A South Carolina man accused of aiding lawyer Alex Murdaugh with a failed suicide ploy to gather a $10 million life insurance coverage coverage was arrested again, authorities mentioned.
Curtis Edwards Smith, 61, was taken into custody Friday, in accordance with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The prices embrace 4 counts of cash laundering, three counts of forgery, and felony conspiracy, NBC affiliate WCBD-TV of Charleston reported. It’s unclear if the brand new prices are linked to the Murdaugh case.
Smith was beforehand arrested in September after investigators mentioned Murdaugh gave him a gun and directed Smith to kill him. Smith was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a excessive aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance coverage fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance coverage fraud, and drug offenses.
According to paperwork, Murdaugh allegedly admitted to legislation enforcement that the plan was for Smith to kill him in order that Murdaugh’s son may gather a life insurance coverage coverage value about $10 million. The Associated Press reported that Murdaugh had been Smith’s lawyer in a 2013 dashing case.
Murdaugh survived the Sept. 4 capturing, which occurred months after the unsolved killings of his spouse, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and his different son, Paul. The pair was discovered lifeless on the household’s residence in rural Islandton, South Carolina, about 65 miles west of Charleston.
Alex Murdaugh reported the deaths to 911, telling a dispatcher that he had returned residence and located his spouse and son on the bottom and never respiratory. Their deaths had been dominated a double murder.
Richard Harpootlian, an lawyer for Murdaugh, mentioned his shopper had nothing to do with the murders. Murdaugh has by no means been charged in the deaths.
Harpootlian beforehand mentioned on NBC’s “TODAY” present that Murdaugh grew to become depressed after the deaths and began utilizing opioids. The lawyer mentioned Murdaugh believed there was a suicide clause in his insurance coverage coverage and enlisted a person to kill him throughout a “fake car breakdown.”
The ploy was an “attempt on his part to do something to protect his child,” Harpootlian mentioned. In a written assertion, Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, one other lawyer for Murdaugh, mentioned their shopper “believed that ending his life was his only option” however now “knows that’s not true.”
If you or somebody you realize is in disaster, name the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, textual content HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for extra sources.
