Last updated May 13, 2026
The high-profile murders tied to a powerful legal family.
Dateline
South Carolina - Hampton County
Editorial note
Compiled by After the Headline from public reporting, court filings, official records, and the sources cited below.
Current status
Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13, 2026, and prosecutors said they planned to retry him. His financial-crime sentences remain in place, including separate state and federal prison terms for stealing from clients and his law firm.
Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions were overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on May 13, 2026, and prosecutors said they planned to retry him. His financial-crime sentences remain in place, including separate state and federal prison terms for stealing from clients and his law firm.
Most people remember the murder conviction, but the latest legal picture is split: the murder case is headed back toward trial while the financial-crime prison terms still keep him incarcerated.
Deep dive
The details most readers never saw once the original coverage cycle moved on.
The problem with Murdaugh in public memory is that the murder trial swallowed almost everything else.
The public remembers the kennel video, the family dynasty, and the murder convictions. But the financial-crimes side of the story ended up being enormous in its own right. Murdaugh pleaded guilty in late 2023 to a large number of state financial crimes and received a 27-year sentence. He also faced federal financial-crime consequences, including a 40-year federal sentence.
Then the murder side changed dramatically. On May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence after finding that outside influence on jurors denied him a fair trial. Prosecutors said they planned to retry him. That did not erase the financial-crime cases. AP reported that Murdaugh would remain in prison because of his separate state and federal financial-crime sentences.
That split is now the core update. The murders made him infamous, but the financial crimes still explain why his legal collapse continues even after the murder convictions were thrown out.
Timeline
The sequence of major developments, ordered from newest to oldest.
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