Overview
- The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously vacated Alex Murdaugh’s 2023 murder convictions in May, finding former Colleton County clerk Becky Hill improperly influenced jurors and ordering a new trial.
- A status and scheduling hearing in Lexington County is set for June 29 before Judge Debra R. McCaslin, the first procedural step as state prosecutors signal they will retry the double‑murder case.
- Murdaugh filed a federal civil‑rights suit in May seeking about $600,000 to reimburse legal fees he says resulted from Hill’s interference.
- On June 18–19, Hill asked a federal judge to dismiss that suit, arguing she is protected by Eleventh Amendment, quasi‑judicial and qualified immunity and that Murdaugh cannot show his fees were caused by her actions.
- Murdaugh remains jailed on separate state and federal financial‑crime sentences, and the federal court’s decision on Hill’s motion could shape whether defendants can recover trial costs after a conviction is vacated for third‑party misconduct.