The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously reversed Alex Murdaugh's two convictions for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, ordering a new trial on the ground that a court officer's improper contact with jurors during deliberations denied Murdaugh a fair proceeding [1][2]. The 5-0 ruling, issued May 13, 2026, vacates the two consecutive life sentences Murdaugh received following his March 2023 conviction in Colleton County [1].
The court's opinion centers on Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, who the justices found had urged jurors to distrust Murdaugh's testimony and to scrutinize his body language, conduct the court characterized as placing "her fingers on the scales of justice" [2][3]. Hill was simultaneously writing a book about the case, a financial interest the court cited as context for her communications with panel members [3]. Murdaugh's trial attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, had raised the jury-contact issue in post-trial proceedings, arguing that Hill's interactions constituted improper external influence sufficient to void the verdict [2]. The court agreed, applying the standard that juror exposure to outside influence from a court officer, even without proof of actual prejudice to each juror, warrants reversal where the conduct is as direct and repeated as Hill's was found to be [1][3].
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that prosecutors intend to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible and confirmed that the death penalty remains a sentencing option in any future prosecution [4]. Because the convictions were reversed on procedural grounds rather than for insufficient evidence, double jeopardy protections do not bar a second trial, the attorney general's office noted [4]. Murdaugh remains incarcerated on separate financial-crime convictions arising from a long-running fraud scheme against clients of his former law firm, sentences that are unaffected by the murder ruling [2][3].
Scheduling for the retrial has not been set. The case returns to the Colleton County court system, where logistical questions, including venue, juror selection, and any pretrial motions, will require resolution before proceedings can begin [1][3]. The ruling also places Hill's own conduct under renewed scrutiny; she has previously denied wrongdoing, and no criminal charges against her had been announced as of the ruling date [2].