On Tuesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that it would decide whether Alex Murdaugh will get a new murder trial.
The Post and Courier reported that the court decided it would take over Murdaugh’s case after his trial attorneys requested the court to take jurisdiction over one of their two appeals. Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed immediately after he was convicted of his wife and son’s murders — and after court clerk Rebecca Hill was accused of rushing the jury to a guilty verdict so she could land a book deal.
Hill, who resigned in March, has denied those allegations and has not been charged with any crimes. While most of the jurors claimed they never heard Hill make prejudicial comments during Murdaugh’s trial, two said they did her comment about Murdaugh taking the stand but it did not influence their verdict.
However, one juror testified that Hill told them to watch Murdaugh “closely” before he took the stand. The juror claimed the comments swayed their verdict, according to the Post and Courier.
Murdaugh, 56, was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, in 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Despite the juror testifying that Hill’s comments influenced their verdict, South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal ruled that it did not warrant Murdaugh getting a new trial, according to WCSC.
The Post and Courier reported that the state supreme court will review both appeals. It is unclear when the case will be heard, but Murdaugh’s attorneys have 30 days to submit their initial arguments.
