Disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh will be given a new trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, following a bombshell ruling from the state’s highest court.
The South Carolina Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that the five justices had voted unanimously to overturn Murdaugh’s conviction for the June 2021 slayings after the trial was marred by jury tampering at the hands of the court clerk Becky Hill.
In the 5-0 ruling, the justices issued a scathing reprimand of Hill, writing that she ‘egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility’ throughout his March 2023 trial as she tried to influence the jury to return a guilty verdict because she was writing a book about the case.
‘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 justices wrote.
‘Here, Hill, the Colleton County Clerk of Court, egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility and his defense, thus triggering the presumption of prejudice, which the State was unable to rebut.
‘As noted at the outset, 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. We are accordingly constrained to reverse the post-trial court’s denial of Murdaugh’s motion and remand for a new trial consistent with this opinion.’
Despite the ruling, Murdaugh will not walk free from prison as he is serving separate 40-year and 27-year sentences on a slew of financial crimes.
Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of the June 7, 2021 slayings of Maggie, 52, and younger son, Paul, 22, in a high-profile trial watched gavel-to-gavel across the country.
Alex Murdaugh (seen during his 2023 sentencing on state financial crimes) has been granted a new trial
Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh. On June 7, 2021, Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the family estate
The tale of Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace is one that has captivated the public for years.
This was a man who had it all, born into a powerful, wealthy family that had dominated the justice system in South Carolina’s Lowcountry for more than a century.
When Maggie and Paul were murdered, his life and reputation began to unravel.
The mother and son were shot dead at the dog kennels on the powerful legal family’s sprawling 17,000-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of June 7, 2022.
Murdaugh called 911 claiming to have found his loved ones’ bodies.
Following the slayings, other mysterious deaths tied to the prominent family fell under the spotlight, and his multi-million-dollar fraud schemes came to fore.
Murdaugh even allegedly tried to hire a hitman, his distant cousin Curtis ‘Cousin Eddie’ Smith, and stage his own shooting months after the family killings.
Finally, the double life of the prominent attorney was finally laid bare, culminating in his arrest for his wife and son’s murders.
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Becky Hill was accused of tampering with the jury
Buster Murdaugh, Margaret Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh and Richard Murdaugh, l.-r., in a photo posted by Margaret for Father’s Day, 2020
During a high-profile six-week trial, jurors heard how Murdaugh’s life was imploding in the lead-up to the murders as his multi-million-dollar fraud schemes were about to be exposed.
Damning cell phone evidence captured by his murdered son in the moments before his death proved that Murdaugh had lied about his alibi that night.
Murdaugh had claimed he never went to the dog kennels with his wife and son that night.
During the trial, jurors were shown a cellphone video of a dog captured by Paul minutes before the final activity on the phone. In the background, his father’s distinctive voice could be heard, placing Murdaugh at the crime scene.
Murdaugh took the stand and confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders. He also confessed to stealing millions from law firm clients but insisted he did not kill his wife and son.
The jury found him guilty of the murders and sentenced him to life in prison.
Since then, Murdaugh has maintained his innocence of the murders and continued to fight his conviction ever since.
His fight for a retrial was chiefly based on allegations that Hill, the Colleton County Clerk of Court during his high-profile trial, tampered with the jury.
Murdaugh has ‘got a good attitude’ about life in prison, his attorney said, and is actively involved in his appeal from behind bars
Pictured from left: Paul, Maggie and Buster. A source close to Buster said he has not spoken to his father much, though Harpootlian tells a different story
Hill, who was in charge of managing the jury and read out the guilty verdict to the court, pleaded guilty in December to four charges connected to the case: obstruction of justice, perjury, and two counts of misconduct in office.
The 58-year-old admitted to showing sealed court exhibits including graphic crime scene photos to a reporter during the trial and then lying about it. She also admitted to taking bonuses and promoting a tell-all book about the trial through her public office.
Prosecutors however argued that Hill’s actions did not sway the outcome of the case because the evidence against him was overwhelming and so his conviction should still stand.
During a hearing before the South Carolina Supreme Court in February, the five justices appeared to be swaying in favor of Murdaugh.
A lower court judge previously denied Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial.
Prosecutors had investigated allegations of jury tampering against Hill after three jurors or alternates claimed she may have been trying to influence them, but found there was not the evidence to prove charges.
Hill, who resigned in disgrace in 2024, was handed three years’ probation.
In their fight for a new trial, Murdaugh’s legal team argued that Hill tried to influence the jury to return a guilty verdict because she was writing a book about the trial.
Maggie and Paul were gunned down, with two different firearms, at the dog kennels on the Murdaugh family’s Moselle estate on June 7, 2021
Murdaugh’s team also argued the jury should not have been able to hear about Murdaugh’s financial crimes.
During the murder trial, prosecutors presented a motive that the legal dynasty heir killed his wife and son in a bid to salvage his crumbling finances and reputation.
At the time, Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a string of financial fraud charges. When he took the stand to testify in his defense, he sensationally confessed to stealing millions from his law firm and legal clients – but insisted he was innocent of the murders.
In April 2024, Murdaugh was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 federal financial crimes. He was previously sentenced to 27 years on similar state charges, with the two sentences running concurrently.
