COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) 鈥� The murder convictions and life sentence of were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty, but the disgraced lawyer won鈥檛 be leaving prison any time soon.
Prosecutors say they plan to retry Murdaugh, which likely means there will be another for the case that because of the combination of money, power, Southern accents and treachery has become a true crime sensation with several streaming miniseries, best selling books and dozens of true crime podcasts.
57, will remain in prison. He pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and currently is serving a 40-year federal sentence.
Prosecutors promise a retrial that will look different
Prosecutors said they would aggressively seek to try Murdaugh again on the murder charges with state Attorney General Alan Wilson saying he respected the court’s decision but no one is above the law.
Murdaugh’s lawyers pointed out that trial will look a lot different, as the justices also ruled days of evidence at the murder trial about how Murdaugh stole from clients, many of them in dire straights, shouldn’t be allowed next time.
Still, the ruling is a win for Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance cheat and bad lawyer, but has adamantly denied killing his wife Maggie and younger son Paul since he found their bodies outside their home in 2021.
鈥淎lex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial,鈥� Murdaugh鈥檚 lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said in a joint statement.
Court said clerk attacked Murdaugh’s credibility with jurors
In their unanimous ruling Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court said the conduct by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill 鈥渆gregiously attacked Murdaugh鈥檚 credibility鈥� by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted.
A few jurors said Hill, assigned to oversee the evidence and the jury during the trial, told them to watch Murdaugh’s body language when he testified in his own defense and to not be fooled, confused or thrown off by what he might say.
鈥淏y urging the jurors not to be fooled or convinced by Murdaugh鈥檚 defense, Hill essentially implored the jurors to find him guilty, the ultimate issue in the case,鈥� the justices wrote, adding that the comments insinuated there was something unusual and suspicious about his decision to testify.
Hill 鈥減laced her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,鈥� the justices wrote. 鈥淥ur justice system provides 鈥� indeed demands 鈥� that every person is entitled to a fair trial.”
The court said Hill’s motivation was the 鈥渟iren call of celebrity鈥� and her goal was to increase sales of her book on the trial called 鈥淏ehind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.鈥� It was pulled from publication after plagiarism allegations were made.
鈥淎s her book鈥檚 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,鈥� the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.
Hill鈥檚 attorney in her criminal case didn鈥檛 return a phone call or email seeking comment.
Hill has to lying about what she said and did during the Murdaugh trial, including showing graphic crime scene photos to several media members. The journalists were not named and the photos were not described at her December hearing.
鈥淭he court rightly described her conduct as “鈥榖reathtaking,鈥� 鈥榙isgraceful,鈥� and 鈥榰nprecedented in South Carolina,’鈥� Murdaugh’s lawyers said.
Prosecutors argued that the clerk鈥檚 comments were fleeting and the evidence against Murdaugh was overwhelming.
Justices say financial crime evidence also improperly used
The justices also had a warning for the next judge to try the murder case 鈥� be cautious on how much evidence of Murdaugh’s thefts from his law firm and clients to allow those jurors to hear.
Some brief evidence of how Mudaugh stole is fine and how it might connect to him killing his wife and son. But the court said details like how some of the people Murdaugh stole from were disabled or vulnerable could unfairly turn against him jurors who should be focused just on whether he killed his family.
Investigators said Murdaugh was addicted to opioids and his complex schemes to steal money from clients and his family鈥檚 law firm were starting to unravel when at their home in Colleton County in 2021.
Murdaugh told investigators he hadn鈥檛 seen them for an hour or so before he discovered their bodies, but his voice was recorded in a video on his son鈥檚 phone made about five minutes before the killing.
The weapons used in the killings and prosecutors did not present any clothes with DNA or blood evidence.
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