Winds light and variable.. Cloudy. Carmen Tevis Mullen is a circuit court judge for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit in South Carolina. Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen pushed Beaufort County sheriff's deputies to arrest a former attorney who was making a scene in the gated community where she lives, according to a newly uncovered incident report from Dec. 7, 2017. What role might he play in Alex Murdaugh's trial? Alex Murdaughs double murder trial is set to start Monday with jury selection. For those of you unhip to legal jargon,ex parteis Latin for one side only and refers to a judge having conversations with one party to a legal action (or that partys attorneys) outside the presence of the other party (or the other partys attorneys). Overview; Justices . 402, and 403 of the South Carolina Rules of Evidence. Follow him on Twitter @glennsmith5. 3739 events. As the court should recall, much of that ex parte conversation involved an inquiry about potential targets of the underlying state grand jury investigation, and the state refrained from answering (Mullen)s questions.. It soon became clear that Lotito was having a psychotic episode and was acting delusional, "talking incoherently and becoming increasingly agitated," Mullen said. 2159 events In a highly unusual request, Bland in October had sought to question Mullen under oath about her role in the settlement approval before backtracking on the request days later. "There was no real investigation done by the police it was just assumed that either george stinney or george stinney and his brother committed this offense," Mullen said. During the trial, psychologist Dr. Amanda Salas, a defense witness, said Stinney likely confessed because of the power differential between his position as a 14-year-old black male being questioned by white, uniformed law enforcement in a small segregated town. In her written statement, Mullen did not directly address whether she had tried to get deputies to arrest Lotito that night on various pretenses. It has also raised questions about whether Mullen, who presided over the settlement case involving the estate of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaughs' longtime housekeeper who died after a fall in. Missing Murdaugh law firm money raises questions: How much taken? Things got so bad I called on Mullen to recuse herself from the investigation in early 2018 which she refused to do. [2] Mullen was re-elected by the assembly on February 4, 2015, and February 3, 2021, for a term expiring in 2027. Browse Marco Island Florida All Real Estate for Sale Located in Seabreeze South Apartments Con 667 properties found. The request was unusual because lawyers are not supposed to seek to question judges about their official actions. According to the Sheriff's Office report, the Dec. 7, 2017, incident played out this way: Deputies went to a Port Royal Drive home around 5:20 p.m. that day after a resident contacted security asking for help removing a man from her property. Still, he said, the deputy's "reflections in the report are accurate as to what occurred. In October 2016, Lotito was charged with threatening to bomb a Hilton Head Island business and shoot an employee with a sniper rifle, according to a report in The Island Packet. Glenn Smith is editor of the Watchdog and Public Service team and helped write the newspapers Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, Till Death Do Us Part. Reach him securely on Signal at 843-607-0809 or by email at gsmith5@protonmail.com. What to know, Very loving relationship. Murdaugh SC spokesperson denies tabloid claim of rocky marriage, SC Supreme Court assigns outside judge to oversee Alex Murdaugh criminal cases, Satterfields sons want Alex Murdaugh jailed until insurance money returned, lawsuit says, How are feds involved in SC Murdaugh murder investigation? Mississippi State . All rights reserved. Westendorfs testimony refers to the Feb. 24, 2019, boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach near Parris Island. awilks@postandcourier.com, By Avery G. Wilks Mullen graduated in the same University of South Carolina School of Law class as Murdaugh and Cory Fleming, a Beaufort lawyer who was one of Murdaugh's closest friends and an alleged. 10am - 5-8 year old girls & boys, 11:30am - 9-12 year old girls and 12:30pm - 9 We will Stream Live! SC Judge Carmen Mullen fires back against suggestion she abused power in 2017 incident, By Glenn Smith and Avery G. Wilks "Impropriety and dishonesty by members of our States judiciary cause real harm to all South Carolinians. Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen, whose ties to disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh have come under scrutiny, is now defending her actions in a 2017 incident in which she allegedly tried to orchestrate the improper arrest of a troubled man in her neighborhood. Six days after the lawsuit was filed, Bland and Richter said they uncovered a document signed by Carmen Mullen on May 13, 2019, approving a $4.3 million total settlement in the Satterfield case. Ride-along: What does it take to run a Charleston food truck? Text Only Page. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, At the very least, Mullens continued failure to set a hearing in the remaining ProbeGate cases is cause for her to be removed from that case . The crash injured other teenage passengers, and the charges against Paul were still pending when he and his mother and Alexs wife, Maggie Murdaugh, were murdered on their Colleton County property in June 2021 in a double homicide that remains unsolved nearly 10 months later. Site Map. In the deposition, Westendorf tells Bland that he (Westendorf) told the FBI and SLED about the statements he made about Mullen. In her ruling, Mullen said she found "fundamental, Constitutional violations of due process" in the 1944 prosecution of the teen. First, lets look at Mullens messy role in the Murdaugh saga . He graduated from the University of Missouri with an emphasis in investigative reporting. Its unfortunate that the press has gotten a copy of the letter, he said. It must still be signed off on by Westendorf. Judge Name Office Phone Fax Contact Email Robert J. SC judge calls abuse of power. Criminal defense attorney Brian Claypool reacts to the latest development in the Murdaugh family murder mystery saga. Carmen Mullen Subscribe to this topic via RSS or ATOM Topic - Carmen Mullen Judge won't re-sentence former South Carolina lawmaker Prosecutor: Judge wrong to give lawmaker probation. But relatives of the victims, along with Third Circuit Solictor Chip Finney, argued the previous ruling was fair and should stand. Washington, D.C., United States. