Episode Details

Immediately after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, his attorneys asked Judge Clifton Newman to set aside the verdict and grant him a new trial. The defense argued that prosecutors had failed to prove the murders beyond a reasonable doubt and challenged the sufficiency of the state’s largely circumstantial case. Newman rejected the request almost immediately, saying the evidence of guilt was overwhelming. The guilty verdict therefore remained intact, and Murdaugh was sentenced the next day to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

That was only the beginning of Murdaugh’s efforts to overturn the conviction. Months later, his attorneys filed a separate motion for a new trial based on allegations that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill had improperly influenced jurors by making comments about Murdaugh’s testimony and encouraging them to reach a quick verdict. After an evidentiary hearing, that effort was also denied, with the court finding that Hill had made inappropriate remarks but had not influenced the jury’s decision. Murdaugh’s legal team continued pursuing the issue on appeal, but his first attempt to undo the verdict had come within minutes of the conviction itself, and Judge Newman shut it down on the spot.


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