The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s double murder conviction and life sentence and ordered a new trial for the murders of his wife and son.
Subscribe to read this story without ads
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
In the latest development in a tortuous legal saga, the state Supreme Court ruled that Murdaugh was denied his right to a fair trial because of Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill’s “improper outside influence on the jury.”
“Mr. Hill has put his finger on the scales of justice,” the court wrote in a unanimous decision, accusing him of making “shocking” interventions, including suggesting to jurors that they could not trust Murdaugh’s testimony.
Murdaugh’s attorney, Jim Griffin, did not respond to a request for comment.
Murdaugh was found guilty two years ago in a trial that drew national attention for the June 2021 murders of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh.
Prosecutors in the case accused Murdaugh of carrying out the killings to gain sympathy and distract from financial crimes that could damage his public reputation.
A jury convicted the former personal injury attorney of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a crime of violence. He had maintained his innocence.
Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina legal scion, has strongly denied killing his wife and second son ever since their bodies were discovered outside his home.
“I respect this court, but I am innocent,” Murdaugh told the judge during sentencing in March 2023. “I would never under any circumstances hurt my wife Maggie, and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son Paul Paul,” he said.
But Judge Clifton Newman strongly reprimanded Murdaugh, implying that the defendant was dependent on painkillers.
“It might not have been you,” Newman said. “If you took 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills, you could have turned into a monster. Maybe you could have turned into a different person. I’ve seen it before.
“The person standing in front of me is the same person, but he was not the person who committed the crime,” Newman added.
Wednesday’s ruling does not mean Murdaugh will be released. He is serving a 40-year federal sentence after pleading guilty to stealing about $12 million from his customers.
Hill pleaded guilty last year to criminal charges for showing a sealed courtroom exhibit to a photographer and lying about it in court. She was sentenced to one year of probation.
“There is no excuse for the mistake I made. I am ashamed,” Hill said in a brief statement in court.
Hill’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The story of the Murdaugh family captivated people far beyond South Carolina’s Lowcountry. This sprawling legal drama has been turned into a podcast, a book, and a Hulu miniseries starring Jason Clarke and Patricia Arquette.
