioned in protective custody after the state’s four-member evaluate board met on Thursday, the corrections division stated. The board, which contains safety, psychological well being, and classification professionals, critiques an inmate’s classification once a year, Shain stated. 

Murdaugh will keep in the protective custody unit for the yr. Administrators will then assess whether or not to transfer him into the overall inhabitants, or stay him in the protective custody unit, Shain stated.