AG aims to retry Alex Murdaugh ‘quickly’; both sides enter courtroom chess match with each other’s game plans

AG aims to retry Alex Murdaugh ‘quickly’; both sides enter courtroom chess match with each other’s game plans

Murdaugh was originally convicted and sentenced to two life terms for the 2021 slayings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh

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South Carolina AG vows quick retrial after Supreme Court tosses Alex Murdaugh murder convictions

AG Alan Wilson tells Fox News Digital that South Carolina will retry Alex Murdaugh after the state Supreme Court threw out his murder convictions due to clerk misconduct.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says his office will move quickly to retry Alex Murdaugh after the state Supreme Court threw out the disgraced lawyer’s murder convictions, stressing prosecutors still believe they can secure a guilty verdict.

"The Supreme Court, in its order today, basically laid the blame on this reversal on the shoulders of former Colton County Clerk of Court Rebecca [Becky] Hill, and it was her conduct that has led to this decision today, not the conduct of anyone else," Wilson told Fox News Digital.

Wilson said the Palmetto State plans to retry Murdaugh and will push for a speedy trial as prosecutors evaluate next steps.

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"We are disappointed in the court’s decision. We respect this court, we respect the members of the court, but we strongly disagree with their reasoning," Wilson told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on "The Story."

Alex Murdaugh speaks with his legal team before he is sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the murder of his wife and son by Judge Clifton Newman at the Colleton County Courthouse March 3, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)

The South Carolina Supreme Court vacated Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions in the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, ruling that misconduct by former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill tainted the jury process.

At issue were allegations that Hill made improper comments to jurors during the trial, conduct the court said created a risk of influencing the verdict.

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The comments included jurors saying "that Hill told the jurors not to be fooled by the evidence Murdaugh's defense presented. They're going to say things that will try to confuse you. Don't let them confuse you or convince you or throw you off."

Former Colleton County Clerk of Courts Becky Hill smiles after pleading guilty in St. Matthews, S.C., Dec. 8, 2025, to showing sealed exhibits from Alex Murdaugh's murder trial and other charges. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Wilson said prosecutors were not aware of the clerk’s conduct during the trial.

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"No, we obviously weren’t aware of any of this conduct until after. Obviously, it had occurred," he told MacCallum. "We never defended her conduct. We just believe that it wasn’t enough to warrant a reversal."

MURDAUGH LAWYER ‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’ COURT CLERK’S MISCONDUCT COULD PAVE WAY FOR NEW TRIAL

WATCH: South Carolina AG on overturned Murdaugh conviction: ‘We have time to try him again’

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Retrying the high-profile case will come with challenges, but Wilson said his office still has most of the original team in place and a clear road map from the first trial.

"So, we had the benefit of having a road map for our case that we developed three years ago. Obviously, the defense knows what our trial strategy was. We know what their trial strategy is. And, so, it will be a different kind of trial because both sides have seen the hands we have to play," he told Fox News Digital.

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"We know what their trial strategy is. And, so, it will be a different kind of trial because both sides have seen the hands we have to play."

— South Carolina AG Alan Wilson

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The attorney general said multiple legal options remain under consideration, including potential appeals.

"The state has 15 days on whether or not we want to petition the state Supreme Court for reconsideration of their decision. And we have up to 90 days to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to take this case up on appeal. All options, all legal options, are on the table," Wilson said.

"But, regardless, it is my intention right now, assuming that nothing changes, to retry this case as quickly and expeditiously as possible. That is our goal."

Wilson said his office is aiming to bring the case back to court within the next year, though he admitted that timeline is not guaranteed.

"Look, I'm being aspirational when I say this, but we would like to try to get this case up before January 2027. That would be our goal," he said.

Alex Murdaugh was convicted of two counts each of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent felony in Colleton County, S.C., on March 2, 2023. He was sentenced to two consecutive double life sentences for the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

Murdaugh, 54, was convicted of gunning down his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family’s hunting estate in 2021. The case exposed a web of lies, including Murdaugh’s opioid addiction and millions in stolen client funds.

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Despite the legal win, Murdaugh will not be walking free. He remains behind bars serving lengthy sentences for a string of financial crimes that cemented his fall from power.

For his financial crimes, Murdaugh was sentenced in state court to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 counts, including money laundering and breach of trust. In federal court, he was sentenced to 40 years for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which he is serving concurrently with his state time.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X @s_rumpfwhitten

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