MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Prosecutors in South Carolina are working to retry former lawyer Alex Murdaugh. The state Supreme Court overturned the former lawyer's convictions for murdering his wife and son. It ruled Wednesday that he did not get a fair trial. South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen covered that six-week-long trial, and she's with us now to tell us this latest chapter. Victoria, good morning.
VICTORIA HANSEN, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So first, what was the court's reasoning?
HANSEN: Well, it comes down to two words - jury tampering. The five justices all agreed the former Colleton County clerk of court, Becky Hill, tried to influence jurors to reach that guilty verdict. They say she wanted to push sales of a book she was writing about the trial. Clerks, by the way - they help manage jurors during a trial. Now, the justices said in their ruling Wednesday Hill made egregious comments to jurors that attacked Murdaugh's credibility. Among those comments, Hill told jurors to watch Murdaugh's body language as he testified, calling it an epic day. Prosecutors have argued Hill's comments were innocuous and not meant to persuade. Here's Attorney General Alan Wilson.
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ALAN WILSON: We believe that it was harmless error. And so obviously, when the court came to a different conclusion, it was obviously disappointing to me personally.
HANSEN: But the justices called Hill's comments, quote, "shocking jury interference."
MARTIN: So what's next for the prosecution?
HANSEN: Well, Attorney General Wilson says they could ask the justices to reconsider the decision or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. But right now they plan to retry the 57-year-old as soon as possible, perhaps within the year. What's more, Wilson wants to hold that new trial in the same rural community. The clerk of court, by the way, who caused the mistrial - she no longer works there. Now, the attorney general won't disclose if there will be a new strategy for the case. But the justices did say in their ruling Wednesday much of the evidence about Murdaugh's alleged financial crimes should not have been allowed in his murder trial. He was accused of stealing millions from former clients and his own law firm. Here's lead prosecutor Creighton Waters.
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CREIGHTON WATERS: We had a viable reason for putting in this evidence, and so we did so. Ultimately, the court, as the AG said, ruled on Becky Hill. And then they said, while we're at it, hey, this is permissible evidence, but let's put some guardrails in place.
HANSEN: As for those guardrails, the justices said any evidence that is not necessary and is prejudicial will not be allowed in the new trial. In a statement really shortly after the ruling Wednesday, Murdaugh's defense team said they expect this retrial to look a lot different because, you may recall, the initial jury heard roughly 12 hours of testimony just about his alleged financial crimes.
MARTIN: And what about Murdaugh himself? What's next for him?
HANSEN: Well, the head of a once-powerful and wealthy legal family will remain in state prison, where he has been since March of 2023. He was sentenced to decades behind bars after pleading guilty to both state and federal financial crimes. But still, this is very much a win for Murdaugh. He has adamantly denied murdering his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul. As for the new trial, it will likely get just as much attention as the first one, if not even more. There are already numerous books, a movie, podcast and documentaries, and now a new chapter in Murdaugh's story.
MARTIN: Victoria Hansen with South Carolina Public Radio. Victoria, you're going to be busy. Thanks so much for...
HANSEN: I will.
MARTIN: ...Talking to us.
HANSEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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