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Carmen Mullen, in helping to keep hidden the paperwork related to the Satterfield settlement; there have been calls for a state judicial investigation into Mullen's alleged "pattern of ethically questionable conduct." . Site Map. South Carolina Judge Carmen Mullen defended herself in a statement to media Wednesday after a police report suggested she used her influence to arrest a man. 5961 . Stinney's advocates said the young man was forced to confess, didn't have proper counsel, and wasn't allowed to have his parents around when he was questioned. The deputy noted that the judge was cordial with officers. "Judge Mullins advised we need to find something to arrest Lotito with and remove him," the deputy wrote, noting that he notified his supervisor of her request. Satterfields sons didnt receive a dime of thesettlement and years later their attorneys,Eric Bland andRonald Richter, discovered the agreement was never entered into the court record. The deputy advised her of eviction proceedings, and she responded that she had already begun that process. At the time, Bland said he changed his mind about questioning Mullen for two reasons: He said Mullens testimony was not necessary because he uncovered more evidence that proved Murdaugh, Fleming and Westendorfs roles in the scheme; Second, Bland said, after saying he intended to take a Mullens videotaped deposition, he took some heat and commentary from people in the states legal profession who objected strenuously to his trying to take the deposition of a judge. The records were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request placed in January, The Post and Courier reported. The Honorable Carmen T. Mullen 102 Ribaut Road P.O. Murdaugh and others are facing criminal charges after allegedly defrauding Satterfields family out of a$4.3 millionsettlement paid from one of Murdaughs insurance companies one of many alleged financial fleecings. Two days later, Lotito was taken to a mental health facility in Myrtle Beach, she said. Alex Murdaugh awaits the beginning of his bond hearing in the Richland Judicial Center in Columbia, South Carolina on Oct. 19, 2021. On this occasion, however, she insisted she was acting in the best interests of Lotito, a former Hilton Head attorney who worked for her husband for less than a year in 1991 and has known her husband for more than 30 years. Tanner told The Post and Courier he doesn't doubt Mullen's concerns for Lotito's well-being and doesn't want to get into a dispute with the state judge. Weeks ago, Judge Mullen gave Quinn, Jr. a sentence of two years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a fine on the one misconduct in office charge. . Three former legislative leaders with ties to Quinn (above) pleaded guilty to corruption charges and resigned their offices in connection with this investigation: Former S.C. Senate president John Courson, former House majority leaderJimmy Merrill and former House majority leaderRick Quinn (Richard Quinns son). Bland, a regular on "Cup of Justice," said on the podcast that he was troubled by the details contained in the Beaufort County report and questioned why the judge chose to insert herself in the 2017 incident. Westendorf, according to the testimony, said he heard Cory Fleming tell Mullen that during the settlement conference. "Judge Mullens pattern of alleged conduct threatens to erode public trust in our judiciary," Pascoe wrote, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The State newspaper. New facts in the case prompted Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen to vacate George's conviction in 2014 70 years after his execution. The order, dated May 13, 2019, was apparently signed by South Carolina Judge Carmen Mullen, Bland said. Pascoe noted Mullen had recused herself without explanation in April 2019 from a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Murdaugh and his family by the parents of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Alex Murdaugh awaits the beginning of his bond hearing in the Richland Judicial Center in Columbia, South Carolina on Oct. 19, 2021. After Chad having to endure months of criticism, I am glad that it is finally going to come out that everything he did was based on advice of counsel and the documents he signed were executed under the supervision of both lawyers and judges, he said. This is a good teaching moment. One of Stinney's sisters, Aime Ruffer, who said she was with her brother when the two girls approached the two and asked for 'maypops,' a type of flower, spoke to News19 over the phone from her home in New Jersey. Why is Mullen refusing to hear this case? That public corruption inquiry is purportedly looking into numerous judgeswho coddled the once-powerful House of Murdaugh a legal dynasty which ran the Palmetto Lowcounty like a fiefdom for nearly a century. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Bland attempted to depose Mullen in the hopes of getting answers regarding her role in the Satterfied saga, but veteran S.C. circuit court judgeCasey Manningallegedly intervened on her behalf andBland backed down. Judge Mullens pattern of alleged conduct threatens to erode public trust in our judiciary, Pascoe said in his complaint. Insurance agreed to pay out $4.3 million to the family of Satterfield, who helped raise Murdaugh's two sons. Low 56F. Ever hear that discussion that the reason Alecs name was being taken off that caption was he didnt want Mark Tinsley, who was suing him for the Mallory Beach boating accident, he didnt want anybody to find out in public record that this kind of money was being paid from his homeowners insurance carrier? Bland asked. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In January, lawyers for the Stinney family argued in court that the verdict needed to be dismissed because of errors in the prosecution. As the network portrays it, the series whose Season 1 finale drew 2.6 million viewers follows a . Fleming then convinced one of Satterfields sons to sign over the rights to his mothers estate to Westendorf, who was to act as their financial representative. The judge said she was worried that Lotito would come to harm, and that the Sheriffs Office report does not accurately capture what transpired that day. "We were asking the deputies to take him to a hospital because he clearly needed psychiatric treatment," she said. When wealthy and politically connected individuals are treated as a privileged class by members of the judiciary, it erodes public trust in government and the fair administration of law.. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium Carmen Estrada Mullen San Antonio, TX (Central City) AGE 80+ AGE 80+ Carmen Estrada Mullen San Antonio, TX (Central City) However, Mullen in particular felt that the confession in the case was compromised. Opinion No. Public Opinion. Site Map. Judge Clifton Newman. A state solicitor has filed an official complaint against a South Carolina judge, alleging she used her position to help Alex Murdaugh hide his financial situation in 2019 after he was sued for a fatal boat crash in which his late son Paul was the drunken driver. Monks hobbies include hiking, books, languages, music and a lot of other things. The state judge even offered to arrange for the man to get a ride to a gas station where he was banned so deputies could arrest him for trespassing, according to the report.
