South Carolina’s “trial of the century” returns to the courtroom Wednesday, as Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of his double-murder conviction goes earlier than the state’s 5 Supreme Court justices.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning at the South Carolina Supreme Court, the place Murdaugh’s attorneys will argue their consumer deserves a brand new trial primarily based on alleged jury tampering, prejudicial proof and failures at trial and through the investigation.
The state maintains Murdaugh was convicted as a result of the proof towards him was overwhelming, arguing in court information he was “obviously guilty” and the jury’s choice was not influenced by something that Murdaugh’s attorneys allege.
Wednesday’s oral arguments is not going to function any witnesses or new testimony however will concentrate on the authorized course of of Murdaugh’s case. Regardless, it should mark yet one more main second in a saga that for years has captivated the public, spawning a number of documentaries, miniseries, podcasts and books.
Here’s what you must know:
Murdaugh, a as soon as distinguished inheritor to a Lowcountry authorized dynasty, is now a disbarred lawyer serving two consecutive life sentences for capturing and killing his spouse, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, at the household’s looking property in June 2021.
A Colleton County, South Carolina, jury discovered him guilty of their murders in March 2023 after a extremely publicized six-week trial, which additionally featured intensive testimony about Murdaugh stealing thousands and thousands of {dollars} from susceptible purchasers and his personal regulation agency.
Murdaugh later pleaded responsible to dozens of federal and state fees for monetary crimes associated to a yearslong, wide-ranging scheme to bilk his regulation agency, purchasers and the authorities out of about $9 million. He is serving concurrent state and federal sentences of 27 and 40 years, respectively, for these monetary crimes as well as to his life sentences.
While Murdaugh admitted to the monetary crimes, he has persistently maintained he didn’t kill his spouse and son, and he’s in search of a brand new trial to show his innocence.
To that finish, his attorneys’ arguments earlier than the South Carolina Supreme Court will mix two separate appeals – one stemming from a 2024 denial of his movement for a brand new trial, and one other stemming from the trial itself.
In the first, Murdaugh’s attorneys argue former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly influenced jurors throughout the authentic trial by making feedback implying Murdaugh’s guilt to jurors.
In January 2024, after a one-day evidentiary listening to, retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal decided these feedback didn’t affect the jury’s verdict and denied Murdaugh’s request for a brand new trial. Still, Toal discovered Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity,” not credible and made improper feedback to the jury.
Hill has by no means been charged with jury tampering, an accusation she has denied. However, she was charged with other crimes, together with perjury associated to statements made underneath oath at the evidentiary listening to. In December 2025, she pleaded responsible to perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in workplace.
Last month, the state Supreme Court agreed to embody paperwork associated to Hill’s fees and responsible plea as half of the report in Murdaugh’s appeal. Murdaugh’s attorneys have indicated they plan to use these paperwork to argue the former clerk’s “denials of jury tampering cannot be credited over the sworn testimony of the disinterested jurors who witnessed it,” in accordance to one movement.
Second, Murdaugh’s attorneys have argued in authorized briefs already submitted in the appeal that the wide-ranging testimony about and proof of Murdaugh’s financial crimes was prejudicial and will have been restricted or utterly excluded from his 2023 murder trial.
The state has persistently stated the monetary crimes have been correctly allowed in court, as a result of they clarify Murdaugh’s alleged motivation: Prosecutors argued at trial that he killed Maggie and Paul to stop the schemes and thousands and thousands of {dollars} in stolen settlements from being found.
Murdaugh’s attorneys have additionally alleged there have been a number of points with the investigation into Maggie and Paul Murdaugh’s killings, together with investigative “failures” and “prosecutorial misconduct.”
“Alex Murdaugh’s conviction represents a fundamental breakdown of the American criminal justice system’s most basic protections,” Murdaugh‘s attorneys wrote in a November 2025 submitting.
“This case was not built on the ‘overwhelming evidence of guilt’ the State claims,” they stated, “but on a foundation of investigative malpractice, prosecutorial misconduct, and corruption by an elected court official that denied Murdaugh his constitutional right to a fair trial.”
The South Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Alex Murdaugh’s appeal beginning round 9:30 a.m. in Columbia.
The Court has issued closing dates for the oral arguments.
According to a court order, attorneys for Murdaugh and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will every have a complete of 40 minutes to current their instances. That time shall be divided, with all sides given 20 minutes for arguments on the alleged jury tampering concern and 20 minutes every for arguments on alleged errors in the 2023 trial.
Murdaugh’s attorneys will then have 10 minutes for a mixed reply to the state’s arguments.
Justices will seemingly interject all through Wednesday’s listening to to ask questions or search clarification as they assessment the authorized arguments made in court and the many court filings already submitted by either side.
Murdaugh is not going to attend the oral arguments, a spokesperson for his authorized group advised NCS. Attorneys Dick Harpootlian, Jim Griffin and Phillip Barber will all return to argue for Murdaugh.
Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters, who led the prosecution, will as soon as once more make the state’s argument. Attorney General Alan Wilson – who’s operating for governor in the Republican main – shall be seated with Waters at the counsel desk, court filings present.
Wednesday’s listening to shall be open to the public on a “first come, first served” foundation. It will even be livestreamed.
There shall be no choice from the court on Wednesday. The South Carolina Supreme Court doesn’t rule from the bench. The justices will as an alternative privately deliberate as they proceed to assessment a whole bunch of pages of court information together with the arguments introduced in Wednesday’s listening to.
The South Carolina Supreme Court publishes its opinions and rulings in writing, and it might be months earlier than one is revealed on this case. There is not any deadline.
There are three potential outcomes as soon as the justices come to a call.
The Court may resolve to uphold the convictions, that means Murdaugh’s convictions and life sentences for the murders would stand.
The Court may additionally select to remand the case for additional proceedings, sending it again to a decrease court to deal with any potential authorized or factual errors.
Finally, the Court may resolve to reverse the convictions and order a brand new trial. If that occurs, prosecutors would then have to resolve how to method a retrial.
No matter what the state’s highest court decides, Murdaugh will stay in jail: He nonetheless has a long time left on his sentences for the monetary crimes.