Three years after Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife and son, the former prominent attorney’s murder convictions were overturned Wednesday, according to multiple reports. He’s expected to get a new trial.
CBS News reported that the South Carolina Supreme Court agreed with Murdaugh’s attorneys that his trial was tainted. His legal team argued that a county clerk’s improper comments to jurors asking them to watch Murdaugh’s body language and suggesting that he might lie were the source of this tainting.
While prosecutors acknowledged those comments, they argued they did not influence the jury, said CBS.
CNN identified the clerk as Becky Hill, who also wrote a tell-all book about the Murdaugh murder trial. Previously, retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal “determined those comments did not influence the jury’s verdict and denied Murdaugh’s request for a new trial,” said the outlet. Toal also said Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity.”
Murdaugh, 57, is from a prominent legal family in South Carolina, and the murder case spawned many media products, from books and podcasts to a Hulu series. He is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, was convicted of the murders in March 2023 and received two life sentences, though he has denied the murder allegations.
Last May, Hill was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct. She pleaded guilty to the charges last December. This February, Murdaugh’s attorneys argued for a new trial due to Hill’s influence on the initial trial, according to NPR.
“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,” South Carolina Supreme Court justices wrote in a 5-0 vote cited by CNN.
Though Murdaugh denied that he was guilty of murdering his wife and son, he did separately plead guilty to dozens of financial crimes. He is currently serving concurrent state and federal sentences of 27 and 40 years, CNN noted.
