OAN Staff Jenna Lee and Sophia Flores
3:24 PM – Wednesday, May 13, 2026
In a bombshell ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh and ordered a new trial for the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
On Wednesday, Murdaugh, who was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole after a six-week trial in 2023 for the 2021 murders of his wife and 22-year-old son, was granted a new trial after the state Supreme Court found that the local county clerk had “placed her fingers on the scales of justice.”
“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,” the justices wrote in a unanimous 5-0 ruling.
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Murdaugh’s defense team centered their argument on the total lack of physical evidence, highlighting that no DNA or blood spatter was ever found on Murdaugh or his clothing despite the brutal, close-range nature of the killings.
His lawyers further argued that the 2023 trial was fundamentally unfair because the judge allowed extensive testimony regarding Murdaugh’s unrelated financial thefts. They maintained—and the state Supreme Court ultimately agreed—that flooding the courtroom with evidence of his status as a “thief” served only to bias the jurors against him, distracting them from the absence of forensic proof linking him to the murders.
The court’s ruling centered on the actions of former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill, who oversaw the trial. Prosecutors argued that Hill improperly influenced jurors to find Murdaugh guilty as she hoped to improve sales of her book she had written about the case. She later pleaded guilty to lying about revealing sealed photos of the crime scene and was given a three-year probation.
Murdaugh’s lawyers applauded the court’s decision, saying the retrial will be different from the first one.
“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,” the lawyers wrote.
“Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son,” the lawyers continued. “We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided.”
Although he will have a new trial, Murdaugh will not walk free from prison. He previously pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and is serving concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences.
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