COLUMBIA, S.C. Prosecutors will retry disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh on murder charges in the shooting deaths of his wife and younger son after the state Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out his conviction and life sentence.
Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office respects the court’s decision, but “no one is above the law.”
The South Carolina Supreme Court said Wednesday in a unanimous ruling that the court clerk’s actions “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by telling jurors Murdaugh’s testimony could not be believed. They also argued the judge went too far in letting evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes into his murder trial.
The justices found that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, who was in charge of handling the evidence and jurors during the trial, improperly influenced jurors to convict Murdaugh. She was hoping to increase sales of a book she was writing about the case.’
The book was called “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” It was withdrawn from publication amid allegations of plagiarism.
“It turns out that Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice subverting the integrity of the justice system that she was sworn to protect and uphold,” the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.
Since then, Hill has pleaded guilty to lying to another judge about what she said and did.
Despite this major ruling Murdaugh NOT being released. He is still serving a 40-year sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing millions from clients.
Murdaugh has always denied killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
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