Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh to face new trial for wife and son murders after bombshell court ruling
The disgraced lawyer was convicted in 2023 of killing his wife and son
The South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced lawyer who was convicted in 2023 of killing his wife and son.
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The court has ordered a new trial for Murdaugh over the June 2021 killings, which have been the focus of a number of docuseries, podcasts and books. The trial itself was also televised.
Murdaugh's defence team argued that a court clerk had tampered with the jury in the original murder trial.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices said they had "no choice" but to order a new trial, adding that Becky Hill, the Colleton County clerk of court, "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility and his defence, thus triggering the presumption of prejudice".
The once-powerful lawyer has been in prison serving two life sentences for the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
He is also serving two additional 27- and 40-year sentences for state and federal financial crimes.
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In a 5-0 ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court a new trial was warranted because the local county clerk had unfairly biased a jury against him.
"Both the State and Murdaugh's defence skillfully presented their cases to the jury as the trial court deftly presided over this complicated and high-profile matter," the justices wrote.
"However, their efforts were in vain because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury."
Last December, Hill pleaded guilty to charges of misconduct in office, obstruction of justice and perjury over accusations that she misused public funds as a clerk and shared sealed court information with a reporter, among other claims.
Wednesday’s ruling cites several comments Hill allegedly made to jurors during the trial.
In an affidavit, one juror said Hill told them to “watch [Murdaugh] closely”, which influenced her guilty verdict because she believed the clerk was suggesting he was guilty.
Others said Hill warned them “not to be fooled” by the defence’s evidence and, as deliberations began, told them: “[T]his shouldn’t take us long.”
A few months after Murdaugh's trial, Hill published a book detailing the court proceedings.
In their ruling, the justices mentioned the book, called Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.
"As her book's title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold," the justices wrote.
The book was later pulled from publication due to allegations that Hill had "plagiarised portions of it".