Alex Murdaugh will not be given a new trial in the murder case against his wife and son.
The decision, made by retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, came after arguments by the defense that the guilty verdict was invalid because of jury tampering, with Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill allegedly pressuring jurors on how to vote. State prosecutors denied these allegations, calling it a "conspiracy theory."
Justice Toal was unconvinced by the denials, accusing the clerk of being swayed by the "siren call of celebrity" and wanting a guilty verdict "because it would sell books." However, she said that the jury was not actually swayed by these "fleeting and foolish comments," and that the one juror who felt pressured was primarily pressured by other jurors, which is not grounds for a mistrial.
The Murdaugh trial held the attention of the whole nation last year. Murdaugh, an attorney from a well-to-do South Carolina Lowcountry family, was accused of shooting his wife and son near the dog kennels of the family estate. He was found guilty in that trial and sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh committed the killings in order to cover up his extensive embezzlement from his law partners and clients, and his five-figure-a-week drug habit.
Murdaugh admitted to this misconduct but maintained his innocence in the murders of his family.
One key turning point in the trial may have been when Murdaugh, after having taken the stand in court, admitted to being on the estate when the murders happened, which contradicted months of claims by his attorneys and family members that he had not been there at the time.
