Trial of Alex Murdaugh

[5] Alex called his wife Maggie (52) on June 7, 2021, and asked her to meet with him at the Murdaugh family hunting lodge in Islandton, purportedly so that the two of them could travel together to see Alex's father, Randolph Murdaugh III, who was terminally ill. Maggie texted a friend, saying her husband sounded "fishy" and was "up to something."

[8] Murdaugh claimed that at the time of the killings he had been with his mother, who has dementia;[9] however, cellphone data, including video containing Alex's voice, placed him at the scene before the murders.

[10] In October 2021, it was revealed that South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) had regarded Alex as a person of interest in the homicides since the start of the investigation.

[12] Murdaugh pleaded not guilty; prosecutors said they would seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, not the death penalty.

[13] Murdaugh's trial began January 25, 2023, at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, with instructions from the judge and opening statements from the prosecution and defense.

[18] Defense counsel argued that the prosecution should be prohibited from asking questions related to Murdaugh's financial crimes but the judge overruled their objections and announced he would make a formal ruling on the matter on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

[19][20] The judge dismissed the jury early on Thursday, February 2, in order for the prosecution to present two witnesses who testified in chambers about Murdaugh's financial crimes.

[22] Newman also said that defense counsel had opened the door to testimony about the alleged financial crimes when they asked a witness to speculate about a possible motive for Murdaugh to commit the murders.

[30] The prosecution asked the judge to compel a representative of Snapchat to testify about a video posted by Paul Murdaugh minutes before his death.

[20] A witness said he heard Alex's voice in a video taken by Paul minutes before the time the prosecution believes the murders took place.

On February 27, the defense rested their case and moved for a directed verdict, which was subsequently denied by Judge Newman.

The final witness was a crime-scene expert called previously; South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson conducted the direct examination.

[47][1] Because of the intense public interest in the case, the verdict was transmitted live across the United States on major broadcast and cable news networks.

[48] After the verdict was read, Judge Newman denied a motion from the defense for a mistrial by saying, "The evidence of guilt is overwhelming.

[2] After his sentencing, Murdaugh was taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution, in northwestern Columbia, South Carolina, for about 45 days during which he was evaluated to determine which maximum-security prison he would be sent to.

[67][68][69] At a press conference held on September 5, Murdaugh attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin alleged jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, who subsequently released a book on the case, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.

Harpootlian also sent a letter to United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina Adair Ford Boroughs requesting a federal investigation of conduct in the case.

[73] On October 17, Chief Judge H. Bruce Williams of the South Carolina Court of Appeals signed an order granting Murdaugh's motion to suspend his conviction appeal and send the case back to circuit court to consider allegations of jury tampering by Hill.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson asked SLED to investigate Hill as well.

[75] Newman asked the South Carolina Supreme Court to remove him from the case, and they granted this request, issuing an order stating that former state supreme court justice Jean H. Toal would handle the motion for a new trial and retain responsibility for all future matters regarding this case.

[77] At a press conference held on March 25, 2024, Hill, standing with her attorney Justin Bamberg, submitted her resignation from the post of Colleton County Clerk of Court to Governor Henry McMaster.

On December 10, 2024 Murdaugh's attorneys filed a 132-page appeal with the South Carolina Supreme Court outlining their arguments for a retrial.