Convicted killer and confessed thief Alex Murdaugh wants the South Carolina Supreme Court to review the decision handed down by retired Justice Jean Toal in January in which she denied his motion for a new murder trial based on allegations of jury tampering.
Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and their younger son, Paul, in March 2023, and he immediately filed an appeal. That appeal was eventually put on pause while Murdaugh pursued a new trial on the grounds that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill tampered with the jury.
Toal presided over the January 2024 motion for a new trial that included questioning each of the trial jurors about their verdict as well as testimony from Hill and from Rhonda McElveen, the Barnwell County Clerk of Court who assisted Hill’s office during the trial.
Toal ultimately ruled against Alex Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial, concluding that while Hill may have made comments to the jury, they did not rise to the level of jury tampering while noting that Hill lacks credibility.
Murdaugh’s defense team wants the SC Supreme Court to review the decision, arguing that Toal’s ruling is erroneous because she used the wrong legal argument to deny the motion for a new trial.
For a refresher on the motions hearing and the legal argument the Murdaugh team WANTED Justice Toal to use, listen to True Sunlight episode 34 and episode 36.
You can read Murdaugh’s request here, and don’t miss next week’s episode of Cup of Justice where Mandy, Liz, and EB for an in-depth discussion on what this request means.
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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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