Attorneys for Alex Murdaugh Argue for New Trial in South Carolina Supreme Court Appeal
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a high-stakes appeal heard on Wednesday before the South Carolina Supreme Court, attorneys for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh argued that their client was denied a fair trial, citing allegations of jury tampering by a court official and the improper admission of financial crime evidence.
The oral arguments, which took place in Columbia, mark a critical juncture in the legal saga of the former personal injury lawyer, who was found guilty in March 2023 of the brutal 2021 shootings of his wife, Maggie, and his younger son, Paul. Murdaugh is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders.
Murdaugh’s defense team, led by attorney Dick Harpootlian, centered their arguments on the conduct of former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill. The defense contends that Hill improperly influenced the jury during the six-week trial by making prejudicial comments, including instructing jurors to watch Murdaugh’s body language and warning them not to be “fooled” by his testimony.
“The easiest one for them to give us a new trial on is the jury tampering by the clerk of court,” Harpootlian stated, arguing that Hill’s actions violated Murdaugh’s constitutional right to an impartial jury.
The appeal challenges a previous ruling by retired Chief Justice Jean Toal, who denied Murdaugh’s request for a retrial in early 2024. While Toal found that Hill had made “fleeting and foolish” remarks and was motivated by a desire for fame, she ruled that the defense failed to prove these comments directly changed the jurors’ verdict. Murdaugh’s attorneys are asking the state’s highest court to adopt a stricter standard, arguing that the mere presence of improper influence by a court official should necessitate a new trial, regardless of proven prejudice.
Hill, who resigned from her position, recently pleaded guilty to state ethics charges and federal perjury charges related to her conduct in office, a development the defense has leveraged to attack her credibility.
Beyond the tampering allegations, Murdaugh’s legal team also argued that the trial court erred by allowing prosecutors to present extensive evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes. During the murder trial, the state argued that Murdaugh killed his family to gain sympathy and distract from the imminent exposure of his years-long theft of millions of dollars from clients and his law firm. The defense maintains that this evidence was irrelevant to the murder charges and served only to unfairly prejudice the jury against him.
Representing the state, prosecutors urged the five justices to uphold the conviction. They maintained that the evidence against Murdaugh—including cell phone data and video evidence placing him at the scene of the crime minutes before the killings—was overwhelming. The state argued that the jury’s decision was based on the facts presented in court, not on any outside influence from the clerk, and that the financial evidence was correctly admitted to establish motive.
The justices did not issue an immediate ruling on Wednesday. They will now deliberate on whether to uphold the convictions, order a new evidentiary hearing, or grant Murdaugh a completely new trial. A decision could take several months.
Regardless of the outcome of this appeal, Murdaugh remains incarcerated. In addition to his life sentences, he is serving 27 years in state prison and 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to dozens of financial crimes.
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