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South Carolina Supreme Court Overturns Alex Murdaugh Murder Convictions, Orders New Trial
On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and consecutive life sentences and ordered a new trial.[1]
The court said Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility" by urging jurors to scrutinize his body language and testimony, conduct she later admitted under oath.[1] Justices also found the trial judge allowed extensive evidence about Murdaugh's unrelated financial crimes, saying the prior-bad-acts testimony unfairly biased the jury.[1] The opinion noted defense points that no DNA or blood spatter was found on Murdaugh or his clothes despite close-range killings and that the murder weapons were never recovered.[2]
Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family's Moselle estate in 2021.[3] Prosecutors at that trial said his motive was to distract from thefts of millions of dollars from clients.[3] Murdaugh later pleaded guilty in September 2023 to a string of financial crimes and received a separate 40-year federal sentence.[4]
Early coverage emphasized the grisly murders and the March 2023 verdict, focusing on motive and trial details.[5] Later reporting shifted to errors in trial conduct — especially Hill's jury statements and admission of unrelated financial evidence — which the state high court said tainted the proceedings.[1]
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and consecutive life sentences and ordered a new trial.
- The opinion said Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill “egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility” by urging jurors to scrutinize his body language and testimony; Hill has since pleaded guilty in connection with lying about what she said and did during the trial.
- The justices found the trial judge “went too far” in admitting extensive evidence of Murdaugh's unrelated financial crimes, concluding the prior‑bad‑acts testimony unfairly biased the jury.
- Murdaugh was originally convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family's Moselle estate in 2021.
- He pleaded guilty in September 2023 to a string of financial crimes and is serving a separate 40‑year federal sentence after admitting to stealing roughly $12 million from clients, so the reversal will not free him from prison.
- Defense arguments highlighted in the opinion noted that no DNA or blood spatter was found on Murdaugh or his clothing despite the killings being close‑range and the weapons never recovered.
- Major outlets such as CBS ran video coverage and legal analysis reiterating the court's ruling and noting Hill's subsequent book about the trial.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
May 13, 2026
4:57 PM
Court overturns Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and orders a new trial
New information:
- CBS video segment on May 13, 2026 reiterates that the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh's 2023 murder convictions and ordered a new trial.
- The segment notes the court cited "improper" conduct by Colleton County clerk Becky Hill, who later wrote a book about her role in the trial.
- CBS presents additional legal analysis via its legal contributor Jessica Levinson, but does not add new factual details beyond those already reported about the ruling and Hill's misconduct.
3:22 PM
South Carolina Supreme Court tosses Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions
New information:
- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence, explicitly holding that Clerk of Court Becky Hill's conduct "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility" and influenced jurors.
- The court said the trial judge "went too far" in allowing extensive evidence of Murdaugh's unrelated financial crimes, finding that the prior-bad-acts testimony improperly biased the jury in the murder case.
- The ruling recounts that Hill, as Colleton County clerk of court, urged jurors to scrutinize Murdaugh's body language and testimony and has since pleaded guilty before a different judge to lying about what she said and did.
- The article reiterates that Murdaugh, 57, is serving a separate 40‑year federal sentence after pleading guilty to stealing around $12 million from clients, so the reversal will not free him from prison.
- Defense arguments highlighted in the opinion emphasize that no DNA or blood spatter was found on Murdaugh or his clothing despite close‑range killings with powerful weapons that were never recovered.
3:00 PM
Court overturns Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions, orders new trial
New information:
- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and his consecutive life sentences and ordered a new trial.
- The CBS article reiterates that Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family estate in 2021.
- It notes that Murdaugh pleaded guilty to a series of financial crimes in September 2023 and received a separate 40-year prison sentence.
- The defense request for a new trial was based on allegedly improper conduct by Colleton County clerk Becky Hill, who later wrote a book about the trial.
2:53 PM
Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions overturned in South Carolina Supreme Court ruling
New information:
- On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion overturning Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentences in the killings of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
- The justices found that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill's conduct 'egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility' by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted and that she improperly influenced jurors to find him guilty.
- The opinion held that the trial judge went too far in allowing extensive evidence of Murdaugh's unrelated financial crimes into the murder trial, concluding it unfairly biased the jury.
- The article notes that Hill has since pleaded guilty before a different judge to lying about what she said and did during the trial, in connection with her efforts to promote a book about the case.
- PBS emphasizes that despite the state murder convictions being vacated, Murdaugh remains imprisoned on a 40-year federal sentence after pleading guilty to stealing around $12 million from clients.
- The piece reiterates Murdaugh's position that he admits to being a thief and liar but continues to deny killing his wife and son, framing the ruling as a legal win that could lead to a retrial.
2:49 PM
Alex Murdaugh Granted New Trial for Murder of Wife and Son
New information:
- The Wall Street Journal reports that on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh's conviction in the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul, granting a new trial.
- The article reiterates that Murdaugh, a 57-year-old disbarred lawyer, was originally convicted in March 2023 of killing Maggie and Paul at the family's Moselle estate.
- Prosecutors had argued at the first trial that Murdaugh's motive was to distract from thefts of millions of dollars from his personal-injury clients.