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The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the murder conviction of Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted in March 2023 of double homicide of his wife and son.
The court ordered a new trial, saying that Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who served as the court clerk in Colleton County, exercised “improper external influences” during Murdaugh’s first trial.
Murdaugh’s attorney Dick Harpootlian said in a statement that Murdaugh will remain in custody.
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Alex Murdaugh, convicted of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021, sits during a hearing on a motion for a retrial on Jan. 16, 2024, at the Richland County Judicial Center in Columbia, S.C. Federal prosecutors said Murdaugh did not disclose the whereabouts of $6 million he stole or whether an unnamed attorney assisted him and seek to revoke a plea deal on federal financial crime charges, according to court documents. (Tracy Glantz/The State/AP)
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The state supreme court voted unanimously on the decision.
“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,” their ruling said.
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A post-trial court found that Hill “made improper comments to the jurors on the day Murdaugh testified, e.g., ‘this is an important day’ or ‘this is an epic day’ and that they should watch Murdaugh’s body language, on the day he testified in his own defense.
One juror recalled “that Hill told the jurors not to be fooled by the evidence Murdaugh’s defense presented,” according to the document, saying “They’re going to say things that will try to confuse you. Don’t let them confuse you or convince you or throw you off.”
The documents say Hill tried to “insert herself into the jury’s deliberations through these comments was in line with her stated desire for a guilty verdict to sell more copies of the book she planned to write.”
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Alex Murdaugh attends his sentencing at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on March 3, 2023, after being convicted on all four counts in a double murder trial and sentenced to life in prison. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool)
The ruling references the post-trial court’s finding that, “Hill was attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and “allowed her desire for the public attention of the moment to overcome her duty to her oath of office.”
“Accordingly, we hold Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial by an impartial jury was violated, and the post-trial court erred in denying his motion for a new trial,” the ruling says.
Muraugh, now 57, was accused in 2021 of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul on their family property in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The alleged murders and subsequent trial captivated the nation. Murdaugh was a high-powered personal injury lawyer whose family was considered royalty in neighboring Hampton County, where they lived.
The trial was moved to Colleton County due to the Murdaugh family’s reputation in Hampton County.
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Hill pleaded guilty to four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs that were sealed court exhibits and then lying about it, plus two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting a book she wrote on the trial through her public office — in December.
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Murdaugh was sentenced in 2023 to two consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife and son. He is also serving an additional 40 years in prison for his financial crimes and remains in custody at a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.