The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled, in a decision that was handed down Wednesday morning, May 13th , Alex Murdaugh will be re-tried for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
In a hearing before the justices in February, the defense counsel for Murdaugh argued that he should be eligible for a new trial based on their belief that the Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, tampered with the jury and that South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Cliffton Newman was in error by allowing Murdaugh’s financial crimes to be discussed during the murder trial.
The Murdaugh trail took six weeks in early 2023, receiving national attention and was broadcast worldwide. After a very short deliberation, Murdaugh was convicted of two counts of murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul. His conviction resulted in a sentence of two life terms at the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
In their two-tiered argument for a new trial, the defense team claimed that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, who resigned from her position on March 25, 2024, stating she wanted to spend more time with family, tampered with the jury who unanimously found Murdaugh guilty on both murder charges. Post-Trial, Hill published a book “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders”.
In. their ruling, The Supreme Court said, “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,”
Hill pleaded guilty to misconduct in office, obstruction of justice, and perjury after she was charged with taking more than $11,000 in bonuses and using her public office to promote her book. S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal said after a 2024 hearing in Columbia, that any improper contact Hill had with jurors did not directly lead to the guilty verdicts. Hill was sentenced to probation and community service. In its Wednesday decision the Supreme Court stated, “The breathtaking and disgraceful effort of Hill to undermine the jury process is unprecedented in South Carolina.”
Regarding his financial charges, Murdaugh is also serving prison time on state and federal charges for stealing funds from clients and his former law firm, the Parker Law Group.
Judge Newman allowed the financial evidence to be admitted to the trial, and this was the second tier of the defense case for a new trial.
Judge Clifton Newman, who presided over Murdaugh’s murder trial, allowed the jury to hear details of the financial crimes despite protests from Murdaugh’s defense team. Ten witnesses were called during the murder trial to talk about Murdaugh’s, at that time potential financial crimes. The defense said in their argument, the testimony did not prove his money problems were a motive in the double homicide.
Defense Attorney Jim Griffin stated that a previous case, “presents us with the likelihood that the jury convicted the defendant because of his character and not because of the evidence surrounding the murder. In these circumstances, these errors cannot be regarded as harmless.”
The South Carolina Supreme said in there ruling, “We unanimously hold the trial court allowed the State to go far too long and far too deep into aspects of Murdaugh’s financial crimes that were not probative of the State’s theory of motive, which gave rise to considerable danger of unfair prejudice, and therefore should have been excluded.”
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement following the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision. Wilson said in a press release, “While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, my Office will aggressively seek to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as soon as possible. Let me be clear—this decision does not mean Murdaugh will be released. He will remain in prison for his financial crimes. No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice.”
