Alex Murdaugh Faces Uphill Battle for New Murder Trial as Judge Limits Permissible Evidence

Alex Murdaugh, convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, in June 2021, is escorted into the courtroom for a hearing on the motion for a retrial at the Richland County Judicial Center, in Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 16, 2024. Gavin McIntyre/The Post and Courier via AP, Pool

Alex Murdaugh faces a steep uphill battle in his push for a new murder trial after a state judge on Tuesday limited witness questioning and set a high burden of proof surrounding accusations that the court clerk tampered with the jury during last year’s sensational proceedings.

Even if Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers prove that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill told jurors not to believe his testimony and pressured them into reaching a guilty verdict, they must also demonstrate that doing so prejudiced them against Mr. Murdaugh, former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal ruled.