The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh could be retried for the murders of his wife and son after the South Carolina Supreme Court agreed to hear his appeal accusing the court clerk of jury tampering during the original trial.
The order, issued on Tuesday, means the high-profile murder case that captured nationwide attention, will skip the appeals process and go straight to the high court.
Arguments will be heard about whether or not Murdaugh should be given a new murder trial based on his allegations that Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, tampered with jurors and pushed them to a guilty verdict.
In March 2023, after a six-week trial, a jury convicted Murdaugh of shooting and killing his wife Maggie, 52, and 22-year-old son, Paul, at the family’s hunting estate on June 7, 2021. He is serving two life sentences for their murders.
Murdaugh’s team then requested a new trial based on allegations of jury tampering.
But earlier this year, South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal ruled that the defense did not present enough evidence to grant a new trial.
Hill has repeatedly denied the allegations but has resigned from her position. She is under state investigation and facing at least 76 ethics violations alleging she used her professional position for personal gain.
Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion in July requesting the high court review the ruling from earlier this year,
If the state Supreme Court sides with Murdaugh, it could overturn Toal’s decision and the convicted killer could be granted a new trial in the murders of his wife and son.
During Murdaugh’s high-profile trial last year, jurors heard how his son Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of dog kennels. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull, the jury was told.
Prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semi automatic rifle and opened fire on his wife as she tried to flee. Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders but continued to claim his innocence.
Prosecutors argued that he killed his family to distract from his financial crimes, which threatened to ruin the powerful South Carolina family’s reputation.
In a dramatic moment at his trial, Murdaugh took the stand and confessed to running a vast financial fraud scheme. From 2008 until 2021, Murdaugh swindled dozens of his law firm clients out of millions of dollars, including the family of his longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield who helped raise his sons.
Nearly a year after his murder conviction, Murdaugh was sentenced to 40 years in prison for federal financial fraud and 27 years for state financial fraud crimes.
