Two reasons Alex Murdaugh won't walk free after wife and son's murder overturned
Topics: True crime, South Carolina, Crime, US News
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: FOX 5 New York
Topics: True crime, South Carolina, Crime, US News
Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh saw his conviction for murdering both his wife and son overturned this week, but there's no chance that the corrupt killer will be allowed to walk free.
His original trial had captivated the country and spread around the world, as a dark and twisted tale about a well-known legal dynasty in a sparsely populated South Carolina county that collapsed after one of his sons caused a fatal boat accident while drunk.
21-year-old Paul's impending indictment over the drunk boating accident in 2021 threatened to unravel decades of his father's wrongdoing, which included drug distribution, sex crimes, and seven-figure embezzling from his law firm.
Then, just a handful of days before Paul would stand trial, his father phoned 911 to tell officers that he had just found the bodies of his son and wife Maggie near the dog kennels on his 1700-acre hunting estate.
Advert
Both Maggie and Paul were shot multiple times with multiple weapons, with the dad claiming that he was visiting his dementia-ridden mother at the time of their slaying. But this did not fool investigators, who had their eye on Alex's crimes from the start.
Alleging that he had hoped the murders would distract from his own legal issues and garner sympathy, prosecutors were able to get Alex sent down for two consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole, despite his not guilty plea.
But Murdaugh's 2023 murder conviction has now been overturned by the state's Supreme Court after it emerged that a legal clerk had made astonishing comments to jurors during the trial, warning them to not be 'fooled' by the accomplished lawyer.
While this will likely cause concern for the families affected by the Murdaughs' crimes, with further murders and roughly 100 grand jury criminal charges laid against the disgraced lawyer, there is no chance that Alex will see the light of a free day.
Former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers Neama Rahmani explained: “There is no new information in this case."
The prosecutor added: "The South Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling doesn’t mean Murdaugh is actually innocent, but rather that the integrity of the juror deliberations were tainted by clerk Becky Hill's improper communications."
While this setback will mean fresh agony for the loved ones of those people victimized by Alex Murdaughs numerous crimes, which included embezzling settlement money paid to the family of a housekeeper who died at his home, there is no danger that he will be given his liberty.
Rahmani continued to explain: "Now that his conviction is overturned, Murdaugh will not be freed for two reasons. First, he gets a new trial, not an acquittal. Second, he pleaded guilty to financial crimes in state and federal court is a serving a 40-year prison sentence unrelated to the murders.
"Murdaugh's only remedy is a new murder trial, which should happen sometime this year depending on the court and lawyers' schedules."
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the family of the girl killed in son Paul's drunk boating accident, Mark Tinsley, said: “Clearly, he’s not innocent… It warrants a new trial. I don’t disagree with the analysis and the conclusion. I think it’s unfortunate, you know?
“The law protects the least of us, or the worst of us in this case, the same as the best of us. I don’t expect there’ll be a different outcome, and he’ll be found guilty again.”