Dateline NBC is expected to revisit the Alex Murdaugh murder case on Friday, May 15, 2026, after a major South Carolina Supreme Court ruling reopened one of the most watched criminal cases in recent memory.
The update follows the court’s May 13, 2026 decision to overturn Murdaugh’s 2023 murder convictions and order a new trial. The ruling centered on former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill and her contact with jurors during the original trial.
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Contents
The Murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh
The case began on June 7, 2021, when Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and her son Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed near the dog kennels at the family’s Moselle hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh called 911 that night and reported finding their bodies.
Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were killed with different firearms. The violent nature of the crime, the Murdaugh family’s long legal influence in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and the other scandals surrounding the family pushed the case into national attention.
The Trial That Made the Case a National Story
Murdaugh went on trial in January 2023 in Colleton County. Prosecutors argued that he killed Maggie and Paul to create sympathy and distract from financial crimes that were closing in on him. They told jurors that his career, reputation, and finances were collapsing.
The most important evidence included a cellphone video taken by Paul near the kennels minutes before prosecutors said the murders occurred. Murdaugh had told investigators he was not at the kennels that night, but he later admitted on the witness stand that his voice was on the video.
Murdaugh’s Testimony and the Guilty Verdict
Murdaugh denied killing his wife and son, but he admitted lying to investigators about being at the kennels. He also admitted stealing from clients and his former law firm. His defense blamed the lies on opioid addiction and fear of law enforcement.
On March 2, 2023, the jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two weapons charges. The next day, Judge Clifton Newman sentenced him to two consecutive life terms without parole. The verdict appeared to close the murder case, but the appeal process soon shifted attention to the conduct of court officials.
The Becky Hill Controversy
Murdaugh’s attorneys later accused Becky Hill of influencing jurors during the trial. They claimed she made comments that pushed jurors against Murdaugh, including warnings not to be fooled by his testimony. Hill also wrote a book about the trial, which added scrutiny to her role.
The South Carolina Supreme Court found that Hill’s actions damaged Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial. The court’s decision did not declare Murdaugh innocent. It ruled that the process had been tainted and that the murder convictions could not stand.
Why the New Trial May Look Different
A retrial would return prosecutors and the defense to court, but the case may not unfold the same way. One major issue is how much financial crime evidence prosecutors will be allowed to use. In the first trial, that evidence helped prosecutors build their motive theory.
If the financial evidence is limited, prosecutors may place more weight on the kennel video, phone data, timeline evidence, and Murdaugh’s admitted lies. The defense is expected to argue that the state has no direct forensic proof, confession, eyewitness, or recovered murder weapon tying Murdaugh to the shootings.
Murdaugh Remains in Prison
Even though the murder convictions were overturned, Murdaugh remains in prison. He is serving separate state and federal sentences for financial crimes involving stolen money from clients and his law firm.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has said prosecutors will seek to retry Murdaugh for the killings of Maggie and Paul. That means the Dateline update arrives at a new turning point: the original verdict is gone, but the murder case is not over.