Lee Cope

20232023 Murder TrialJan 23, 2023 – Mar 3, 2023

Lee Cope participated in the law firm's inquiry into missing fees and payments associated with the Forge name, supported Alex Murdaugh after the killings, and accompanied a consent search of the Murdaugh house.

Day 6

Jan 30, 2023

DirectJeff Croft - DirectJeff CroftCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Croft authenticated Rogan Gibson's phone screenshots and documented searches that recovered firearms, ammunition, and weathered .300 Blackout casings at Moselle, with several guns admitted over defense objections.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 9

Feb 2, 2023

DirectJeannie Seckinger - DirectJeannie SeckingerCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger testified in camera about missing fees, her June 7 inquiry to Alex Murdaugh, the later discovery of the fake Forge account, and firm records documenting client reimbursements and other questioned transactions.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossJeannie Seckinger - CrossJeannie SeckingerJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Jim Griffin tested the timing and foundation of PMPED's financial investigation, eliciting that the firm initially suspected hidden fees rather than theft, that older Forge records had long been accessible, and that parts of the client-authorization inquiry rested on work by others.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectKatie McCallister - DirectKatie McCallisterSavannah M. GoudeMentioned

Summary

Katie McCallister described preserving Maggie Murdaugh's recovered phone, conducting a consent search of the Moselle house, transferring collected weapons and ammunition, and witnessing the collection of Buster Murdaugh's admitted buccal swab.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectMichael Gunn - DirectMichael GunnCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Michael Gunn distinguished Forge Consulting's legitimate structured-settlement work from the Richard Murdaugh DBA Forge account and testified that the reviewed client-trust checks did not reach legitimate Forge Consulting.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectChris Wilson - DirectChris WilsonCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson testified in camera that Alex Murdaugh directed $792,000 in legal fees to himself, returned only $600,000, and later acknowledged stealing money; Wilson authenticated checks, emails, a promissory note, and a text supporting the account.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralRule 404(b) Hearing Argument and SchedulingMentioned

Summary

The parties contested whether alleged financial misconduct supported motive or fear of detection. The court found enough evidence for the law-firm misconduct threshold but deferred final admissibility decisions pending the Satterfield documents, proposed Mark Tinsley testimony, bank witnesses, and further argument.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 11

Feb 6, 2023

RedirectMark Tinsley - RedirectMark TinsleyCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Mark Tinsley explained why he sought institutional financial records, described settlement options involving property and a payment plan, and said additional liability theories were already under discussion. The court then addressed privilege limits for anticipated third-party testimony.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectRonnie Crosby - DirectRonnie CrosbyCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Ronnie Crosby described Alex Murdaugh's June 10 account to assembled friends and relatives, distinguished it from private conversations with counsel, and confirmed that investigators had avoided the meeting pending court guidance.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossRonnie Crosby - CrossRonnie CrosbyJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Ronnie Crosby denied acting as Alex Murdaugh's lawyer at the June 10 gathering and said he could not identify who was present for each particular statement because attendance was fluid.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 12

Feb 7, 2023

DirectJeannie Seckinger - DirectJeannie SeckingerCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger described her June 7 inquiry into missing Faris fees, the September discovery of checks and a fake Forge account tied to Alex Murdaugh, and the firm's reconstruction and repayment of diverted client funds. The court limited the evidence to the State's motive theory.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossJeannie Seckinger - CrossJeannie SeckingerJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Jim Griffin challenged the immediacy and murder-case relevance of PMPED's financial inquiry, while Jeannie Seckinger maintained that she pressured Alex Murdaugh for Faris-fee answers despite the firm's trust and delayed discovery of the broader misconduct.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 13

Feb 8, 2023

DirectMichael Gunn - DirectMichael GunnJohnny E. JamesMentioned

Summary

Michael Gunn explained legitimate structured-settlement practices, described an unfunded Deon Martin proposal and Lee Cope's client-file inquiries, and testified that Murdaugh's DBA Forge account was not a Forge Consulting account.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 14

Feb 9, 2023

DirectChris Wilson - DirectChris WilsonCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson testified about $792,000 in legal fees directed to Alex Murdaugh, calls with him on June 7, and Wilson's later use of $192,000 of his own money to cover a trust-account shortfall.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

profferChris Wilson - ProfferChris WilsonCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson proffered testimony about Alex Murdaugh's September 4 admissions and a later phone report that Murdaugh had been shot; the court excluded the phone report as hearsay.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectChris Wilson - DirectChris WilsonCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson described confronting Alex Murdaugh about missing legal fees, recounted admissions of opioid addiction and theft, said his own $192,000 was never repaid, and revisited their final June 7 call.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossChris Wilson - CrossChris WilsonJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson said he knew of no Faris-fee crisis on June 7, observed ordinary demeanor during Murdaugh's late-evening calls, and viewed him as a family-oriented friend who appeared devastated after the killings.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

RedirectChris Wilson - RedirectChris WilsonCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Chris Wilson clarified the timing of the $192,000 shortfall and June 7 calls, then explained how his trust in Alex Murdaugh contrasted with the unexpected September disclosures of opioid addiction and theft.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

About

Trial Record (18)

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Day 9

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Day 11

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Day 14

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