Verdict Uncertain: South Carolina Supreme Court Rules Convicted Murderer Alex Murdaugh May Get New Trial Amid Jury Tampering Claims

A new murder trial could be taking place for convicted killer Alex Murdaugh after the South Carolina Supreme Court overruled a previous ruling about jury tampering in Murdaugh’s case.

Attorneys for Murdaugh argued that former Colleton County Clerk Rebecca Hill tampered with the jurors during the original March 2023 trial that ended with Murdaugh found guilty of murdering his wife and son.

During the trial, Hill reportedly told jurors “not to be fooled” by Murdaugh’s own emotional testimony in hopes that he would be convicted to help her make money from her self-published book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.

The jury did come back with a guilty verdict, as Murdaugh, 56, was handed two consecutive life sentences for fatally shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their 22-year-old son Paul at their home on June 7, 2021.

In addition, Murdaugh received another 40 years for a slew of financial crimes for which he pleaded guilty.

According to WCSC, Hill’s book was eventually pulled from publication after she reportedly admitted to plagiarizing part of it.

In March 2024, Hill resigned from her position after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation when she was accused of using her elected position for personal gain.

In January, former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal ruled Hill did tamper with the jury, but said there was insufficient evidence for a new trial, WCSC reported.

Toal said she couldn’t overturn the verdict “on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court” because they didn’t persuade the jurors’ minds.

However, Murdaugh’s lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin motioned the Supreme Court, claiming the case had significant public interest and a legal principle of major importance.

In the filing obtained by WCSC, Murdaugh’s attorneys said, “The issue of significant public interest is whether the verdict returned after Mr. Murdaugh’s internationally televised murder trial should be overturned due to unprecedented jury tampering by a state official, the former Colleton County Clerk of Court.”

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They added, “The legal principle of major importance is whether it is presumptively prejudicial for a state official to secretly advocate for a guilty verdict through ex parte contacts with jurors during trial, or whether a defendant, having proven the contacts occurred, must also somehow prove the verdict would have been different at a hypothetical trial in which the surreptitious advocacy did not occur.”

The South Carolina Supreme Court said on Aug. 13 that they will hear arguments for and against a new murder trial for Murdaugh before making a decision.