Prosecutors to retry lawyer over deaths of wife and son after high court overturned convictions

Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office respected the court’s decision but that no one was above the law.

In a unanimous ruling on Wednesday (early Thursday AEST), the South Carolina Supreme Court said the clerk’s conduct “blatantly damaged Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors that his testimony could not be trusted.

They also said the judge went too far by allowing evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes into his murder trial.

Murdaugh will not leave prison. The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $12 million from his clients and is currently serving a 40-year federal sentence.

Still, the ruling is a victory for Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance fraudster and bad lawyer but vehemently denies killing wife Maggie and youngest son Paul since finding their bodies outside their home in 2021.

The judges ruled that Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, assigned to oversee the evidence and jury during the trial, influenced jurors to find Murdaugh guilty. She hoped to improve sales of a book she was writing about the case.

The name of the book was Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders. It was withdrawn from publication after accusations of plagiarism were made.

“As the title of her book suggests, Hill appears to have been quite busy behind the doors of the justice system, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold,” the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.

Hill has since pleaded guilty to lying about what she said and did to another judge.

Murdaugh’s attorneys also argued before the Supreme Court that the judge made rulings during his 2023 trial that hindered a fair trial, such as allowing evidence Murdaugh stole from clients that had nothing to do with the killings but biased jurors against him.

They detailed the lack of physical evidence: No DNA or blood was found splattered on Murdaugh or his clothing, even though the murders took place at close range with high-powered weapons that were never found.

Prosecutors argued that the clerk’s comments were volatile and that the evidence against Murdaugh was overwhelming. His attorney said that didn’t matter because the comments one juror said he made — urging jurors to pay attention to Murdaugh’s body language and listen carefully to his testimony — removed his presumption of innocence before the jury ever deliberated.

Murdaugh’s legal drama continues to fascinate. There have been miniseries, bestselling books and dozens of true crime podcasts about how the multimillionaire Southern lawyer whose family dominated and controlled the legal system in tiny Hampton County ended up in a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.

In their ruling, the justices praised the prosecutors, defense team and judge for excellent work, taking all the blame for having to retry Murdaugh on Hill.

Hill’s attorney in her criminal case did not return a phone call or email requesting comment.

Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice and denied Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the judges wrote.

“Our legal system determines – and even demands – that everyone has the right to a fair trial.”

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