Celebrity

Murdaugh’s Fall From Grace Ends In Life Sentence For Murder

Published

1 year ago

2023-03-03

SC, WALTERBORO — Alex Murdaugh was a well-known lawyer in a rural area of South Carolina. On Friday, he was given a life sentence for killing his wife and son at their large estate. This was the end of a legal family that had served the community for decades.

Even though Murdaugh played college football, was a high-powered attorney, and had a good name, the judge reminded him that he had to take the portrait of the defendant’s grandfather down from its place of honor in the courtroom to make sure the trial was fair. This was in the peaceful Lowcountry, which Murdaugh’s family had dominated since the days of Jim Crow.

Murdaugh maintained his innocence throughout the sentencing process and his six-week trial. But Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman was curious whether he had nightmares about the mutilated bodies of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh or how he had shamed his family’s three-generation reputation for justice by cheating, stealing, and ultimately killing.

You have my utmost respect, as I have said before. However, I have done everything correctly. “I would never harm my wife Maggie or my son Paul-Paul,” Murdaugh said.

It could have been someone else and not you. There’s always the possibility that it was the monster you’ve become,” Newman suggested.

Murdaugh stood before the judge in the same Colleton County courtroom.

Murdaugh stood before the judge in the same Colleton County courtroom where his family has been elected prosecutors for over 80 years. A century ago, Murdaugh’s ancestors established the most influential law firm in adjacent Hampton County. For decades, virtually everyone who went before a judge had a Murdaugh either at their back or staring them down, regardless of where they stood about the law.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters noted a daily stare.

I met his gaze directly. He always gave me the cold, hard eye whenever he passed me by during this ordeal. And when Alex Murdaugh looked at me, I saw the genuine article,” Waters said.

Even though prosecutors chose not to pursue capital punishment, Newman still imposed the maximum sentence of two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

“Over the past century, your family — including you — have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom, and many have received the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct,” the judge said.

Waters stated that none of Murdaugh’s family members or his wife’s parents and relatives wished to speak on behalf of the prosecution before sentencing. Murdaugh was always supported in court by his family, including his brother and remaining son.

They became more convinced he did not do it after six weeks of trial. “They are completely on his side,” said defense attorney Jim Griffin after the hearing.

Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his son, 22, and his wife, 52,

Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his son, 22, with two shots from a shotgun, and his wife, 52, with four or five shots from a rifle after the jury deliberated for less than three hours on Thursday.

Craig Moyer, a juror, told ABC News that the jury polled itself right after deliberations began and that the result was nine guilty verdicts. The other three were quickly persuaded.

The juror believed the prosecution’s contention that the most important evidence was a video that had been stored on his son’s phone for an entire year and which had been shot just minutes before the murders at the same kennels near where the bodies would be found.

All three Murdaughs are audible on the video, but Alex Murdaugh insisted for 20 months that he hadn’t been at the kennels that night. On the stand, he admitted to investigators that he had lied to them about his whereabouts at the kennels, claiming that he was paranoid about law enforcement because of his opioid addiction and had pills in his pocket the night of the killings.

“A skillful liar. But,” Moyer said, “it’s not good enough.

And what about all the weeping Murdaugh did, allegedly even while testifying? As far as we know, Moyer did not purchase them.

It was “all he did was blow snot,” Moyer said. There will be no tears shed. His eyes met mine. I was practically touching him.

The courtroom was once again jammed for the hearing on Friday. The intertwining of high-stakes politics, finance, and high-class privilege in the Murdaugh case has made it a global phenomenon among true crime fans.

The prosecution had no hard evidence, such as confessions or blood spatter

After spending the night crafting a sign reading “Murderer,” Tracy Kinsinger showed up at the courthouse carrying it.

Truthfully, “he disgraced himself, his family, the community, and his profession,” Kinsinger said. That’s a fancy way of saying, “it’s shameful.”

Murdaugh was escorted into the courthouse with his head lowered so he didn’t see the sign.

The prosecution had no hard evidence, such as confessions or blood spatter, that could link the defendant to the Murdaugh killings. Despite this, they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including the video that placed Murdaugh at the scene of the killings just five minutes before his wife and son stopped using their cell phones permanently.

