Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is scheduled to face a new trial for the murders of his wife and son, with a judge tentatively setting the date for April 5 of next year. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's previous conviction in the 2021 killings earlier this year.
Lexington County Judge Debra McCaslin set the new trial date on Monday, but noted it could be postponed if there are delays in processing DNA evidence. Murdaugh, who has maintained his innocence, will have a new jury determine his guilt in the deaths of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul.
The state Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction was based on findings that a court clerk, Rebecca “Becky” Hill, tampered with the jury. The court stated that Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice” by allegedly feeding sealed crime scene photos to a reporter, attempting to influence jurors against Murdaugh, and using her position to promote her memoir about the case.
Hill has since pleaded guilty for her role in the case's proceedings. Murdaugh has filed a civil lawsuit against her, which she is seeking to have dismissed.
Murdaugh is currently serving decades in prison for separate convictions related to defrauding his legal clients. The new trial will focus solely on the charges of murdering his wife and son, which occurred near the kennels of their hunting estate on June 7, 2021.