Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction has been overturned.
Alex Murdaugh Juror Speaks Out After Double-Murder Conviction Overturned
May 14 2026, Published 2:14 p.m. ET
A juror who helped convict Alex Murdaugh expressed her shock after the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his double-murder convictions and ordered a new trial.
Ami Williams, who was on the jury in Murdaugh’s 2023 trial, called the court’s decision “crazy” in an interview following the ruling.
She also supported former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, whose actions led to the court's unanimous choice to reverse the verdict.
South Carolina's supreme court overturned Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction
The South Carolina Supreme Court decided on Wednesday that Hill improperly influenced jurors during the trial, denying Murdaugh a fair trial.
This ruling voided Murdaugh’s convictions and life sentences for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their son, Paul Murdaugh, 22.
Despite the ruling, Murdaugh, 57, will stay in prison and he is currently serving separate state and federal sentences after admitting to financial crimes that involved stealing from clients and his former law firm. These sentences add up to 67 years.
Williams told the New York Post that she did not think Hill impacted the jury’s choice. She described Hill as “gracious” and “super helpful” during the trial and was surprised by the overturning of the verdict.
The state’s highest court reached a different conclusion. In its opinion, the court stated that Hill made comments to jurors regarding Murdaugh’s credibility and the defense’s case. The justices noted that her actions created a bias that prosecutors could not overcome.
The ruling included testimony that Hill told jurors to “watch him closely” and not be “fooled” by the defense. The court also mentioned that Hill’s actions must be viewed alongside her later attempts to profit from the case by writing a book about the trial.
Hill wrote Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, released after the trial.
The South Carolina Supreme Court remarked that the title was fitting in a way Hill did not mean, noting that she had been “quite busy behind the doors of justice” in actions that harmed the process she was supposed to uphold.
Hill later resigned and pleaded guilty to misconduct related to her management of the case, which included showing sealed evidence to a photographer and misusing her position for personal gain, according to reports about the ruling.
The murder case gained national interest due to Murdaugh’s background as a once-powerful South Carolina attorney from a well-known legal family.
Alex Murdaugh’s lead attorney says his client was stunned by the overturn of his conviction.
Prosecutors claimed at trial that he killed his wife and son as his financial crimes were about to come to light. Murdaugh denied committing the murders and maintains his innocence.
Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, said after the ruling that their client felt grateful and optimistic. They stated he would not plead guilty in the murder case.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that prosecutors will seek a new trial. He acknowledged the court’s decision but emphasized that his office will keep pursuing the case against Murdaugh.
The order for a new trial does not release Murdaugh from custody, but it reopens one of the most closely watched murder cases in recent U.S. history.