Trials & Litigation
Ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction overturned; prosecutors vow retrial
Disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh during his sentencing at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, in 2023. He was found guilty of double murder. (Photo by Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier via the Associated Press)
Prosecutors in South Carolina said they plan to retry disgraced and disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh in the shooting deaths of his wife and younger son after the South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned his conviction and life sentence, the Associated Press and other news outlets report.
The South Carolina Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision Wednesday, said the conduct by the court clerk “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors that his testimony could not be trusted. The state supreme court also said the trial judge went too far in allowing evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes into his murder trial.
According to the AP, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office respected the state supreme court’s decision, but no one is above the law.
Murdaugh won’t be getting out of prison. The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to stealing around $12 million from his clients and currently is serving a 40-year federal sentence.
The story noted that the ruling is a win for Murdaugh, who denied killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son Paul since he found their bodies outside their home in 2021. But he admitted to being a thief, a liar, an insurance cheat and a bad lawyer, according to the AP.
See also:
Meddling clerk ‘betrayed her oath of office’ in Alex Murdaugh murder case, new-trial motion alleges
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