Murdaugh Murder Retrial
Murdaugh Returns to Court in Lexington as Retrial Planning Begins After Convictions Voided
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Alex Murdaugh is heading back to court on June 29 for a status hearing — the first since the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously threw out his double-murder convictions last month. The court ruled 5-0 on May 13, 2026, that a court clerk's jury tampering was "breathtaking" and "disgraceful," erasing the life sentences Murdaugh received in March 2023 for killing his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family's Moselle estate CBS News.
Murdaugh, now 58, is not going free. He is serving 27 years in state prison and 40 years in federal prison for stealing roughly $12 million from clients and his law firm Associated Press. The murder retrial will add another chapter to one of the most-watched true crime sagas in recent American history.
South Carolina Supreme Court Erases Murdaugh's Murder Convictions
The S.C. Supreme Court's May 13 ruling centered on Rebecca "Becky" Hill, the former Colleton County Clerk of Court. The court found she pressured jurors to distrust Murdaugh's testimony — allegedly to boost sales of her memoir, "Behind the Doors of Justice" The State. She pleaded guilty to separate state charges in December 2025.
Defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin called Hill's conduct "unprecedented" and said the Supreme Court proved "the rule of law remains strong in South Carolina" CBS News. State Attorney General Alan Wilson fired back quickly, saying his office would "aggressively seek to retry" Murdaugh "as soon as possible" and that the state's evidence remains "overwhelming" The State.
Defense Wants Civilian Clothes, a Laptop, and a New Trial City
Murdaugh's lawyers filed a wave of pretrial motions between June 17 and 25. They are asking the judge to let Murdaugh wear regular clothes and skip wrist and ankle shackles during the retrial S.C. Public Radio. The defense argues appearing in a prison uniform and chains on camera could poison the jury pool and undermine the presumption of innocence.
They also want Murdaugh to get a laptop without internet access in his cell so he can review the large volume of case evidence Associated Press. And they want the trial moved out of Colleton County — and possibly out of the entire 14th Judicial District — because the area's small, tight-knit population has been saturated with documentaries about the case. Notably, the defense pulled their clothing request for the June 29 hearing itself to avoid wasting court time KOTA Radio.
Prosecution Calls Defense Requests "Preferential Treatment"
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters is pushing back hard. He argues Murdaugh is not a typical defendant awaiting trial. Murdaugh is already a convicted felon serving more than 40 years. Waters says allowing civilian clothes or removing shackles breaks standard prison rules and gives Murdaugh unfair advantages The State.
New Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin will decide these disputes. Legal analysts say the retrial could look very different from the first one News19 WLTX. The defense now wants independent DNA testing of material found under Maggie Murdaugh's fingernails, which reportedly belongs to an "unknown and unrelated male" — evidence that was not a major focus the first time around S.C. Public Radio.
A Media Circus With No Clear End Date in Sight
Dozens of media outlets and true crime podcasters are expected at the June 29 hearing in Lexington County Associated Press. The brief status conference will likely set a schedule for future motions and possibly lock in a retrial date. Reporters are also noting Murdaugh's changed appearance after years behind bars.
No matter what happens at the murder retrial, Murdaugh faces decades more in prison. His 27-year state sentence and 40-year federal sentence for financial crimes run at the same time but keep him locked up well into old age KOTA Radio. The June 29 hearing is expected to be brief — but the legal fight ahead is anything but.
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