South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh is pictured in a mugshot taken March 7, 2023, at the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia, S.C. He will face a new trial on the murder charges related to the deaths of his wife and son. File Photo courtesy South Carolina Department of Corrections | License Photo
May 13 (UPI) -- The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the double murder convictions for former lawyer Alex Murdaugh for the slayings of his wife and son.
The court ordered a new trial for the 2021 deaths of Margaret Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of the two murders -- along with two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime -- and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.
In a 5-0 ruling Wednesday, though, the state's highest court said the murder trial had been improperly influenced by county clerk Becky Hill. The justices said she "placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury."
"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."
