How pictures of Alex Murdaugh in prison were taken and released: Wednesday, July 19

 Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is serving out a double life sentence at a South Carolina prison. The disgraced lawyer was convicted of murder in March of this year for the shootings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Hours ago, pictures began circulating online, showing what seems to be selfies Murdaugh has taken while in prison. The images have generated lots of online conversation, with people wondering where these pictures came from. Is it contraband? Is it legal? Is it really Murdaugh? News 19 went searching for answers and found that yes, it’s totally legal. In fact, the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) tells us it’s a service given to all inmates.The pictures of Murdaugh were released after a Freedom of Information Act request was filed, which provides the public the right to request access to federal agency records. The SCDC tells News 19 that every inmate is issued a tablet, which they can use to make monitored telephone calls, take classes, read books, subscribe to entertainment that is pre-approved and receive messages from the institution. The department says they are not connected to the internet or to social media.These tablets are from ViaPath Technologies, the department’s telephone partner, formerly called GTL. According to a statement from the company, it serves more than 2,100 facilities and over 1.6 million inmates in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/photos-circulating-online-inmate-alex-murdaugh-appears-selfies-inside-prison/101-24005ef8-01f5-4e22-9072-47618082b9bfA man was arrested after police say he impersonated a medical professional and performed an illegitimate medical exam on a woman.The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said that a woman reported the incident on Tuesday, July 11. She told officers a person impersonating a medical professional gave her a medical exam at her home on Teal Point Drive. The type of exam given was not released, however, this incident has been labeled as a sexual assault investigation.The impersonator was identified as Daniel Pitti-Casazola, 41. Police said that Pitti-Casazola was working as a Spanish language interpreter with the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department at the time of the incident.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/mecklenburg-county-health-worker-accused-of-sexual-assault-posing-as-medical-professional-charlotte-north-carolina-daniel-pitti-casazola/275-2b83d04a-af61-4c9b-8b73-cbe9aa3c3ea8Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!