A shocking twist in the Alex Murdaugh saga. What's going on?

Alex Murdaugh, the former attorney who was sentenced to life in prison for the double murder of his wife and son, had those convictions overturned on May 13 when the South Carolina Supreme Court said a clerk improperly influenced the trial jury.

The news is the latest twist in a sprawling legal saga. In a separate case, Murdaugh confessed to and was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison in for a multimillion-dollar financial fraud crime spree. That conviction was not affected by the new decision.

The court found evidence of "shocking jury interference" was grounds for throwing out Murdaugh's initial murder trial. Here's what to know:

What conviction was overturned?

The court's decision focuses on a double murder conviction.

Murdaugh's wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were shot to death on the family's South Carolina property in June 2021, sparking an investigation that drew national attention and media coverage. The investigation into their deaths also led police to reopen cases of other deaths and accusations of further crimes that went back years.

Murdaugh, whose full name is Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, was found guilty in 2023 of the two murders of his wife and son and charges for possession of a weapon. Murdaugh took the stand during his trial and denied being behind the killings of his family, which he first reported to police after he said he found them dead, but he admitted to lying about his whereabouts that day. He was sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms.

The case, which became the subject of multiple documentaries including a popular Netflix offering in 2023, appears once again up in the air as Murdaugh's conviction was overturned – and he may face a murder trial all over again.

Why was Murdaugh's conviction overturned 3 years later?

After Murdaugh was handed his murder sentence, he appealed on grounds of alleged jury tampering, among other accusations. The appeal made it up to the state's Supreme Court during a Feb. 11 session, during which his attorneys argued he didn't get a fair trial, the Greenville News reported.

The court ruled on May 13 that Murdaugh be granted a new murder trial. At the center of the ruling were the actions of a clerk who later coauthored a tell-all book, "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders." Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill's comments to jurors and other actions tainted the trial, his defense said.

What was the improper influence in the Murdaugh case?

Hill, the county clerk, was accused of jury tampering. During the Feb. 11 court appearance, Murdaugh's attorney Richard Harpootlian told the judges that Hill made statements to discredit Murdaugh's trial testimony to jurors, including: "Don't be fooled" by the defendant's arguments, "Don't let them confuse you" and "Watch his actions."

Prosecutors meanwhile disputed some of the statements and dismissed others as "non egregious," the Greenville News reported.

"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.

What happens next? Can he be retried?

The court's ruling on May 13 means that Murdaugh is entitled to a new murder trial, but it will be up to state prosecutors to decide if they will retry the case or dismiss it, reported the Greenville News.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement that his office would seek to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible.

If the South Carolina Attorney General's Office does prosecute again, after the Supreme Court noted significant effort and resources went into the first trial, then the state's Circuit Court system will schedule a new trial and its venue.

Will Murdaugh be released from prison?

Murdaugh is also serving a concurrent 40-year sentence for his federal conviction on 22 charges that included bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. During his federal trial, prosecutors said he stole from his legal clients and from his firm. He admitted to financial crimes but appeared to blame them on an opiate addiction.

Even if a new trial finds Murdaugh not guilty, his federal sentence remains unchanged.

He is also serving a 27-year state sentence for financial and drug crimes that are unaffected by the decision.

What happened in the Alex Murdaugh case?

The Murdaughs were among the most prominent families in South Carolina, with multiple generations that ran a prosecutor's office in Hampton County for decades. Murdaugh was disbarred in 2022 after the case unraveled criminal allegations and a fall from grace.

Maggie and Paul were shot and killed at the family's estate on June 7, 2021. Investigators put the killings between 9 and 9:30 p.m. that day. Murdaugh called authorities to report that he had found them dead at about 10:07 p.m., telling 911 investigators he wasn't home when they were shot.

Prosecutors said after Murdaugh was charged that he shot his family members to gain sympathy while he tried to cover up financial crimes. While he ultimately admitted to the financial charges, he has always denied killing his wife and son.

Instead, he has suggested he believes the members of his family were killed because of a 2019 boat crash Paul was involved in that caused the death of a teen girl, 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Court filings from a survivor of that crash alleged a possible conspiracy between the Murdaugh family and law enforcement, the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Paul was indicted on felony counts, including boating under the influence, and pleaded not guilty, but was shot to death before he was tried.

Police also reopened the case of 19-year-old Stephen Smith's death in 2015 in what was first deemed a hit-and-run, citing evidence uncovered while investigating the Murdaugh murders.

In another twist, Murdaugh was shot in the head but survived in September 2021 in what state police described as an attempted life insurance scheme so his surviving son Buster would get his $10 million life insurance policy. He was also caught misappropriating insurance proceeds after the 2018 death of his housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.

He eventually pleaded guilty to 22 state financial and drug-related charges.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; Michael M. DeWitt Jr., the Greenville News