Alex Murdaugh Appeals: A Comprehensive Briefing

Date: July 03, 2025

Subject: Overview of Alex Murdaugh's Ongoing Legal Appeals

Sources:

• "3 years into a life sentence, Alex Murdaugh to get his day before the South Carolina Supreme Court | AP News"

• "Alex Murdaugh Archives - FITSNews"

• "Alex Murdaugh trial: Experts weigh in on possibility of an overturned murder conviction"

• "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal: The Key Arguments - FITSNews"

• "Could Alex Murdaugh Get a New Trial After S.C. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Jury Tampering Appeal? - People.com"

• "Murder trial juror reacts to Alex Murdaugh's appeal to SC Supreme Court, 'we got it right'"

• "SC Supreme Court grants prosecutors extension in Murdaugh appeal - Spectrum News"

Executive Summary

Alex Murdaugh, nearly three years into a life sentence for the 2021 murders of his wife and son, is actively pursuing multiple appeals across state and federal courts. His primary arguments center on alleged jury tampering by the Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, and several "evidentiary errors" during his murder trial. Concurrently, he is appealing a 40-year federal sentence for financial crimes, arguing it is excessively harsh compared to federal guidelines and other high-profile fraud cases. The South Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to hear his murder conviction appeal, while a federal appeals court is considering his sentence for theft. The outcome of these appeals could significantly impact Murdaugh's incarceration, though even an overturned murder conviction would still leave him serving a lengthy sentence for financial fraud. The case continues to garner significant public and media attention.

Key Themes and Most Important Ideas/Facts

1. Murder Conviction Appeals (State Level)

Murdaugh's defense team is seeking to overturn his March 2023 double murder convictions for the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

• Jury Tampering Allegations: This is the central pillar of Murdaugh's state appeal. His lawyers accuse former Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill, of several improprieties:

• Telling jurors "not to trust Murdaugh when he testified." (AP News)

• Having "private discussions with the jury foreperson." (AP News)

• Pressuring jurors "to come to a quick verdict, telling them from the outset of their deliberations that it ‘shouldn’t take them long.’" (People.com)

• Making these efforts "to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial." (People.com) Hill later published Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders in July 2023. (People.com)

• Hill resigned amid an ethics investigation and has faced charges unrelated to jury tampering, including perjury related to her testimony in the January 2024 hearing. (AP News, FITSNews - "Lauren Taylor Interview", Fox News Digital via Reddit)

• Legal Standard for Jury Tampering:

• Murdaugh's attorneys argue that Judge Jean Toal, who presided over the January 2024 hearing denying a new trial, applied the wrong legal standard. They contend the Remmer v. United States standard should apply: "When a state official communicates with jurors about a criminal case during trial, the law presumes the tampering was prejudicial to the defendant’s right to a fair trial." (FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal") This standard would shift the burden to the State to prove the communication was harmless. (FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal")

• Judge Toal, however, applied a South Carolina standard requiring the defense to prove "that a juror changed their mind as a result of the improper influence." (AP News) She concluded that while Hill was "not completely credible as a witness" and "was lured by celebrity," the jurors were not influenced by her comments. (People.com) Toal stated, "I simply do not believe that our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court." (People.com)

• Juror Perspectives:

• Of the 12 jurors who convicted Murdaugh, "Eleven of those jurors said… anything that Becky Hill said didn't have any effect on our verdict." (Fox News Digital via Reddit)

• One juror, "Juror Z," initially testified that Hill's comments "made it seem like he was already guilty," but also confirmed she was pressured by other jurors. (People.com)

• Juror Williams, quoted in "Murder trial juror reacts to Alex Murdaugh's appeal," stands by the verdict, stating, "We got it right: he's guilty," and takes offense at the allegations, feeling Murdaugh is "defaming the character of the 12 people who sat on that jury." (Greenville News via Reddit) She believes Hill would have needed "magic powers" to tamper with all 18 people. (Greenville News via Reddit)

• Evidentiary Errors: Murdaugh's defense also alleges "numerous evidentiary errors" by Judge Clifton Newman, specifically the admission of:

• Evidence of his financial thefts, arguing it "unfairly made jurors angry" and was irrelevant to the murder charges. (AP News, FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal") Prosecutors countered that this evidence was "critical to the prosecution’s argument that the killings were meant to buy sympathy and time to keep the thefts from being discovered." (AP News)

• "Irrelevant, unreliable, and confusing opinion testimony" from SLED’s firearms examiner and the introduction of "multiple guns seized from Murdaugh’s residence when no evidence linked the guns to the murders." (FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal")

• Inadmissible testimony from Sgt. McManigal regarding Maggie Murdaugh's phone, which the defense claims was crucial for the prosecution to establish Murdaugh's presence at the scene and explain the phone's location. (FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal")

• South Carolina Supreme Court Action: The SC Supreme Court has agreed to hear Murdaugh's appeal of his murder convictions. His lawyers have 30 days to file arguments, and no hearing date has been set. (AP News) The state prosecutors were granted an extension to respond to Murdaugh's appeal, setting a new deadline. (Spectrum News)

2. Financial Crimes Sentence Appeals (Federal Level)

Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $11 million from clients and his law firm. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, which is 10 years longer than the maximum recommended by sentencing guidelines. (AP News, People.com)

• Argument for Lighter Sentence: Murdaugh's lawyers argue his 40-year sentence violates his "right against cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution." (AP News) They compare his case to crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried (25 years for billions stolen) and Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (11 years for billions stolen), noting Murdaugh's thefts were in the millions. (AP News)

• Prosecution and Judge's Rationale:Prosecutors initially asked for 30 years, aiming for Murdaugh to remain in prison for life regardless of his murder conviction. (AP News)

• Judge Richard Gergel justified the stiff sentence by stating Murdaugh stole from "the most needy, vulnerable people," including a quadriplegic client, an injured state trooper, and a trust fund for orphaned children. (AP News) He emphasized that these victims "placed all their problems and all their hopes" with their lawyer. (AP News)

• Plea Agreement Clause: Federal prosecutors note that Murdaugh signed a document agreeing not to appeal the sentence unless prosecutors lied or his defense attorneys were inadequate. (AP News)

• Status: The U.S. 4th Circuit of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, has assigned a three-judge panel to hear the case. (AP News)

3. Broader Context and Implications

• Extensive Legal Process: Murdaugh's appeals are expected to "continue for years." (AP News) Even if a murder conviction is overturned, he would still be serving his federal sentence for financial crimes. (Fox News Digital via Reddit, People.com)

• Public Obsession: The case remains a major topic in the true crime genre, with CourtTV setting a record for viewership during his trial. (AP News)

• Curtis "Eddie" Smith: Murdaugh's attorneys have criticized the Attorney General's office for "failure to prosecute" Curtis 'Eddie' Smith on numerous pending charges, including drug trafficking and an alleged assisted suicide plot involving Murdaugh. They argue the state may be "expecting the Murdaugh case to come back for a retrial" and keeping Smith "on the hook." (FITSNews - "Alex Murdaugh's Appeal")

• Murdaugh Family Influence: The Murdaugh family held significant legal and political power in Hampton County for generations, with his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather serving as elected prosecutors for 87 consecutive years and founding the county's largest private law firm. (AP News)

NotebookLM can be inaccurate; please double check its responses.