Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder convictions were overturned in May 2026, but the disgraced former attorney remains behind bars — and his accommodations aren’t going to change any time soon.
While the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out the guilty verdicts in the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son Paul Murdaugh, Alex is still serving a decades-long prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to a mountain of financial crimes. .
His retrial in the double-homicide case isn’t scheduled until April 2027. The disgraced lawyer’s legal team is already pushing for new DNA testing in hopes of proving his alleged innocence.
Here’s a look at where things stand for Alex, from the surprise ruling that tossed his convictions to the fresh forensic fight brewing ahead of his next trial.
Alex Murdaugh’s Murder Convictions Overturned
The South Carolina Supreme Court announced on May 13, 2026, that it was overturning Alex’s guilty verdict for the murders, ruling in a 5-0 vote that the original trial had been tainted by the “improper” influence of county clerk Becky Hill on the jury.
“Although we are aware of the time, money and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s improper external influences on the jury and remand for a new trial,” the justices wrote, according to CNN.
Alex, a once prominent attorney from a South Carolina legal dynasty, was originally convicted by a jury in March 2023 for the murders of Maggie and Paul, who were fatally shot on the property of the family’s hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, on June 7, 2021. The trial lasted six weeks and featured extensive testimony that Alex, now 57, had stolen millions of dollars from his clients and from his own law firm.
Alex testified during the trial and denied that he killed Maggie and Paul, though he admitted to committing financial theft. He also acknowledged that he had lied to investigators about his whereabouts just before his wife and son were killed. Following the trial, he was handed two life sentences for the murder charges.
The Becky Hill Controversy That Toppled the Verdict
Alex’s attorneys appealed the murder convictions in March 2023, arguing that their client’s trial had been tainted by Hill’s improper comments to jurors, as well as prejudicial evidence and other failures at trial. Prosecutors countered that Alex should still be found guilty because the evidence against him was overwhelming and he was “obviously guilty,” per CNN.
The appeal centered on comments Hill allegedly made to the jurors, with Alex’s attorneys claiming that she improperly influenced them during the trial and implied he was guilty by telling them to “watch his body language.” A few jurors confirmed the comments in affidavits and testimony, though the majority said they did not hear them.
In January 2024, retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal determined Hill’s comments did not influence the jury’s verdict and denied Alex’s request for a new trial. However, Toal did find Hill’s comments to be improper and said she believed Hill had been “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” due to the high-profile status of the case.
Hill was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in May 2025, according to WLOS. After she pleaded guilty in December 2025, she was sentenced to three years of probation.
Alex Murdaugh’s Financial Crimes Keep Him Behind Bars
Even with his murder convictions vacated, Alex isn’t walking free. Around the time of his murder trial, he pleaded guilty to dozens of state and federal financial crimes, resulting in concurrent state and federal sentences of 27 and 40 years.
The 22 federal financial crimes included conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
“Murdaugh’s victims turned to him when they were particularly vulnerable, after suffering serious injuries and losing loved ones,” U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina Adair F. Boroughs said at the time of his sentencing. “They put their trust in him as their lawyer, and he betrayed them. His crimes were cold, calculated, and brazen, and he earned every day of his 40-year sentence. We hope that it provides at least some closure to his victims.”
That means Alex remains in custody while he awaits his second chance in court on the murder charges — and his 40-year federal sentence would keep him locked up well into his 90s even if he’s ultimately acquitted at retrial.
Alex Murdaugh Seeks DNA Review Ahead of April 2027 Retrial
As Alex prepares for his retrial, his legal team is already making moves to strengthen his defense. His attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, filed a motion on July 30, 2026, requesting that an independent laboratory review DNA evidence recovered from underneath Maggie’s fingernails.
The attorneys noted that investigators from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) found DNA under Maggie’s left-hand fingernails that “belongs to an unknown, unrelated male,” according to court records reviewed by People. However, they said that investigators did not make any additional efforts to determine who the DNA belonged to.
Alex’s team has asked the judge to allow private forensic genetic genealogy lab Othram to conduct advanced testing. The defense also said SLED has reserve samples that should be preserved before the agency performs any additional analysis, expressing concern that SLED could consume so much of the evidence that little or none would remain for independent testing.
The filing stated that the defense will cover the costs of having the DNA evidence tested.
During an August 14, 2026, hearing, Judge McCaslin determined that she would let the defense have a quantitative analysis done on the limited sample of DNA and that they must report back if there are any “leftovers,” per People.
What’s Next for Alex Murdaugh?
Alex’s retrial is scheduled to take place in April 2027, giving both prosecutors and his defense team roughly a year to prepare their cases in what will likely be another closely watched proceeding.
For now, the answer to whether Alex is still in prison is a definitive yes. His murder convictions may have been overturned, but the financial crimes he admitted to keep him incarcerated — and he’ll remain there while he awaits his second trial for the deaths of his wife and son.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
