Hampton County

In

Hampton County.

In

Hampton County, which is the cradle of insurance fraud in the southeast.

It's also where my ancestors are from.

My

father was born

in Hampton County, South Carolina.

Well, it goes back a long way, doesn't it? Covered the Murdoch trial, of course, with you in person, six-week trial.

But we had many conversations before the trial, and I had a working knowledge, really, of the Murdochs in Hampton County.

I was the attorney general for eight years and circuit solicitor before that here in the Charleston area for 11 years and had worked closely with the grandfather, Buster, worked closely as attorney general with Randy.

Did not know Alec, though.

No one cares.

Tall Blonde, Plant Fitness, Hampton County.

Gorgeous statue with short blonde hair.

Wow, I hope to see you again.

So I've been at the Journal, at the Wall Street Journal as a national affairs reporter for more than 20 years.

I started following the case out of interest because I had been to Hampton County before as a reporter.

I'd been reported on a story there.

And it was just so fascinating and involved all these people that I'd come to know.

They wouldn't just get rid of them.

And it seems so, it's counterintuitive to me that people would hold onto the guns, but that's exactly what we're dealing with right now is were these guns actually moved on to another alleged crime?

Well, in Hampton County, you've been there.

I've been there many times.

Yeah, plan on it.

You know, if you live in Portal, Statesboro, Vidalia, Hampton County, inland areas, I think 40s are definitely on the table.

Yeah, so cooler.

There's the fall-like weather we were waiting for here.

But Brian denies it was murder, maintaining Amy killed herself.

He pleads not guilty, and the case heads to trial on February 23rd, 2023, in Hampton County.

On May 8th, 2018, that defendant, Brian Fanion, shot and killed his wife, Amy Fannin.

He shot her in the head because Amy Fannin was the only thing standing between that defendant and the rest of his life.

... you have no-

Are you g- were you guys near Hampton County?

Uh, we, we were, like, an hour-

I think it, was that, like, in b- in between Charleston and Columbia, right?

And then there's the woman who Dick says is SLED's source on this, Judge Cheryl McKinney, who back in the day was a client of Alex.

And when she was the municipal judge of Varnville, the town in Hampton County where Alex and his siblings grew up and where Alex's parents lived at the time of the murders.

Old Judge McKinney was accused of taking payments from the Varnville Police Department's Victims Assistance Fund, and that was approved by the Varnville Police Chief.

Chief.While she was suspended for that at the time and not initially reinstated as a judge, McKinney was soon back at it as a judge just a few years later because South Carolina.

Alexander isn't just some random cop, though, either.

Locals in Hampton County have called him the Murtaugh family's fixer for years.

Again, allegations.

According to his own attorney, Alexander admits he was at the murder scene that night, even though Yemesee doesn't have jurisdiction over the property where Maggie and Paul were killed.

Alexander told Fitznews it was a loan for his parents and it was just a pass through.

He didn't say whether the money was paid back.

He also collected $5,500 allegedly in campaign contributions from the Murdoch family members and allies when he ran for Hampton County Sheriff.

Nathan Tootin used to work as a runner for Alec Murdoch's law firm.