Alex MurdaughHis name is associated with one of the most surprising legal stories in recent memory – an out-of-touch South Carolina lawyer whose family lineage collapsed under the weight of two life sentences, a string of fraud cases and a murder case that swept the country. Now, with his murder charges dismissed and a new trial on the way, Us Weekly it explains what Alex did, what he admitted and where his legal violence stands today.
While the murder case remains in flux, one thing remains constant: Alex publicly confessed to a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from his clients and his law firm. Those financial crimes are completely different from murder crimes — and that’s why he’s still in prison even after the South Carolina Supreme Court threw out his murder charges on May 13, 2026.
Alex Murdaugh’s Financial Crimes Explained
Not only was Alex accused of killing his wife, Maggie Murdaughand a son Paul Murdaughbut he also became embroiled in legal trouble related to financial and drug crimes. The former public prosecutor was charged with 102 major crimes and 19 related to fraud and drug charges.
The cases paint a picture of a decades-long scheme involving racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. Alex eventually pleaded guilty to 22 counts — including racketeering and money laundering — and was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for those charges alone. In addition, he received a 27-year federal sentence for various financial crimes, bringing his non-murder sentence to a total of 67 years in prison.
As part of the fallout, Alex was dispossessed and stripped of his possessions. The money he stole was siphoned off from clients and his former law firm — a betrayal that shocked South Carolina’s legal community and shattered the Murdaugh family’s decades-long influence in the state.
Alex Murdaugh’s Welcome to the Witness Stand
When Alex took the case during his six-week murder trial in early 2023, he made what many legal experts called a very dangerous gamble: he publicly admitted to financial wrongdoing while maintaining his innocence of murder.
Alex admitted to stealing millions of dollars from his clients and his law firm. He also admitted he lied to investigators about his whereabouts the night Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were killed near dog pens on the family’s property in South Carolina in June 2021.
The former attorney later apologized to jurors for those lies, telling them he was “not thinking straight” and didn’t believe he was “able to think” at the time. Still, he insisted he “didn’t shoot” Maggie or Paul “at any time, at any time.”
His lawyer, Dick Harpootlianhas continued to draw a sharp line between the two criminal groups. “I think Alex understands that he did a bad thing by stealing all that money,” Harpootlian said Daily Mail in January 2026. “He’s adamant that he didn’t kill Paul and Maggie. He was … and if we get a fair trial, I think the jury will decide that he didn’t.”
Convictions and Sentencing of Alex Murdaugh
The financial admission did little to mollify the jury, which found Alex guilty on March 2, 2023, of murdering Maggie and Paul. The judge handed down two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole – one for each victim – meaning Alex was expected to die in prison even before he had to face his fraud convictions.
In total, Alex was serving two consecutive life sentences and an additional 67 years for financial crimes. As of August 2023, he has been working as a warden’s assistant within the South Carolina Department of Corrections, a job that reportedly involves helping run the day-to-day operations of the correctional facility. The New York Post.
When he wasn’t working his prison job, Alex was immersed in his application. “You can talk to him, unlike normal clients who don’t know anything about the appeals process or how this all works,” Harpootlian said in a January 2026 interview. “He’s interested because he’s a lawyer, so we talk about where we’re at and what we think the issues are in this case and what our weaknesses are.”
Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions were overturned
On May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling, unanimously overturning Alex’s murder conviction by a 5-0 vote and ordering a new trial. The judges ruled that the proceedings were tainted by “improper outside influences” from the former county clerk. Becky Hill.
“While we are aware of the time, money and effort expended on this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s undue outside influence on the jury and the maintenance of a new trial,” the justices wrote, according to CNN.
More than two years after Todd and Julie Chrisley were charged with several counts of bank and wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy, the trial of Chrisley Knows Best stars continued in May 2022. Todd, 53, and Julie, 49, appeared in court in Atlanta on May 17 for opening statements, where Assistant US Attorney Annalize. […]
The complaint centers around allegations that Hill influenced jurors – including telling them to “watch his body language” – and implied that Alex was guilty. A number of jurors confirmed Hill’s comments in affidavits and testimony, although most said they did not hear them.
January 2024, retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal initially denied Alex’s motion for a new trial, concluding that Hill’s comments did not influence the decision. Toal, however, found that inappropriate and said he believed Hill was “attracted to the celebrity buzz” because of the high profile of the case.
Hill also faced consequences for his behavior. He was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and disorderly conduct in May 2025, per WLOS. After pleading guilty in December 2025, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Alex Murdaugh’s case against Becky Hill
Just four days after his murder charges were dropped, Alex sued Hill in federal court, alleging that he fabricated the case in order to benefit from a book about the case.
According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ and filed on May 17, 2026, Alex said Hill secretly manipulated jurors during his 2023 double-murder trial and forced them to be convicted. Hill is accused of telling jurors they could be “fooled,” “confused” or “convinced” by Alex’s defense team.
Murdaugh: A Death in the Family comes to an end as Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile case comes to light. In an exclusive Us Weekly clip for the Wednesday, November 19, finale, Alex (Jason Clarke) takes over after being blamed for the deaths of Maggie Murdaugh (Patricia Arquette) and Paul Murdaugh (Johnny Berchtold). “You think you were alive a […]
In the filing, Alex said Hill repeatedly pulled the jury foreman aside for private deliberations and pressured the jurors to end deliberations quickly, allegedly telling them “it shouldn’t take long” and saying they could be famous following the verdict. He said his actions cost him at least $600,000 in legal fees and destroyed his right to a fair trial.
A hill and Neil R. Gordon take out their book, Behind the Doors of Justice: Murdaugh’s Killersin August 2023.
Hill’s attorney, Will Lewishe did not answer immediately Us‘ a request for comment on the case.
What’s next for Alex Murdaugh?
Even after being convicted of murder, Alex doesn’t walk free. He remains incarcerated, serving a 27-year federal sentence and a 40-year prison term for his financial crimes — a sentence that totals 67 years and is entirely separate from murder. A new murder trial will be scheduled, giving prosecutors another chance to make their case and giving Alex another chance to prove he didn’t kill Maggie or Paul.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
