Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh scored a stunning courtroom victory Wednesday after the state Supreme Court threw out his double murder convictions and ordered a brand-new trial in the killings of his wife and son.
In a unanimous ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court found that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill improperly influenced jurors during Murdaugh’s blockbuster 2023 murder trial, violating his right to a fair trial.
The decision wipes away Murdaugh’s convictions in the June 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, at the family’s sprawling Moselle hunting estate in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
“Although we are aware of the time, money, and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse,” the justices wrote in the opinion, citing Hill’s “improper external influences on the jury.”
Murdaugh, 57, had been serving two life sentences after prosecutors convinced jurors he murdered his wife and son as his financial crimes and personal scandals closed in around him.
The six-week trial became one of the most heavily watched murder cases in recent memory, turning the once-prominent legal heir into a national true-crime obsession.
Prosecutors argued Murdaugh killed Maggie and Paul to distract from mounting investigations into allegations that he stole millions from clients and associates.
A key piece of evidence during the trial was a cellphone video recorded near the family’s dog kennels shortly before the killings. The footage placed Murdaugh at the scene despite his earlier denials to investigators.
But the Supreme Court ruled the integrity of the trial was compromised by Hill’s conduct toward jurors.
According to court findings, Hill made comments suggesting jurors should distrust Murdaugh’s testimony and appeared eager to capitalize on the case’s publicity. Hill later published a book about the trial and eventually faced criminal charges tied to her conduct during the proceedings.
The court also found the original trial judge allowed prosecutors to go too far in presenting evidence tied to Murdaugh’s extensive financial crimes.
Despite Murdaugh’s murder convictions being overturned, he will remain behind bars.
He is still serving lengthy federal and state prison sentences after pleading guilty to dozens of financial crimes involving the theft of roughly $12 million from clients. His combined sentences total decades in prison.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office signaled prosecutors intend to retry the case.
Murdaugh has repeatedly admitted to lying, stealing, and financial fraud but has continued to deny murdering his wife and son.
The murders rocked South Carolina in 2021 and exposed the collapse of the once-powerful Murdaugh legal dynasty, which wielded enormous influence in the region for generations.
Now, after years of appeals and allegations of jury tampering, the case is headed back to square one.
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