South Carolina Supreme Court Overturns Alex Murdaugh Murder Convictions and Orders New Trial

The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions on May 13, 2026, and ordered a new trial in the killings of his wife and son. In a 5-0 unanimous vote, the court ruled that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility and defense in comments made to the jury.

The justices stated that Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice and accused her of shocking jury interference through improper external influences.

The ruling cited multiple statements Hill allegedly made during the six-week televised trial. A juror wrote in an affidavit that Hill told jurors to watch Murdaugh closely. Jurors also stated that Hill told them not to be fooled by the evidence presented by the defense team and, when deliberations began, said this shouldn't take us long.

Murdaugh’s lawyers had argued that Hill tampered with the jury by telling them not to trust his testimony and to speed up the verdict. Hill pleaded guilty in December to perjury, obstruction of justice, and misconduct in office. Prosecutors alleged she made sealed evidence available to the media, lied under oath, and used her position to promote a tell-all book about the trial that she published a few months after the proceedings.

Hill denied making most of the comments jurors claimed she made. She admitted, however, that on the day of Murdaugh’s testimony, within earshot of some jurors, she spoke to the bailiff about his decision to take the stand and told jurors it was a big day. Murdaugh, 56, was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021.

The pair were shot at close range near the family’s dog kennels. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and has been serving two life sentences. He was sentenced to an additional 40 years for federal financial crimes.

During the murder trial, prosecutors argued Murdaugh killed his wife and son to conceal years of financial corruption. He had been accused of stealing from his law partners and clients for years to feed a painkiller addiction and extravagant lifestyle.

The South Carolina Supreme Court also ruled that too much evidence from Murdaugh’s federal financial crimes case was allowed in the murder trial, giving rise to considerable danger of unfair prejudice.

The court did not overturn Murdaugh’s conviction or sentence on the separate federal financial crimes case. The ruling was issued on Wednesday.

“Both the State and Murdaugh's defense skillfully presented their cases to the jury as the trial court deftly presided over this complicated and high-profile matter. However, their efforts were in vain because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury." — South Carolina Supreme Court opinion The decision returns one of the most closely watched U.S. homicide cases of the past decade to the trial stage. Murdaugh’s original trial drew sustained national attention, spawning documentaries, podcasts and books. The Supreme Court’s findings center on external influences that the justices determined compromised the impartiality of the jury before it began weighing evidence.”