2023 murder convictions

The unanimous ruling by the South Carolina Supreme Court vacates the guilty verdicts that previously sentenced the former lawyer to life in prison. The decision centers on the conduct of Becky Hill, who served as the Colleton County Clerk of Court during the original proceedings. The high court determined that Hill’s interactions with the jury were sufficiently damaging to invalidate the original trial’s outcome.

Judicial Interference by Colleton County Clerk

The court’s decision rested on the finding that Becky Hill improperly spoke to jurors, an action that the justices described as tainting the decision-making process. The ruling emphasizes that this interference occurred without the knowledge of the legal professionals managing the case.

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.

South Carolina Supreme Court

The court noted that the trial judge and the legal teams for both the prosecution and the defense were unaware of these interactions. The ruling characterized the interference as shocking and specifically mentioned that it took place outside the presence and knowledge of the outstanding trial judge and superbly competent and professional counsel.

By attacking the credibility of the defendant and the merits of his defense directly to the jury, Hill created a presumption of prejudice. Under state law, this means the court assumes the trial was unfair unless the state can prove otherwise. In this instance, the South Carolina Supreme Court concluded that the state failed to rebut that presumption.

Vacating the 2023 Convictions

The 2023 convictions stemmed from the June 2021 shootings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. A Colleton County jury had previously found the former attorney guilty of these double murders, leading to his life sentence. The current ruling removes those verdicts and remands the case for a new trial.

The reversal highlights a critical failure in court administration. Because the Clerk of Court is a position of trust and authority within the judicial system, the court viewed the breach of neutrality as a fundamental violation of the defendant’s right to a fair trial. The ruling does not address the evidence of the crimes themselves but focuses entirely on the procedural misconduct that compromised the jury’s impartiality.

State Prosecution and Future Proceedings

The South Carolina Attorney General’s office has signaled that it will not let the case drop despite the high court’s decision. Attorney General Alan Wilson, whose office led the prosecution, expressed disagreement with the ruling but confirmed his intent to seek another conviction.

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.

Alan Wilson, South Carolina Attorney General

The legal process now moves back to the lower courts to schedule a new trial. This means the state must assemble a new jury and present its case once more. The prosecution’s challenge will be to ensure that the administrative failures of the first trial are not repeated, particularly regarding the role of court staff and their access to jurors.

The case remains one of the most scrutinized legal battles in South Carolina history, moving from a high-profile conviction in 2023 to a complete reversal in May 2026. The focus now shifts to the timeline for the new trial and whether the original evidence will suffice to secure a second conviction in the absence of the clerk’s interference.