The murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh resumed Wednesday afternoon after a bomb threat forced the court to be evacuated.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said the menacing message was “received by Colleton County courthouse personnel,” immediately halting proceedings.
The trial restarted around 2:30 p.m. when police gave the all-clear.
It is not clear what the message said. An unnamed court official told The Post and Courier that the bomb threat was made to Judge Clifton Newman’s chambers.
SLED said that it was investigating the threat alongside the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, but has yet to provide more details.
Upon learning of the threat, Judge Newman addressed the court, saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have to evacuate the building at this time so we’ll be in recess until we discover what’s going on.
Police escorted Murdaugh out of the building and into a car, which drove away, likely to a secure location.
A unnamed court official told The Post and Courier that bomb threat was made to Judge Newman’s chambers.
Prosecutors walked back into the courtroom around 2:20 p.m., suggesting police told them it was safe do so, the paper reported.
Video from the scene showed scores of people evacuating the packed Walterboro courthouse just before 1 p.m.
Law enforcement put a perimeter around the building as they looked into the threat, Fox News reported.
Murdaugh, 54, is on trial for the double murder of his wife, Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, who were found shot to death near the dog kennel at the family’s hunting lodge on June 7, 2021.
The fallen lawyer, who is separately accused of 99 financial crimes, has repeatedly insisted he is innocent.