A US court on Wednesday (May 13) overturned the conviction of prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 57, who had been serving a life sentence for killing his wife and son in a sensational case that drew national attention. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Murdaugh was denied a fair trial because a court clerk improperly influenced the jury. Murdaugh was found guilty in March 2023 of shooting his son, Paul, 22, with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie, 52, with an assault rifle on the family's sprawling hunting estate in June 2021.
In a unanimous 5-0 ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court said that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill "placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury”. Jurors who were questioned following Murdaugh's trial reported that the court clerk, Rebecca Hill, had told them to closely watch his "body language" during his testimony and "not to be fooled" by evidence presented by his attorneys, the court said.
"Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury," the justices said as quoted in news agency AFP. "We have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh's motion for a new trial due to Hill's improper external influence on the jury."
In ordering a new trial, the court also said the presiding judge at his murder trial had allowed too much evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes to be presented to the jury. Murdaugh is also currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for financial crimes.
According to prosecutors, Murdaugh shot his wife and son after realising his years of stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and from clients to feed his hidden opioid addiction were about to go public.
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Murdaugh testified in his own defence at his trial. He admitted stealing, embezzling and lying about his drug habit, which his attorneys said cost $50,000 a week, but denied killing his wife and son. Evidence from his son's cell phone indicated, however, that Murdaugh was the only person with his wife and son at the estate's dog kennels several minutes before they were killed.
His televised trial captivated viewers nationwide, and Netflix and HBO rushed out docu-dramas on the case.
(With inputs from agencies)
