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.
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 Lowcountry’s so-called ‘trial of the century’ 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, 57, was convicted in 2023 of the June 7, 2021, slayings of Maggie, 52, and his younger son, Paul, 22, in a high-profile trial watched gavel-to-gavel across the country.
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, 2021.
The killer had used two guns, both of which have never been found, with Paul’s wounds so catastrophic that his brain was entirely removed from his skull.
Murdaugh called 911, claiming to have returned home to find 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 light.
In 2019, Paul was charged with causing a boat crash that resulted in the death of his friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach, and was awaiting trial at the time of his murder.
Prior to this, the family’s housekeeper Gloria Satterfield died in a mysterious trip-and-fall accident at the Murdaugh estate.
The family’s name was also linked, without any evidence, to an unsolved homicide of gay teen Stephen Smith in 2015.
Three months after the murders, Murdaugh then allegedly tried to hire a hitman, his distant cousin, Curtis ‘Cousin Eddie’ Smith, to stage his own botched shooting.
Finally, the double life of the prominent attorney was laid bare as his multi-million-dollar fraud scheme embezzling millions from clients at his law firm was revealed.