South Carolina Serial Killer Pee Wee Gaskins's Defense Attorney Tells His Story

This episode starts with a few minutes of taking listener comments and questions.

Then a replay of an episode from November 2023. A few weeks ago Matt and Seton Interviewed Dick Harpootlian who prosecuted Pee Wee Gaskins. In this episode you will hear from the other side of the courtroom in the Gaskins trial.

Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins Jr. is one of South Carolina's most notorious serial killers.

He murdered more than a dozen people between 1970 and 1975.

Gaskins was sentenced to 10 concurrent life sentences.

While serving his sentence at Central Correctional Institute (CCI) prison in Columbia, South Carolina, he murdered another inmate.

Dick Harpootlian prosecuted Pee Wee and Jack Swerling defended Pee Wee Gaskins. Gaskins was sentenced to death, which was administered in September of 1991.

In this episode you will hear from Jack Swerling about the case and his dealings with Pee Wee Gaskins.

Seton Tucker and Matt Harris began the Impact of Influence podcast shortly after the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Now they cover true crime past and present from the southeast region of the U.S.
Impact of Influence is part of the Evergreen Podcast Company.


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The Murdaugh family was one of South Carolina's most powerful legal families. Three generations of Murdaughs held the position of solicitor in the lowcountry for almost one hundred years.
In February of 2019 a boat crash killed 19 year old Mallory Beach. Paul Murdaugh, the son of prominent SC attorney, Alex Murdaugh, was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence, including causing the death of Mallory Beach.
June 7, 2021 Alex Murdaugh found his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, brutally murdered, shot to death on their property known as Moselle.
On March 2, 2023 Alex was convicted of murdering Maggie and Paul.
Between the murders and the convictions many other crimes came to light.
No one could have expected the twists and turns the story has taken and it is not finished.
Seton Tucker and Matt Harris started the Impact of Influence podcast soon after the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
You may have seen them talking about the Murdaugh saga on CourtTV, Murdaugh documentaries on Oxygen and Fox Nation and episodes on American Greed and Nancy Grace.
Seton and Matt continue updating the Murdaugh story and are now covering other crimes that have occurred throughout the Southeast.
Impact of Influence is now a Youtube channel
You can find them on their Impact of Influence FB page or Mattharrispodcast@gmail.com

• No. of episodes: 256
• Latest episode: 2025-07-22
• True Crime

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