The state Supreme Court in South Carolina has overturned the murder conviction against lawyer Alex Murdaugh.
According to Al Jazeera, the South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 13, unanimously ordered a retrial in Murdaugh’s 2023 murder case.
The lawyer had been accused of murdering his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, who were found shot to death at the dog kennels outside the family lodge in June 2021.
The 57-year-old has denied any involvement in their killings.
In its ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court criticised the Colleton County court clerk, Rebecca Hill, for having “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” in court and thereby swaying the juror pool.
The court’s decision highlighted comments in which Hill advised jurors to watch Murdaugh’s “body language” and “not to be fooled” by his lawyer’s evidence.
The justices said, “Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury. We have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s improper external influence on the jury.”
The justices also pointed to Hill’s book, entitled Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, as evidence that she had not properly carried out the duties of her office.
The book was later unpublished after plagiarism charges emerged. Separately, in 2025, Hill herself pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, perjury and misconduct while in office.
Murdaugh is currently serving a 40-year federal sentence after pleading guilty to stealing $12m from his clients. He will not be released as a result of Wednesday’s decision.
While Murdaugh has acknowledged stealing, he has consistently denied any involvement in his wife’s and younger son’s deaths.
