Alex Murdaugh murder conviction overturned, new trial ordered
The South Carolina Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for Alex Murdaugh, finding that the jury was “unduely” influenced by the county clerk.
The South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13 overturned two consecutive life prison sentences for Alex Murdaugh, saying his conviction in a 2023 murder trial was tainted by “undue” influence by county officials, calling the officer’s actions “shocking jury interference.”
Murdaugh, a prominent former South Carolina attorney whose case has garnered national attention for years, was convicted of two counts of murder and weapons charges in the deaths of his wife and son.
Murdaugh’s wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were found shot to death near their dog kennel on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh admitted in court that he lied when he told investigators he wasn’t in the kennel before finding the body.
A jury convicted Murdaugh after a more than five-week trial in Walterboro, about 80 miles west of Charleston. But the high court’s decision to grant Murdaugh a new trial came after oral arguments in February in his high-profile double murder conviction appeal, USA TODAY Network’s Greenville News reported.
South Carolina Supreme Court slams ‘shocking jury intervention’
Murdaugh’s attorneys argued on appeal that the trial was tainted by inappropriate comments made to jurors by Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca Hill.
Hill worked during Murdaugh’s trial and later co-wrote a tell-all book about the case titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.”
Murdaugh’s attorney, Richard Harpootlian, told the court during appellate arguments in February that while Murdaugh was preparing to testify, Hill made comments to jurors such as “Don’t be fooled by the defendant” and “Watch what the defendant does.”
Clayton Waters, chief prosecutor with the South Carolina attorney general’s office, later sought to refute some of Hill’s comments to the jury, arguing they were “limited in scope.”
For example, when Mr. Hill said, “Today is going to be a great day,” before Mr. Murdaugh’s testimony, Mr. Waters claimed that was a truthful statement. And her instruction to jurors to “watch your body language” was a neutral comment, prosecutors said at the time.
But that was not an argument accepted by the South Carolina Supreme Court justices who overturned the conviction.
“Mr. Hill’s shocking jury intervention took place without the presence and knowledge of a distinguished judge and highly competent and professional attorneys for the state and defense,” the state Supreme Court justices said in a 5-0 vote.
“While we are aware of the time, money, and effort invested in this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Mr. Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial and remand for a new trial based on Mr. Hill’s improper influence on the jury,” the 27-page opinion reads.
During the trial, the defense also criticized the state’s evidence, arguing that law enforcement was too focused on Murdaugh as a suspect and failed to gather important information.
Murdaugh defended himself during the trial, repeatedly denying killing his family. He suggested that a 2019 boating accident in which Paul was involved may have killed his family.
Mallory Beach, 19, died in the March 2019 accident after being on Murdaugh’s boat. Paul Murdaugh was charged with felony boating under the influence in May of that year in Beach’s death.
In 2023, lawyers for Mallory Beach’s family announced they had reached a $15 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit related to the crash.
What happens next?
Less than two hours after the Supreme Court’s decision was announced, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a statement vowing to retry the lawyer.
“While we respectfully disagree with the court’s decision, my office will aggressively seek to have Alex Murdaugh retried as soon as possible for the murders of Maggie and Paul,” Wilson said.
He added: “No one is above the law. As always, we will continue to fight for justice.”
Will Alex Murdaugh be released from prison?
Despite the May 13 High Court ruling, Murdaugh will not be released any time soon.
In 2024, he was also convicted of multiple fraud-related offenses worth millions of dollars in connection with a massive financial crimes case spanning more than a decade that affected victims in multiple South Carolina counties.
Murdaugh is currently serving 40 years in federal prison for his crimes.
What happened to Hill?
Hill also faced criminal charges related to the murder trial proceedings. In December, she pleaded guilty to state charges of criminal mischief, perjury and obstruction of justice, but the sentence was suspended and she received no jail time.
Hill denied giving media members access to sealed documents in the case, but investigators later discovered she had shared crime scene photos.
She was charged with two counts of misconduct while in office for receiving a bonus and promoting a book she wrote in court.
Contributed by Michael M. DeWitt, Jr. USA TODAY Network
Natalie Neisa Alland covers trending news for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter. @nataliealund.
