Stay ConnectedThe Week In Review is South Carolina’s most indispensable news program — hosted by the independent media outlet that exposed the Alex Murdaugh crime and corruption dynasty. Each week, we break down the most impactful stories published to our website, FITSNews.com.
New episodes drop every Saturday at 9 a.m. EST.
Copyright: © 2023 FITSNews Week in Review
It was another busy week at FITSNews as our intrepid researcher Jenn Wood paid a visit to our South Carolina headquarters. Jenn’s ability to effortlessly assemble and piece together information rivals that of Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds – and you’ll see the fruits of her latest visit in the coming weeks as the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga approaches a point of critical mass.
While Jenn was busy scouring public indexes and doing deep dives on property records and corporate filings, our founding editor Will Folks dropped a bombshell in the ongoing Bowen Turner saga – questioning whether two of the three sexual assault cases against the accused teen rapist were improperly assigned to the office of S.C. second circuit solicitor Bill Weeks.
This report was met almost immediately with a broadside from S.C. first circuit solicitor David Pascoe – the prosecutor who assigned the cases to Weeks. According to Pascoe, he had “no doubt” the office of Alan Wilson was behind the story – and accusing the attorney general of “irresponsibly” playing politics in order to get a “sensational headline.”
Will had a far more positive and productive conversation with S.C. senator Katrina Shealy about possible legislative solutions to improve the state’s badly broken “justice system.” FITSNews will continue to work with Shealy and any other members of the legislature to enact much needed reforms aimed at preventing miscarriages of justice
Will and Jenn also attended a press conference at the attorney general’s office announcing a major drug bust. According to Wilson and his law enforcement/ prosecutorial partners, the La Familia cartel used a Greenville S.C. Mexican restaurant – and its fleet of food trucks – to traffic drugs throughout the Upstate.
Talk about a memorable “Taco Tuesday …”
Incidentally, Will and Jenn used approximately half a tank of gas getting to and from the press conference – which based on current prices means this news outlet is on the verge of bankruptcy.
But seriously – gas is expensive right now. And on this week’s show Will walked us through how Palmetto State leaders are not helping the situation.
We cap the episode off with an update on the Brittanee Drexel case. Drexel’s loved ones finally have answers. Raymond Douglas Moody, 62, of Georgetown, S.C. has been charged with murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct in the first degree in connection with the case.
The saga of Bowen Turner dominated headlines this week as the accused teen rapist from Orangeburg, South Carolina was arrested (again) – and as victims and their families used his case to push for long-overdue reform of the Palmetto State’s badly broken “justice” system.
The victims’ rights rally at the S.C. State House was a shot across the bow of the status quo … with state lawmakers suddenly feeling sustained pressure to put a stop to their notoriously corrupt method of screening and electing judges.
Stay tuned for much more on this reform push in the weeks to come …
In other news, there are major developments in the cold case of Brittanee Drexel, a New York teen who vanished without a trace from Myrtle Beach, S.C. on April 25, 2009. Earlier this month, 62-year-old Raymond Douglas Moody of Georgetown was arrested on an obstruction of justice charge. Moody was named as a “person of interest” in connection with the Drexel disappearance more than a decade ago.
A press conference has been scheduled for this coming Monday (May 16, 2022) at which authorities in Georgetown County are expected to provide an update more than thirteen years in the making.
In the latest ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption news, a South Carolina circuit court judge rejected efforts by lawyers for Alex Murdaugh to restore control of the disgraced attorney’s finances to him and his family. Since November, Murdaugh’s assets have been controlled by a pair of court-appointed receivers in an effort to prevent him from disposing of funds allegedly stolen from multiple victims.
As I noted in the video above, though, we are expecting much bigger Murdaugh-related news very soon …
The ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga marched on this week with new indictments handed down in connection with the financial crimes component of the investigation. Indictments were issued against the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank, Russell Laffitte – the first time he has been criminally charged – while additional indictments were handed down against alleged co-conspirator Cory Fleming and Alex Murdaugh himself.
The civil side of the the case also continued via a contentious court hearing in Lexington County. The court appointed receivers in the matter — attorneys John T. Lay and Peter McCoy – argued in front of S.C. circuit court judge Daniel Hall as to why they should be allowed to continue controlling Murdaugh’s assets prior to the resolution of the pending litigation.
Murdaugh’s attorneys — including “bulldogs” Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin — have been “pulling out all the stops to regain full control of Alex’s finances.”
We reported a lot of drug news this week, too, managing to piss off both the left and the right in doing so …
SHOW NOTES …
MURDAUGH MURDERS
State Grand Jury Indicts Former Bank CEO Russell Laffitte. More Charges for Murdaugh and Fleming
Judge Sets Bond At $1 Million For Alleged Murdaugh Co-Conspirator Russell Laffitte
‘Murdaugh Murders’ Civil Case: Battle Over Alex Murdaugh’s Assets Rages On
DRUGS
South Carolina Democrats: ‘Cocaine Is A Helluva Drug’
South Carolina House ‘Republicans’ Kill Medical Marijuana Bill With Procedural Gimmick
MURRELL SMITH ABORTION
Murrell Smith: Abortion Case Comes Back To Haunt South Carolina’s New Legislative Leader
*****
It was a big week for news in South Carolina as Mandy Matney, Liz Farrell and Will Folks broke a trio of big exclusives related to the still-unraveling ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga.
