CNN
 — 

The judge in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial declined to issue a ruling Wednesday limiting prosecutors’ ability to question the disgraced South Carolina attorney about his alleged financial crimes if he chooses to testify in his defense.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin asked Judge Clifton Newman to issue a ruling limiting the scope of the state’s cross-examination if Murdaugh takes the stand, telling the court the attorneys wanted to advise Murdaugh as he considers testifying.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters argued Murdaugh should be able to be questioned on any issue relevant to the case, including those alleged misdeeds, which the state has pointed to as a potential motive for Murdaugh to kill his wife Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and 22-year-old son Paul.

Judge Newman declined to grant the defense’s request, saying, “I am not going to issue an order in advance limiting the scope of cross-examination.” Any objection, he added, would need to be addressed as the evidence is presented.

While he was willing to review the scope of Murdaugh’s privilege against self-incrimination, Newman said, “For the court to issue some blanket order limiting the scope of cross-examination – that is unheard of to me.”

Evidence of Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes – for which he faces another 99 charges – has played prominently in the murder case, in which Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and two weapons charges.

Newman previously ruled to allow the evidence after prosecutors argued Murdaugh killed Maggie, 52, and Paul to distract attention from his purported misconduct, which the state contends was about to be revealed at the time of the June 2021 fatal shootings. The defense, meanwhile, argued to exclude the evidence, saying it was irrelevant to the killings.