A South Carolina jury will issue a manslaughter sentence in the Alex Murdaugh case | Court Affairs

The state supreme court ruled that Murdaugh was denied a fair trial because of the court clerk’s declaration that he was guilty.

The Supreme Court in South Carolina has overturned the death sentence of lawyer Alex Murdaugh, whose case has caught the attention of people in the United States.

On Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court ordered Murdaugh’s trial to come up in 2023.

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The lawyer was accused of murdering his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, who were found dead in a dog kennel outside a guest house in June 2021. Murdaugh, 57, has denied involvement in their murders.

In its ruling, the South Carolina Supreme Court criticized the Colleton County Clerk of Court, Rebecca Hill, for “indiscriminately attacking Murdaugh’s integrity” in court and tampering with the pool.

The court ruling highlighted comments where Hill advised jurors to watch Murdaugh’s “body language” and “not be fooled” by his attorney’s testimony.

“Hill crossed his fingers over the standards of justice, denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the judges said.

“We have no choice but to overturn Mr. Murdaugh’s denial of a new trial for dragging Hill out on the jury.”

The jury also pointed to Hill’s book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, as evidence that he did not perform well in his office.

“As the title of his book suggests, it appears that Hill was very busy behind the doors of justice, hindering the integrity of the justice system that he swore to protect and preserve,” the judges wrote in Wednesday’s decision.

Later the book was not published after accusations of plagiarism. Separately, in 2025, Hill himself pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, perjury and misconduct in office.

The state Supreme Court also ruled that the judge in the first murder trial allowed incriminating evidence to be introduced at the murder trial, including details of Murdaugh’s financial crimes.

Murdaugh is currently serving 40 years in prison after being found guilty of stealing $12m from his clients. He will not be released as a result of Wednesday’s sentencing.

Although Murdaugh admitted to the theft, he always denied any involvement in the death of his wife and young child.

His defense team has also pointed to a lack of evidence linking Murdaugh to the incident. The weapons used in the shooting were never found, and no DNA or blood splatter linked Murdaugh to the murder.

But prosecutors say evidence from his son’s cell phone shows Murdaugh was at the scene before the two were killed.

In court, she said Murdaugh attacked his wife and son because of his financial problems and his opioid addiction.

Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office opposed the defense’s request for a 2023 execution, saying Hill’s testimony to the jury was short and pointed to evidence against him.

But the defense argued that Hill’s comments interfered with Murdaugh’s chances of a fair trial.

On Wednesday, after the state Supreme Court’s ruling, Wilson announced that he wanted to retry the case, which was the subject of a documentary on HBO and Netflix.

“While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, my office will vigorously pursue the retrial of Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as soon as possible,” Wilson wrote in a statement.

“Let me be clear, this sentence does not mean that Murdaugh will go free. He will remain in prison for his financial crimes. No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice.”