More than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence were presented to the jury, including accounts of Murdaugh’s betrayal of friends and clients as well as his failed attempt to stage his death in an insurance fraud scheme, as well as details about a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died after falling in the Murdaugh home, and the scene of the murders.

The disbarred lawyer admitted to stealing millions from the family business and clients, claiming he needed the money to support his drug habit. Murdaugh had already been awaiting trial on roughly a hundred other charges, including insurance fraud and tax evasion, when he was arrested for murder.

Lawyers for Murdaugh’s defense have already announced their intention to appeal because the judge decided to admit evidence of crimes for which their client has not been convicted.

They portrayed Alex as a horrible person. “And that’s why they offered it,” Griffin explained.

After sentencing, Murdaugh was returned to the Colleton County jail to gather his belongings before being transferred to an evaluation center in Columbia. Like all new inmates receiving life sentences, he will be transferred to a maximum security state prison within the next month or so.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Madonna’s Biggest-Ever Concert Transforms Rio’s Copacabana Beach Into A Massive Dance Floor

Published

19 mins ago

2024-05-05

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

Rio de Janeiro – Madonna performed a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, transforming Rio de Janeiro’s long stretch of sand into a gigantic dance floor packed with her followers.

It was the final performance of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which began in October in London.

The “Queen of Pop” opened the event with her 1998 song, “Nothing Matters.” Huge cheers erupted from the humming, dense crowd against the barriers. Others had house parties in brightly lit flats and hotels overlooking the ocean. Helicopters and drones hovered overhead as motorboats and sailboats anchored off the beach crowded the bay.

AP – VOR News Image

Madonna’s Biggest-Ever Concert Transforms Rio’s Copacabana Beach Into A Massive Dance Floor

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, addressed the audience. She pointed out the ocean view, the mountains, and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, “This place is magic.”

Madonna performed her iconic classics, such as “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the opening to “Like A Prayer,” her head was entirely covered in a black cape, and she held a rosary in her hands.

The diva paid an emotional homage to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS while singing “Live to Tell,” with black and white photographs of those who perished from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian musicians Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days preparing for the performance.

According to G1, an estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, which Rio City Hall’s tourism department organized. This is more than ten times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna’s official website promoted the event as the largest of her four-decade career.

In recent days, the excitement was evident. Fans gathered outside the grand, beachside Copacabana Palace hotel, where Madonna is staying, hoping to glimpse the music icon. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the beach.

By lunchtime Saturday, people had gathered in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a banner that read, “Welcome Madonna, you are the best. I love you.”

Flags with “Madonna” printed over a background of Copacabana’s famous black and white waved sidewalk pattern were strung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concertgoers dressed in themed T-shirts, sweating beneath the hot heat.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, wearing a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

AP – VOR News Image

Madonna’s Biggest-Ever Concert Transforms Rio’s Copacabana Beach Into A Massive Dance Floor

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives nearby.

Eighteen sound towers were positioned around the beach to ensure all attendees could hear the music. Her two-hour presentation began at 10:37 p.m. local time, about 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall issued a report in April indicating that the event would contribute 293 million reals ($57 million) to the local economy. The Hotel Association of Rio predicted that hotel capacity in Copacabana will reach 98%. According to the platform, fans across Brazil, Argentina, and France booked Airbnb for the weekend. According to a City Hall statement, Rio’s international airport expected 170 flights from 27 locations between May 1 and May 6.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil’s Ceara state, almost 2,500 kilometers (1,555 miles) from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” ran Heineken advertisements all across the city, the words above an image of an upturned bottle cap simulating a crown.

Heineken was one of many firms hoping to profit from the frenzy. Bars and restaurants made “Like a Virgin” cocktails. A downtown boutique famous for selling Carnival garb has entirely remade itself, loading its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs, and lingerie.

According to local authorities, the mega-event was organized similarly to New Year’s Eve, when millions of people congregate on Copacabana for a fireworks display. That yearly festival is notorious for numerous thefts and muggings, and there were concerns that Madonna’s appearance would be no exception.

