AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In South Carolina, a high-profile murder trial that captivated the country three years ago will be held again. The state Supreme Court has overturned Alec Murdaugh's (ph) double murder convictions in the shooting deaths of his wife and son. South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen covered the original six-week-long trial and joins us now to explain what is going on. Hi, Victoria.
VICTORIA HANSEN, BYLINE: Yeah. Hi there.
CHANG: Hi.
HANSEN: A lot is going on, as always...
CHANG: Yeah.
HANSEN: ...With this case.
CHANG: Well, why did the court decide Murdaugh should get a new trial?
HANSEN: You know, first, I have to point out this was a unanimous decision, and the reason? The bottom line? Jury tampering by the...
CHANG: Wow.
HANSEN: ...Then-clerk of court, Becky Hill. Yeah, the justices agreed with the defense that Hill was trying to influence the jurors to push sales of a book that she'd been writing. They said she, quote, "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility" by telling jurors things like, watch Murdaugh's body language. Watch him closely as he testifies. This is an important or epic day.
CHANG: Whoa.
HANSEN: And the justices called that shocking jury interference done without the presiding judge's knowledge.
CHANG: I mean, if true, yeah, that is shocking. OK, well, this original trial captured attention far beyond South Carolina, I remember. And this new development will likely only revive that attention. Victoria, what do you think has fascinated people so deeply when it comes to this case?
HANSEN: You know, the Murdaugh family was - I should say was - a powerful and wealthy legal dynasty that attracted a lot of attention, especially in the southern part of the state. And, you know, it's a kind of fall-from-grace story.
CHANG: Yeah.
HANSEN: And part of that fall was exposed during the trial when the presiding judge allowed Murdaugh's alleged financial crimes to become evidence. And that is that he stole millions from his former clients and his law firm. But in its ruling today, the Supreme Court said much of that evidence about those crimes should not have been allowed in that trial. Murdaugh later pleaded guilty to both state and federal financial crimes, but he has always maintained that he did not kill his wife and son.
Now, as you mentioned, this trial got so much attention. Not only was it televised, but it led to numerous books, a movie, podcast, documentaries. In fact, I can remember reporters from all around the world descended on tiny Colleton County, where this trial was held three years ago. And this new trial will certainly be a talker as well.
CHANG: Oh, I am sure of that. So what do the defense and prosecution have to say about this decision?
HANSEN: Both released statements today, but they did not speak publicly.
CHANG: OK.
HANSEN: The prosecution said it respectfully disagrees with the court's decision and it will aggressively seek to retry the 57-year-old as soon as possible. The defense is expected to take questions tomorrow. Perhaps they'll hold a press conference. But for now, they say it looks - they look forward to a new trial that is consistent with the U.S. Constitution. Attorneys also said that they expect the retrial to look a lot different because the initial jury heard, you might recall, about 12 hours of testimony about those financial crimes. They said that will not be allowed during the retrial. And, you know, Murdaugh's defense team has long said that despite his financial crimes, he deserves a fair trial for the murders of his wife and son.
CHANG: And what about Alec Murdaugh himself? Like, what's next for him at this point?
HANSEN: Well, he will remain in state prison, where he has been since March of 2023. He is serving a lengthy sentence for those state and federal financial crimes. But again, this is a win for Murdaugh. He wanted a new trial because he has adamantly denied killing his wife Maggie and his son Paul. That next trial will likely look different. It might be much shorter, but the big question is, where would this new trial be held? With all the publicity, where does the defense find jurors who have not heard of Alec Murdaugh?
CHANG: Exactly. That is Victoria Hansen with South Carolina Public Radio. Thank you, Victoria.
HANSEN: Thank you.
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