murder

Authorities say a woman killed while looking out the window of her South Carolina home was intentionally shot by a neighbor shooting at targets in his yard. Prosecutors upgraded the charge against 30-year-old Nicholas Lucas to murder on Monday. Investigators say crime scene technicians determined the fatal bullet could not have richocheted off a satellite dish being used as a target and then hit 42-year-old Kesha Tate. Authorities say the woman was killed Saturday in her Gaffney home by a bullet to the chest that showed no signs of richocheting.

A South Carolina judge has sided with prosecutors who asked him to put strict controls on how Alex Murdaugh's defense can review evidence before the disgraced lawyer's murder trial in the deaths of his wife and son. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman sided with prosecutors and their desire for the rules to make sure evidence isn't released until Murdaugh's January trial for the 2021 shootings of his wife and son. Murdaugh's lawyers say the rules will prevent them from properly reviewing evidence and prosecutors have already been leaking it.

A showdown between defense attorneys for disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh who say prosecutors are unfairly withholding evidence and those prosecutors who want the defense to agree to secrecy rules first is heading for a courtroom next week. In their latest court filing, defense lawyers said the secrecy rules as Murdaugh awaits a murder trial in the shooting deaths of his wife and younger son are hypocritical. The defense says prosecutors are leaking evidence to media outlets, including a video the leaker said was taken not long before the killings. Prosecutors, including South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson himself, denied the leaks. A hearing about the matter is scheduled for Monday at the Colleton County courthouse.

Attorneys for disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh say prosecutors are taking too much time to share their evidence that the disbarred attorney killed his wife and son. It's a technical legal dispute that takes place in plenty of trials, but because of all the public attention on Murdaugh's case, attorney Dick Harpootlian called a news conference Wednesday that drew a dozen cameras. Harpootlian says prosecutors want a "trial by ambush." Prosecutors say it is a manufactured drama that is just part of what defense lawyers always do. The dispute is going before a judge.

Police say an investigation into two brothers for a killing in South Carolina led to videos of them and others beating up at least five people at homeless camps in Greenville. Greenville County deputies released parts of the videos Thursday showing several men repeatedly punching and kicking at least three different people inside tents or outside. Deputies say they are still investigating and there may be more victims.

The mounting indictments and police investigations surrounding Alex Murdaugh have led to widespread interest in the yearlong saga that has unfolded since his wife and son were found shot to death on their property. The disgraced South Carolina lawyer faces more than 70 indictments, including allegations of fraud, a drug ring, a staged attempt on his life and more than $8 million stolen. He was charged with murder in the deaths of his wife and son Thursday. Longtime friends and associates have been roped into the charges as well. This timeline lays out the events in the cases against Murdaugh.

The downfall of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh can be traced through people whose lives crossed his. There was his wife, found dead along with their youngest son in June 2021. That led to a half-dozen investigations into his finances. There is the 19-year-old woman killed in a boating crash. Prosecutors say Murdaugh's slain son was drunk and drove the boat into a bridge pier. A wrongful death lawsuit by the teen's family threatened to expose Murdaugh's schemes to steal money from his law firm and clients. There also was the Murdaugh housekeeper, who died in a fall, and the one-time client who prosecutors say ran a drug and money laundering scheme with the disbarred attorney.

A man charged with killing two South Carolina sisters 12 years ago but who disappeared out of the legal system after he was found incompetent to stand trial has been arrested in Colorado. An attorney for the sisters' family, Lori Murray, says 43-year-Joseph Brand was taken into custody Thursday. A South Carolina sheriff's statement confirmed the arrest, saying Brand was taken into custody in Pueblo, Colorado. Court records show Brand was found incompetent to stand trial on two murder charges in 2012 and sent off to a state hospital for treatment. If his mental condition improved, he was supposed to return to jail and await trial. Instead, Brand showed up free in Kingstree some months ago.

A man who shot and killed three people in a South Carolina home and then used their smartphones to send himself money for a plane ticket has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Jeffery Powell pleaded guilty Friday. Prosecutors say Powell killed his aunt's husband, a cousin and his cousin's daughter in their Greenwood home last August. Investigators say he also shot and wounded an 8-year-old boy who hid in a bathroom with his dead sister for several hours before going to a neighbor's home to look for help. The 37-year-old Powell sobbed as he apologized in court for the killings.

Authorities say an autopsy found unusually severe brain disease in the frontal lobe of the former NFL player accused of fatally shooting six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina before killing himself in April. The family of Phillip Adams agreed to have their son's brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The degenerative disease is linked to head trauma and concussions, and can cause symptoms including violent mood swings and memory loss. CTE expert Dr. Ann McKee says the 20 years Adams spent playing football definitely gave rise to his diagnosis. The victims' family said the autopsy results provide them with some comfort in the midst of their crushing heartbreak.