In 2021, Alex Murdaugh fatally shot his wife and son on their estate, leading to their unexpected deaths. After insisting innocence, Murdaugh stood trial as an incriminating cell phone video filmed by his son, prior to his death, ultimately cemented his guilty ruling.
Now, Murdaugh will be receiving a new trial due to the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his initial conviction, in a unanimous ruling. Why? Becky Hill, the trial’s clerk of the court, had meddled in jury interference at the time of initial trial. When Murdaugh had taken the stand, Hill spoke to jurors, issuing warnings and leaving remarks such as, “Don’t listen to what he said, watch his actions” and “be careful as he testifies.” Ultimately, the justices concluded when an infringement of the justice system has occurred, there’s no proper remedy aside from a re-trial. They emphasized court official’s duty to be mute in trial, and the importance of “blind justice” to prevent any biases or impartialities.
State Attorney General Alan Wilson will be retrying Murdaugh, and the defense is anticipated to request a change of venue. Until then, Mursaugh will remain in prison (as he’s already serving time for embezzling $12 million in funds from his clients). Some concerns of this new trial include the initial crime scene. The Murdaugh property, since the murders, has been broken up and sold. Furthermore, the justices cautioned against relying too heavily on the financial crime evidence so as to not prejudice the new jury.
Will justice be served? The outcome will likely be the same—guilty. Considering the loads of evidence and the weight of the initial verdict, I’d find it hard to believe if any jury members swayed their decisions. However, anything is possible, and this alarming new development in this once-thought closed case presents a very interesting aspect of our justice system.