Alex Murdaugh Murder Convictions Tossed by Court, New Trial Ordered
Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Conviction Overturned ... Going Back on Trial
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8:47 AM PT -- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement Wednesday, saying ... "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."
Alex Murdaugh just caught a massive break behind bars ... with South Carolina's high court tossing out his murder convictions, and ordering a new trial.
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, can’t stand because the jury process was compromised.
At the center of the decision is former court clerk Becky Hill ... who was accused of making anti-Murdaugh comments to jurors and influencing deliberations during the nationally televised trial. The court said the misconduct was serious enough to blow up the verdict entirely.
Murdaugh had been sentenced to life in prison after prosecutors argued he murdered his wife and son at the family’s South Carolina hunting estate in 2021 ... allegedly hoping the shocking killings would distract from the financial crimes and scandals closing in around him.
One of the biggest moments at trial was a cellphone video placing Murdaugh near the kennels shortly before the murders ... a key piece of evidence prosecutors leaned on heavily. Still, the appeals court said the integrity of the jury had been tainted -- meaning the guilty verdicts had to go.
Murdaugh is not being released from prison, though. Even with the murder convictions overturned, he’s still serving lengthy sentences tied to the massive financial fraud schemes he admitted to carrying out for years.
But now, one of the country’s most infamous murder cases is headed back to court ... and the Murdaugh murder saga is far from finished.
In a statement obtained by TMZ, Alex Murdaugh's defense team, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, respond to the court's decision saying ...
"The Supreme Court's decision today affirms that the rule of law remains strong in South Carolina. The Court found that Becky Hill's conduct during the trial attacked Alex Murdaugh's credibility and his defense. The Court rightly described her conduct as 'breathtaking,' 'disgraceful,' and 'unprecedented in South Carolina.'
"We respect the decision that made clear that the retrial must look very different from the first. The initial jury heard more than twelve hours of testimony about Alex's financial crimes. The Court held that this evidence went far beyond what was necessary and gave rise to unfair prejudice. On retrial, that will not be permitted. Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided."
