Alex Murdaugh celebrated having his conviction overthrown because of jury interference, but now, he may be facing the death penalty

Alex Murdaugh saw a moment of relief a few days ago, when the Supreme Court threw out the ruling for his double murder conviction. However, the state has no intention of giving up. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that the state is considering pursuing the death penalty as they prepare to retry the 2021 murder case involving the deaths of Murdaugh’s wife, Margaret, and his son, Paul.

According to NBC News, the state is effectively starting over. “In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we’re back to square one on this case, and that means all our legal options are on the table, including the death penalty.” The South Carolina Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision to overturn the original 2023 conviction. 

The high court’s opinion pointed to what it described as “egregious” jury interference by former Colleton County Clerk of Courts Becky Hill. The justices determined that Hill denied Murdaugh his right to a fair trial when she “placed her fingers on the scales of justice” and suggested that the jury should not be “fooled” by the defense’s evidence.

The problem is, the jurors didn’t agree with the Supreme Court’s decision

In a separate report from NBC News, Murdaugh’s lawyers, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, shared that their client is feeling “thankful” to no longer carry the label of a convicted murderer. Per Griffin, when he received the news, Murdaugh “didn’t believe that it could be possible.” 

“He was very gracious, thankful, and he said, ‘Jim, I’m seeing, I’m reading it, and it’s still hard to believe.’” Griffin added, “But he’s glad to get that moniker off of him as a convicted murderer of his wife and son. No doubt about that.”

Despite the celebratory mood, the reality of the situation remains intense. Murdaugh, 57, is currently serving significant prison time for various state and federal financial crimes, meaning he will remain behind bars regardless of the outcome of this retrial. 

Prosecutors have indicated they want to move as quickly as possible to get the case back in front of a jury. Attorney General Wilson has openly disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision, characterizing Hill’s behavior as inappropriate but “ultimately harmless.”

The defense, however, is already looking toward the next phase of the legal battle. During a TODAY interview, the lawyers emphasized that they have no intention of pursuing a plea agreement. Griffin was adamant about this, stating, “He will ‘never plead guilty of killing his wife and son,’ attorney Jim Griffin said. ‘I promise.’” 

The defense team also hinted that the reversal of the conviction might provide them with new opportunities to investigate. Harpootlian noted, “I wish we could talk about it, but I think this reversal is going to give us much more access to that information. Either these folks that were hesitant to tell everything will come forward and tell us that. But more importantly, we now have the power of subpoena. We have the power to investigate this using the legal process.”

The original trial was a high-stakes affair, with prosecutors arguing that Murdaugh killed his family members to distract from his massive financial crimes. Murdaugh, who has consistently maintained his innocence, even took the stand during that 2023 trial to deny the allegations. 

At his original sentencing, he told the judge, “I respect this court but I’m innocent. I would never under any circumstances hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son Paul.”

Becky Hill remains a central point of contention. While the Supreme Court cited her comments as a reason for the reversal, Hill has previously pleaded guilty to other charges, including perjury and misconduct. 

When it comes to jury tampering, though, she has denied all allegations. The only thing she admitted to was giving the panel “a little talk” regarding Murdaugh’s decision to testify. The reaction among the original jurors has been mixed. 

Some expressed shock at the court’s decision, while others, like Mandy Pearce, told NBC News, “I feel like justice wasn’t served, that he didn’t get a fair trial.”