Judge denies new double murder trial for disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaugh, convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, in June 2021, listens during a hearing on the motion for a retrial (Gavin McIntyre/The Post and Courier via AP)

A judge in South Carolina has denied Alex Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial after his defence team accused a clerk of court of tampering with a jury.

Judge Jean Toal ruled that even if Colleton County clerk Becky Hill did tell jurors to watch Murdaugh’s actions and body language on the stand, the defence failed to prove that such comments directly influenced their decision to find him guilty.