<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prosecutors say they plan to retry disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh on </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/murder" rel="" target="" title="murder"><span>murder</span></a><span> charges in the </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/shootings" rel="" target="" title="shooting"><span>shooting</span></a><span> deaths of his wife and younger son after the state Supreme </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="Court"><span>Court</span></a><span> overturned his conviction and life sentence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>State Attorney General Alan Wilson said his office respected the court's decision but no one was above the law.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a unanimous ruling on Wednesday (early Thursday AEST), the South Carolina Supreme Court said the conduct by the court clerk "egregiously attacked Murdaugh's credibility" by suggesting to jurors his testimony could not be trusted. </span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-china-visit-us-president-lands-in-beijing-ahead-of-talks-with-chinese-president-xi-jinping/87c38c9a-f0b3-4e5e-aeed-1023422a4b0f"><strong><span>Trump claims key topic off agenda as 'two superpowers' meet in Beijing</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They also said the trial judge went too far in allowing evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes into his murder trial.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Murdaugh will not be getting out of prison. The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to stealing about $US12 million ($16.5 million) from his clients and currently is serving a 40-year federal sentence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Still, the ruling is a win for Murdaugh, who admits to being a thief, liar, insurance cheat and bad lawyer, but has adamantly denied killing wife Maggie and younger son Paul since he found their bodies outside their home in 2021.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/alex-murdaugh-trial-prosecutors-to-retry-lawyer-deaths-of-wife-and-son-after-high-court-overturned-convictions/f9f9d942-8adf-49ce-9320-07dbb2958c0c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The justices ruled Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, assigned to oversee the evidence and the jury during the trial, influenced jurors to find Murdaugh guilty. She hoped to improve sales of a book she was writing about the case.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The name of the book was </span><em><span>Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders</span></em><span>. It was pulled from publication after plagiarism allegations were made.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victorian-mum-set-to-be-charged-after-using-listening-device-to-investigate-sons-injuries/8e5cf121-adbd-4278-8204-6de320d00174"><strong><span>Mum to be charged after sending son to school with hidden device</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"As her book's title suggests, it turns out Hill was quite busy behind the doors of justice, thwarting the integrity of the justice system she was sworn to protect and uphold," the justices wrote in an unsigned 27-page ruling.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hill has since pleaded guilty to lying about what she said and did to a different judge.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Murdaugh's lawyers also argued before the high court that the judge at his 2023 trial made rulings that prevented a fair trial, such as allowing evidence of Murdaugh stealing from clients that had nothing to do with the killings but biased jurors against him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They detailed the lack of physical evidence — no DNA or blood was found splattered on Murdaugh or any of his clothes, even though the killings were at close range with powerful weapons that were never found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/inquest-to-probe-cops-fatal-tasering-of-grandmother/a60dd823-972e-44d9-96a9-40704723a621" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Paramedic's 'absolute shock, disbelief' as gran Tasered</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prosecutors argued that the clerk's comments were fleeting and the evidence against Murdaugh was overwhelming. His lawyer said that did not matter because the comments a juror said she made — urging jurors to watch Murdaugh's body language and listen to his testimony carefully — removed his presumption of innocence before the jury ever deliberated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Murdaugh's legal drama continues to captivate. There have been streaming miniseries, bestselling books and dozens of true crime podcasts about how the multimillionaire Southern lawyer whose family dominated and controlled the legal system in tiny Hampton County ended up in a maximum-security South Carolina prison.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The justices in their ruling praised prosecutors, the defence team and the judge for outstanding work, heaping all the blame for having to try Murdaugh again on Hill.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hill's attorney in her criminal case did not return a phone call or email seeking comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hill "placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury", the justices wrote. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our justice system provides — indeed demands — that every person is entitled to a fair trial."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: </span></strong></em><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via </span></strong></em><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span> and </span></strong></em><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by </span></strong></em><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to </span></strong></em><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li></ul></div></div>