The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the double murder convictions of disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh, ruling that a court clerk improperly influenced the jury during his 2023 trial. The decision, issued May 14, 2026, vacates Murdaugh's life sentences for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, in June 2021.
The court found that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill had made statements to jurors that prejudiced the case, including urging them to convict Murdaugh. The justices unanimously agreed that Hill's actions violated Murdaugh's right to a fair trial. The ruling does not dismiss the charges, and prosecutors have announced plans to retry Murdaugh.
Murdaugh, 57, has been serving a life sentence without parole at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. He also faces numerous federal and state charges related to financial crimes, including fraud and money laundering, for which he has pleaded guilty. The overturning of the murder convictions does not affect those pleas.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to Murdaugh's prominent legal family in South Carolina's Lowcountry and the web of financial crimes that emerged during the investigation. The retrial date has not yet been set.
