Jeffrey Collins, Author at Daily Hampshire Gazette

Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison after conviction in double murder trial during his sentencing at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Friday, March 3, 2023 after he was found guilty on all four counts. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

News

Murdaugh’s fall from grace ends in life sentence for murder

by Jeffrey Collins Associated Press, and James Pollard Associated PressMarch 3, 2023

WALTERBORO, S.C. — One of the last pieces of a legal dynasty that doled out justice in rural South Carolina for decades crumbled Friday as lawyer Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of his wife and son at…

FILE - Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, left, walks into court for his bond hearing on Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. Murdaugh was charged Thursday, July 14, 2022, with murder in connection with the mysterious 2021 deaths of his wife and son. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File)

News

SC lawyer charged in wife, son’s death

by Jeffrey Collins Associated PressJuly 14, 2022

Travelers walk with their luggage in the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Israel on Sunday approved barring entry to foreign nationals and the use of controversial technology for contact tracing as part of its efforts to clamp down on a new coronavirus variant. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

News

World on alert for new COVID variant

by Mike Corder Associated Press, Geir Moulson Associated Press, and Jeffrey Collins Associated PressNovember 28, 2021

Tears streak down the cheek of Ahmaud Arbery's mother Wanda Cooper-Jones after the jury convicted Travis McMichael in the Glynn County Courthouse, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, Pool)

News

Ahmaud Arbery’s mom: Thankful for justice and son’s legacy

by Rodrique Ngowi Associated Press, and Jeffrey Collins Associated PressNovember 25, 2021

Defendant Travis McMichael testifies under cross-examination by prosecutor Linda Dunikoski at the Glynn County Courthouse, Thursday, in Brunswick, Ga.

News

Shooter testifies in Arbery murder case; defense rests

by Russ Bynum Associated Press, and Jeffrey Collins Associated PressNovember 18, 2021

FILE - Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. For a century, the Murdaughs have quietly steered much of the legal world in this corner of the state, by running the prosecutor’s office and a large civil law firm. Then, in June, Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and son Paul were killed at the family’s sprawling estate. Six investigations are underway, over the killings, stolen money, death coverups and a Sept. 4 shooting in which a bullet grazed...

News

No bond for SC lawyer in $3.4M theft case

by Jeffrey Collins Associated PressOctober 19, 2021

Lawyer Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. Murdaugh surrendered Thursday to face insurance fraud and other charges after state police said he arranged to have himself shot in the head so that his son would get a $10 million life insurance payout. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

News

Lawyer surrenders to face charges in $10M insurance fraud

by Jeffrey Collins Associated PressSeptember 16, 2021

A truck and a car sit in a creek Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, after they were washed away the day before in McEwen, Tenn. Heavy rains caused flooding in Middle Tennessee and have resulted in multiple deaths as homes and rural roads were washed away. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

News

Twenty-two dead, many missing after 17 inches of rain in Tennessee

by Jonathan Mattise Associated Press, and Jeffrey Collins Associated PressAugust 22, 2021

FILE - This Aug. 27, 2014, file photo shows a view of one of the faces of North America's tallest peak, then-named Mount McKinley, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Rangers who keep an eye on North America's highest mountain peak say they are seeing impatient and inexperienced climbers take more risks and put their lives and other climbers in danger In 2021. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

News

Inexperienced, impatient climbers causing danger on North America’s highest peak

by Jeffrey Collins Associated PressMay 30, 2021

In this photo provided by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Tyler Terry is offered water during his arrest in South Carolina on Monday.

News

Police in SC nab man wanted in 4 killings after week on run

by Jeffrey Collins Associated PressMay 24, 2021