Alex Murdaugh — the disgraced prominent US lawyer who was found guilty of killing his wife and son — has had his murder convictions sensationally overturned. Murdaugh, 57, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, following a dramatic, six-week trial that gripped the nation in 2023.Murdaugh’s lawyers appealed the murder convictions, arguing that former court clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill influenced the jury during the trial by telling them to closely watch his “body language” and “not to be fooled” by evidence presented by his lawyers.The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, US time, that issues raised in Murdaugh’s appeal proved he was denied a fair trial.“Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the justices wrote in a 5-0 ruling. “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.” South Carolina’s top public prosecutor said he would “aggressively seek to retry” Murdaugh soon. Ms Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice, perjury, and two counts of misconduct in office after admitting she showed sealed crime scene photos to a reporter and lied about it. She also admitted to promoting her book about the trial called Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders through her public office. Ms Hill was sentenced to probation.“As her book’s title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold,” the justices wrote in their ruling. “The book was pulled from publication because Hill plagiarised portions of it.”State to ‘aggressively retry’ MurdaughSouth Carolina Attorney-General Alan Wilson said he “respectfully” disagreed with the conviction being overturned. He was reported by US broadcaster NBC as saying he would “aggressively seek to retry” Murdaugh “as soon as possible.”Murdaugh’s lawyers said in a statement: “We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided”.Murdaugh – who hailed from a local legal dynasty — was convicted in March 2023 after a six-week trial, during which he testified in his own defence and denied killing his wife and son. There were no witnesses to the murders, but a Snapchat video Paul sent to a friend placed Murdaugh at the crime scene just moments before the two were fatally shot with an assault rifle on the family’s sprawling hunting estate.According to prosecutors, Murdaugh killed the pair after realising his years of stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and from clients to feed his hidden opioid addiction were about to go public. The case captivated a global audience and inspired documentaries, podcasts and book deals. The trial was also televised.Murdaugh will remain behind bars regardless of the outcome of his appeal, having been sentenced to 27 years in prison on state charges and 40 years in prison on federal charges relating to various financial crimes he committed before and after the deaths of Maggie and Paul. He continues to maintain his innocence.– With AFP