Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction overturned by court, new trial ordered

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 marred by the "improper" influence of a county clerk and calling the official's actions "shocking jury interference."

Murdaugh, a prominent former South Carolina lawyer whose case has garnered national attention for years, was found guilty of two counts of murder in the deaths of his wife and son, as well as weapons charges.

Murdaugh's wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot near dog kennels at the family's home on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh admitted in court that he lied to investigators when he told them he was not at the kennels before finding their bodies.

A jury convicted Murdaugh following a more than five-week trial in Walterboro, about 50 miles west of Charleston. But the high court's decision to grant Murdaugh a new trial came after oral arguments in February in the high-profile, double-murder conviction appeal, the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network reported.

South Carolina Supreme Court bashes 'shocking jury interference'

Murdaugh’s attorneys in his appeal argued the trial was tainted by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill's improper comments to jurors, among other issues.

Hill worked during Murdaugh’s trial and later co-authored an exposé about the case titled, "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders."

Murdaugh attorney Richard Harpootlian during the February appeals arguments told the court that Hill made comments to jurors, including "don't be fooled" by the defendant and and "watch his actions," while Murdaugh was preparing to testify.

Creighton Waters, lead prosecutor with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, later argued that that Hill's comments to jurors were "limited in scope," and attempted to refute several of them.

For example, when Hill said "today is going to be an epic day" before Murdaugh testified, Waters argued it was a true statement. And her instructions to the jury to "watch his body language," was a neutral comment, the prosecutor said at the time.

But it wasn't an argument the South Carolina Supreme Court justices accepted as they overturned the convictions.

"Hill's shocking jury interference was accomplished outside the presence and knowledge of the outstanding trial judge and superbly competent and professional counsel for the State and the defense," the state Supreme Court justices wrote in a 5-0 vote.

“Although we are aware of the time, money, and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s improper external influences on the jury and remand for a new trial,” the 27-page opinion reads.

During the trial, the defense also criticized the state's evidence and argued law enforcement failed to collect key information because they were too narrowly focused on Murdaugh as a suspect.

Murdaugh took the stand in his own defense during trial and repeatedly denied killing his family. He suggested that a 2019 boat crash that Paul was involved in is the reason his family was killed. 

Mallory Beach, 19, was killed in the March 2019 crash after being onboard Murdaugh's boat. Paul Murdaugh was charged with felony boating under the influence in Beach's death in May of the same year.

Attorneys for Mallory Beach's family in 2023 announced that they had reached a $15 million settlement in a wrongful death suit related to the crash.

What happens next?

Less than two hours after the Supreme Court's ruling was announced, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement vowing to retry the one-time attorney.

“While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, my Office will aggressively seek to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as soon as possible," Wilson said.

"No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice,” the attorney general added.

Will Alex Murdaugh be released from prison?

Despite the high court's ruling on May 13, Murdaugh will likely not be released from behind bars anytime soon.

That's because in 2024 he was also convicted of multiple fraud-related crimes worth millions of dollars in connection to a sweeping, decade-plus, financial crime case that affected victims in multiple South Carolina counties.

Murdaugh is currently serving 40 years in federal prison for that crime.

What happened to Hill?

Hill also faced criminal charges tied to the murder trial proceedings. In December, she pleaded guilty to state charges of misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice, though she received probation and no prison sentence.

Hill had denied that she allowed members of the media access to sealed materials in the case, but investigators later found she shared crime scene photos.

She faced two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting the book she wrote on the trial.

Contributing: Michael M. DeWitt, Jr. with the USA TODAY Network

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.