Alex Murdaugh’s defense team has notified the South Carolina Court of Appeals that he will appeal Justice Jean Toal’s ruling against his motion for a new trial.
Toal — who presided over Alex Murdaugh’s motion for a new murder trial due to allegations that former Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill tampered with the trial jury — filed her formal ruling on April 4, a little over two months after Murdaugh’s hearing in Columbia.
On April 11, the Murdaugh team filed a notice of appeal regarding Justice Toal’s order, meaning that Murdaugh now has a direct appeal for the murder trial and an appeal for the order declining him a new trial.
The Murdaugh camp also filed notice of an upcoming federal appeal following Murdaugh’s guilty plea in federal court on April 1. Per the terms of the federal plea deal, he waived his right to appeal. The basis for this appeal remains unknown.
You can hear more about Justice Toal’s order in True Sunlight episode 47 and 36.
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Contact Beth Braden
Beth Braden
Beth Braden is an award-winning investigative journalist who cut her reporting teeth in the hills and hollows of East Tennessee. She joined the LUNASHARK® Media team in 2023 as a researcher and journalist who handles FOIA requests, wading through and analyzing public records, and connecting with sources. She also provides a monthly update for premium members called Soundbites, which is a monthly review of everything happening at LUNASHARK®, and she occasionally writes and records for True Sunlight. Beth has her own solo podcast called Time of Death, which explores the 1992 homicide of Tommy Griffin and Connie Branam in East Tennessee.
Prior to joining the team, Beth’s newspaper work had taken her into deep-dive stories about faith-based serpent handling and Appalachian coal mining, as well as data journalism work to analyze euthanasia drug irregularities at an animal shelter, uncover the most dangerous intersections on her beat, and see whether or not the local judge’s rulings passed muster when cases were appealed to the state appellate court. And of course, she’s been to her fair share of court hearings, city council meetings, and board of education work sessions.
In addition to her newspaper experience, her byline appears on HGTV.com, nytimes.com, and other internationally known websites.
In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, rock climbing, strange museums, and good cups of coffee.
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