South Carolina Seeks Alex Murdaugh Retrial, Leaving Death Penalty on Table After 2023 Conviction Reversal
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 23
South Carolina Seeks Alex Murdaugh Retrial, Leaving Death Penalty on Table After 2023 Conviction Reversal
10 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 23
Alan Wilson said South Carolina will retry Alex Murdaugh for the 2021 murders of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, after the state Supreme Court threw out his 2023 convictions.
The May 13 ruling found former clerk Becky Hill improperly influenced jurors during the six-week trial, with jurors saying she urged them to watch Murdaugh closely and not be fooled by the defense.
Wilson said prosecutors are back to square one and could seek the death penalty in a second trial, a harsher outcome than the consecutive life sentences Murdaugh received before the verdict was vacated.
Murdaugh still remains in prison on separate state and federal financial-crimes sentences tied to roughly $12 million stolen from clients, while his lawyers are pushing for stricter jury safeguards and possibly a venue change.
The retrial returns one of South Carolina's highest-profile cases to court, reviving scrutiny of the Murdaugh family's legal dynasty, the 2019 Mallory Beach boat-crash fallout and Hill's later guilty pleas tied to trial misconduct.
Murdaugh won a retrial, but could this legal victory now put him on death row?
Could a clerk's illegal book deal ultimately set convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh free?