The South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted in 2023 of shooting and killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
The court found that "former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill's improper external influence on the jury deprived Richard Alexander Murdaugh of his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury, the Court reverses and remands for a new trial."
In the ruling released Wednesday, the justices ordered a retrial in lower court.
"Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury," the court wrote. They found that Hill had made comments when Murdaugh testified such as "watch his body language" and hoping people didn't get "fooled" by him, and that some jurors overheard those comments.
The court also said that on retrial, the lower court must avoid introducing "inflammatory" evidence about Murdaugh's financial crimes.