It is February 2023 and the highly talked about the trial of Alex Murdaugh, AKA “trial of the century”, is still underway in South Carolina. The now on trial Alex Murdaugh is facing life in prison for the double murder of his wife and son and more than 100 other criminal charges over an alleged white-collar fraud spree and a botched hitman plot. So, amid all this, everyone directly or indirectly related to the case has been talked about, even his lawyers. Moneyed and well-connected, the Murdaugh family had their choice of high-priced defense attorneys. And so they happened to pick Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin.
Now, in the rest of the writing, let us tell you all about one of these lawyers, Richard Harpootlian.
Meet Richard Harpootlian, Alex Murdaugh’s Defense Attorney
Richard, like Jim Griffin, is Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorney and a fortified Columbia lawyer with hundreds of trials under his belt.
Ahead of the marathon trial, experts have talked highly of Richard and his fellow lawyer’s skills. They have been called the best defense money can buy in South Carolina.
Richard, the prosecutor-turned-defense attorney, and his friend are dubbed “brilliant legal strategists with dovetailing strengths and contrasting styles in the courtroom”. “Whoever put this team together, they knew what the hell they were doing”, commented the retired federal judge Dennis Shedd. And for Richard specifically, they say he is aggressive and theatrical and a “battle-scarred” veteran of more than 100 murder cases.
Richard is known for his ways to turn the courtroom into his theater. He did no less as he pointed an assault rifle at prosecutors during a court demonstration during Alex’s double-homicide trial. This led to some courtroom laughs that day late in February 2023.
Richard Harpootlian Net Worth
Richard Harpootlian reportedly had more than $10 million net worth as of February 2023.
A Clemson University in the late 1960s, he was a long-haired, “doobie-smoking” liberal who had worked on The Tiger student newspaper, where at the time he snappily opposed America’s involvement in Vietnam. Afterward, he applied to the University of South Carolina’s law school. He got through it and eventually landed a job as an assistant prosecutor in Columbia. There, on his first day at the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, he discovered his love for jury trials. And the rest is history.
Richard Harpootlian Age
Because Richard Harpootlian was born in 1949, he turned 74 in 2023, exactly on Alex’s trial’s first day.
Is Richard Harpootlian Armenian?
Indeed. Richard Harpootlian is an Armenian, an ethnic group once considered foreign in the United States.
His grandparents immigrated to the States after escaping their hometown of Harpoot in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian genocide.
Richard Harpootlian Family
Richard Harpootlian’s parents are no more.
His dad Harold Carnig Harpootlian passed at the age of 69 on 11 January 1989 at their home in Brooklyn, New York. Before he died, he retired in 1977 as vice president of Liberty Loan Inc. Also, he was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran and a member of Providence Presbyterian Church and Raintree Country Club.
Richard’s mom Joan Harpootlian Morgan, on the other hand, died peacefully in her sleep on 27 April 2015. She and Harold were married for 42 years. Also, she had a lengthy real estate career.
As for siblings, Richard has a brother named Bill Harpootlian and a sister named Joan Harpootlian Thomas.
Richard Harpootlian Height
Richard stands below 5 feet 10 inches in height.
Is Richard Harpootlian Married?
Yes. Richard Harpootlian has been married to Jamie Lisa Lindler, also a lawyer, since likely 2007. They tied the knot seemingly that year in Venice. Franca Pasqualato, a civil marriage officiant, had performed the ceremony at Palazzo Cavalli. Jamie was 48 at the time and Richard was 58.
Jamie is said to be specializing in class action litigation in New Orleans. In the year 2004, she was a hearing officer for the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
She graduated cum laude from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, and received her law degree from Tulane. She is the daughter of Charles Robert Lindler of Columbia, South Carolina, and the late Margaret Elizabeth Little Lindler. Richard, meanwhile, was a state chairman for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in South Carolina at the time of his marriage. He also supported Mr. Clinton’s presidential campaigns back in the day.
Turns out, both Richard and Jamie’s first marriage ended in divorce. The former was previously married to Pamela K. McCreary. And so with her, he also shares a daughter named Katherine “Kate” Harpootlian. On IG @kateharpootlian with 13K followers, Kate turned 35 years old on 18 November 2022. Professionally, she is a renowned dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. She rose to fame as a top 20 contestant on Season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance. She has also performed in Dancing with the Stars pieces choreographed by Travis Wall.
Richard’s now wife Jamie was nominated for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Slovenia by none other than President Joe Biden in 2021.
Related FAQs
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When Is Richard Harpootlian Birthday?
The American attorney and politician’s birthday is on January 23rd.
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Where Is Richard Harpootlian From?
Richard originally hails from Columbia, South Carolina.
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Is Richard Harpootlian On Instagram And Facebook?
Richard Harpootlian was on Instagram as of 27 February 2023. But, he could be found on Facebook as ‘Richard A Harpootlian P.A.’.
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