South Carolina Supreme Court grants Alex Murdaugh's appeal for new trial
Justices said county clerk Becky Hill’s improper comments tainted the 2021 murder trial, forcing a retrial after Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions.
- On Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and ordered a new trial, citing "improper external influences on the jury" by former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill in a unanimous 5-0 decision.
- Evidence cited by the court indicated Hill urged jurors to "watch his body language" and "Don't let the defense confuse you," marring the 2023 trial that convicted Murdaugh of killing his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul.
- Following her resignation in March 2024, Hill pleaded guilty in December 2025 to perjury and obstruction of justice charges for using her court position to promote a book about the trial, receiving three years of probation.
- Despite the vacated murder convictions, the 57-year-old Murdaugh will remain imprisoned while serving concurrent state and federal sentences totaling 40 years for dozens of financial crimes, keeping him incarcerated for decades.
- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson must now decide whether to retry Murdaugh for the 2021 killings of Maggie and Paul in circuit court, determining the next phase of the sprawling legal saga.
59 Articles
59 Articles
South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions in deaths of wife and son - The Boston Globe
In a unanimous ruling, the justices said the conduct by the court clerk “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted.
Sydney Morning Herald
WA todayAlex Murdaugh’s double murder convictions overturned
Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance cheat and bad lawyer, has adamantly denied killing his wife Maggie and younger son Paul since he found their bodies in 2021.
Disgraced South Carolina lawyer’s conviction in wife, son’s murders thrown out
The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the murder convictions and life sentence of disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh in the shooting deaths of his wife and younger son.
Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions overturned in South Carolina Supreme Court ruling
The state Supreme Court ruling is a win for Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance cheat and bad lawyer, but has adamantly denied killing his wife Maggie and younger son Paul.
Infamous lawyer to get new trial after murder convictions overturned on appeal
South Carolina's Supreme Court has overturned the double murder of Alex Murdaugh and ordered a new trial in the slayings of his wife and son, according to reports.The State reported Wednesday morning that the court ruled that the actions of former Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill deprived the ...
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