Former Chief Justice Jean Toal denied Alex Murdaugh's motion for a new trial by requiring him to prove the Clerk's comments actually harmed his case. The South Carolina Supreme Court just ruled unanimously that she had it backwards. Under federal law, the burden falls on the State to prove there is no reasonable possibility the verdict was influenced. All five justices found the State couldn't meet that standard. Toal also improperly questioned jurors about whether the comments changed their individual votes — violating the protections around jury deliberation privacy.

The Clerk in question is Becky Hill, who the court found made unprecedented improper statements to jurors during the trial. She told them not to be fooled by the defense evidence, to watch Murdaugh's body language closely, and that deliberations shouldn't take long. The court determined her conduct was driven by a book deal that depended on a guilty verdict. Hill pled guilty to perjury in December 2025 for lying under oath about what she did.

With retrial confirmed by AG Alan Wilson, the Supreme Court also drew a line: prosecutors presented over twelve hours of financial crimes evidence at the first trial. The court called that excessive and restricted any retrial to financial evidence directly supporting the motive theory. Murdaugh remains incarcerated on financial convictions.

And while the courts sort through the wreckage, Blanca Simpson — the Murdaughs' housekeeper for fifteen years — is detailing what she found inside the house after the murders. Staged pajamas. A misplaced wedding ring. An unidentified truck at the property. Alex trying to establish a false detail about his clothing. And an investigator who allegedly told her to stop obsessing when she tried to report it. The system failed at more than one level in this case.

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