Alex Murdaugh returns to court Monday for the first time since the South Carolina Supreme Court vacated his double murder conviction, citing what it described as “shocking jury interference.”
Judge Debra McCaslin, who has newly been assigned to the case, is expected to preside over a status conference that will help set the timeline for a new trial and address several evidentiary matters.
The hearing comes more than three years after a South Carolina jury convicted Murdaugh of killing his wife and son in a brutal case that drew international attention.
Last month, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned that conviction, finding that comments made to jurors by a court clerk improperly influenced the verdict by “egregiously” undermining Murdaugh’s credibility and defense.
“Both the State and Murdaugh’s defense skillfully presented their cases to the jury as the trial court deftly presided over this complicated and high-profile matter. However, their efforts were in vain because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury,” the court wrote in its ruling.
Murdaugh has remained behind bars despite the ruling because he is also serving concurrent state and federal sentences for financial crimes, charges to which he pleaded guilty. He has admitted lying to and stealing from former clients, but he has repeatedly denied any involvement in the 2021 killings.
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“Alex has said from day one that he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this Court has provided,” Murdaugh’s attorneys said after the May decision. His legal team has also recently filed a civil lawsuit against Hill, accusing her of violating his right to a fair trial.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who recently won the Republican primary for governor, has pledged to “aggressively” prosecute the murder case again “as soon as possible.” Monday’s status conference is expected to offer the first clear sign of how quickly a retrial could move forward.
Ahead of the conference, Murdaugh’s lawyers filed a series of motions to change the venue of the trial and access evidence in the case. They have argued that Murdaugh cannot have a fair trial in the countries where his family name has been “synonymous with the local legal system for nearly a century.”
“The basis for this motion is that this is among the most heavily publicized criminal prosecutions in the history of this State. For years Defendant, his family, and the law firm with which his family was associated for generations have been the subject of saturating, sensational, and continuous media coverage,” the motion said.
Murdaugh’s lawyers also filed motions to request access to DNA evidence in the case for independent lab testing, as well as enable Murdaugh to access a computer to review evidence from prison.
Prosecutors have not yet filed their response to those motions.
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