Rio’s security strategy comprised 3,200 military men and 1,500 civilian police officers on standby. In the run-up to the event, Brazil’s navy inspected yachts that wanted to position themselves offshore to see the performance.

AP – VOR News Image

Madonna’s Biggest-Ever Concert Transforms Rio’s Copacabana Beach Into A Massive Dance Floor

Several massive concerts have previously taken place on Copacabana beach, including Rod Stewart’s 1994 New Year’s Eve show, which drew more than 4 million people and was the largest free rock concert in history, according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to witness Rio’s fireworks spectacular, so a more fitting comparison could be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, when 1.2 million people flocked to the sand, according to Rio’s military police, the daily Folha de Sao Paulo said at the time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who attended Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna had left an indelible mark over the years.

“Madonna had to sprint so that modern pop musicians could walk. That’s why she’s significant, since she acts as an influence to today’s pop divas,” Soares explained.

“And that was forty years ago, not in 40 days, but in 40 months. “It’s been 40 years,” she said.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Kevin Spacey Denies “New Allegations” of Inappropriate Behavior

Published

21 hours ago

2024-05-04

Geoff Thomas

Kevin Spacey said he has struggled to get back to work: Getty Images

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has denied new allegations of inappropriate behavior from men in a British television documentary airing next week. After his acquittal last year in a London court, Spacey told journalist Dan Wootton online that he had hard to return to work.

in the interview “Kevin Spacey: Right Of Reply” that aired late Friday on Wootton’s YouTube channel.

Four men accused Spacey of sexual assault 20 years ago, but a London jury acquitted him in July. The court victory was his second since defeating “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp’s $40 million New York case in 2022.

Channel 4 in Britain and Max in the U.S. will carry the documentary “Spacey Unmasked” on May 6 and 7.

The actor indicated in an interview that the documentary will contain men’s 1976–2013 testimony.

Spacey, who won Oscars for “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty,” stated, “I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about

“Never have I said that if someone gives me sexual favors, I will help them with their career,” he told AP.

Old Vic Theatre in London: Getty Images

Kevin Spacey, who was creative director of the Old Vic Theatre in London from 2004 to 2015, said that he was a “flirt” with 20-something males and made “clumsy” approaches.

“I’ve clearly hooked up with some men, who thought a relationship with me might help them advance in their careers,” he stated. “But there was no conversation with me, it was all part of their plan, a plan that was only going to fail because I wasn’t involved.”

Kevin Spacey said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested” that Channel 4 give him more than seven days to react to their documentary charges.

Spacey said the channel declined “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”

“Each time I have been given time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and I have been exonerated,” he said. Spacey called his acquittal a “life sentence” and said he struggled to return to work.

Since the #MeToo movement began in 2017, his acting career has suffered. He lost his Netflix leadership role as Frank Underwood in “House of Cards”.

Kevin Spacey Found Not Guilty on 9 Sexual Misconduct Charges

Kevin Spacey Found Not Guilty on 9 Sexual Misconduct Charges

Celebrity

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Published

1 day ago

2024-05-04

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Washington — On Friday, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited the White House with President Joe Biden, leaving with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a newfound respect for the job.

“I love the merch,” he added, removing his glasses briefly at the White House daily press briefing following his meeting with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, joked with reporters that he’d answer a few questions as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he told reporters. He’d been to the White House previously, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never seen the Oval Office, which he described as impressive. According to Hamill, Biden displayed photographs and other memorabilia from the Oval Office.

Hamill claimed Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill responded with an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”

“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also portrayed the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Both Mark and the White House were hazy about the cause for his visit. But Mark, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a sizable social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.

“May 1 Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he tweeted on May 1.

On Friday, he wrote, “May 3 be absurd that the guy who tried to steal a fair election is allowed to run again,” referring to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

May 4 is unofficially known as “Star Wars” Day, partly due to the famous Jedi line “May the Force Be With You.” The pun is “May 4 be with you.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Mark also provided his voice for “Air Alert,” a downloadable program linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice warns citizens to take cover if Russia launches another aerial strike on Ukraine.

SOURCE – (AP)