Will and Liz discussed all of these new developments in depth in our increasingly popular ‘Week in Review’ segment … which recaps the big stories we broke (or covered) over the previous seven days.
We also took a closer look at the latest developments in the still-unfolding Bowen Turner saga – with Farrell and Folks offering their takes on where that story could be headed. Also, I am continuing to work on our documentary of the Bowen Turner saga as a case study in South Carolina’s “injustice system.”
Finally, there’s a new sheriff in the South Carolina House of Representatives – but unlike the “Queen’s coronation” coverage provided by the Palmetto State’ mainstream media, Will came loaded for bear when it comes to assessing his potential impact on a host of important outcomes in the Palmetto State.
Here are the show notes and don’t forget you can now access the show on Apple and Spotify …
*****
SHOW NOTES
MURDAUGH MURDERS
High-Velocity Impact Spatter Directly Ties Alex Murdaugh To Double Homicide, Sources Say
Maggie Murdaugh Was ‘Lured’ To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder, Sources Say
Murdaugh Murders: Grand Jury Was Probing Alex Murdaugh’s Finances Prior To Moselle Homicides
What Can Blood Spatter Tell Us? Forensic Expert Explains
Alex Murdaugh Paid $110K For A Funeral Home In 2020? That Seems … Unusual
BOWEN TURNER NOT OFF THE HOOK YET?
Bowen Turner Saga: It’s Not Over
Bowen Turner Case: Family Of Dallas Stoller Launches Petition
Solicitor Seeks Sanctions For Bowen Turner’s Numerous And Flagrant Violations
STATE HOUSE SHAKE UP
South Carolina House: The Dominos Are About To Fall
South Carolina State House: Meet The New Boss
*****
Once again, please do not hesitate to share your comments and criticisms (constructive or otherwise). Each one of them helps us improve the product we are cranking out.
To share your feedback, email me (dylan@fitsnews) or tweet to me (@DNolan2000).
It was another busy week at FITSNews. And while there was plenty of news, not much of it was new – our crony-capitalist governor saw his Carolina Panthers deal go up in flames and a suspect in the Columbiana Mall mass-shooting was granted bond.
Sound familiar?
The Palmetto State is no stranger to crony capitalism and judicial leniency. Liz Farrell highlighted South Carolina’s ongoing ‘injustice’ crisis this week with a deep dive on S.C. circuit court judge Markley Dennis and second circuit prosecutor David Miller. Dennis and Miller are central figures in the Bowen Turner case – which has drawn national attention as a case study in hiring lawyer-legislators in order to receive preferential treatment in Palmetto State courtrooms.
In political news, we’d like to announce that FITSNews will be selling pay-per-view tickets for the remainder of the first congressional district race …
Okay, not really – but we will continue covering the battle between incumbent Nancy Mace and Katie Arrington – who has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump – as they duke it out for the GOP nomination for this seat.
Earlier this week, attendees at a Republican women’s event in Southern Beaufort County heckled Mace – chiding her over comments she made criticizing Trump for allegedly inciting the riots at the U.S. Capitol last January.
Next month, our news outlet will be traveling to Beaufort County to cover a debate between Mace and Arrington that we expect will prompt similar fireworks.
Will and Dylan closed the show out with a discussion of his latest piece (a tome) on Critical Race Theory. We also discussed Will’s possible return to Twitter if Elon Musk is successful in his bid for the firm.
It was another tremendously busy week at FITSNews, which made for yet another jam-packed edition of our increasingly popular ‘Week in Review’ segment.
We kicked off this week with more coverage of the still-unfolding Bowen Turner saga, which has sparked a national uproar and additional attention on South Carolina’s “Injustice” system.
Stay tuned for much more on the Turner story in the coming days, as our director of special projects Dylan Nolan and I work on a mini-documentary related to this flagrant miscarriage of justice.
https://www.fitsnews.com/
On this week’s episode, our brilliant researcher Jennifer Wood emerged from the Louisiana bayou to grace the Columbia crew with the latest Murdaugh malfeasance, while Morgan Kiser shared with our views the harrowing tale of her family’s experience in a boat crash caused by a drunk boater.
In the week’s big news, Will took a shot at S.C. fourteenth circuit solicitor Duffie Stone over his blatant conflicts of interest and inappropriate involvement in the Murdaugh Murders investigation.
That criticism came on the heels of a joint press release from Stone and the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) targeting “some media outlets” for publishing “unfounded and ill-informed speculation” related to his involvement in the case.
In this week’s expansive show, Will waxed extensively on core functions of government in the aftermath of a recent knife attack at a South Carolina courthouse. He also covered congressional candidate Katie Arrington being accused of satanism and attempted vehicular homicide (yes, you read that right) and threw a few well-chosen jabs at the University of South Carolina’s incompetent trustees in the aftermath of the latest athletic department dumpster fire.
An interesting update in the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga is also included in this week’s episode … although Will did his best to scare off some of our “mainstream” subscribers with common sense hot takes on two of the hottest hot-button social issues currently facing our nation (trans athletics and critical race theory).
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
