The only real surviving son of disgraced authorized scion Alex Murdaugh is livid over the “nightmare” choice to overturn his father’s convictions for murdering his mom and brother.
“He’s not glad. That is going to place him by all of this once more. He has to relive the toughest years of his life over again,” a supply near Buster Murdaugh, 30, advised the Each day Mail.
Early Wednesday, the state Supreme Court docket launched a bombshell, 27-page report detailing the justices’ 5-0 ruling to overturn Murdaugh’s double-murder conviction – a call centered round a neighborhood county clerk who had “positioned her fingers on the scales of justice.”
The beautiful twist will probably end in a retrial for Murdaugh, 56, who was serving two consecutive life sentences with out parole for the grisly 2021 murders of his spouse, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul.
Buster famously backed his father throughout his dramatic, six-week trial that gripped the nation in 2023, however started to distance himself after a jury unanimously discovered Murdaugh responsible of the vicious slayings.
Since then, the father-son duo have solely had “a few cellphone calls,” in line with the supply, who mentioned Buster won’t go to Murdaugh to have a good time the brand new ruling.
“Buster wants a while to course of this, however he’s not glad in any respect,” the supply advised the outlet, and slammed Murdaugh as a “egocentric, egocentric previous man” for wanting a retrial.
“This can be a nightmare. How is Buster supposed to maneuver ahead to have this occur once more?
“It’s extra poking at a wound that’s not even healed but. What occurs if the entire thing occurs [again] and he’s convicted once more? It’ll put us all by this s–t once more,” the supply mentioned.
Buster, who tied the knot along with his spouse Brooklynn in Could 2025, has largely stayed out of the general public eye over the past couple of years. The couple now dwell in a modest, $445,000 home in a leafy, middle-class neighborhood about an hour south of the sprawling Murdaugh household property, the place Maggie and Paul have been gunned down close to the out of doors canine kennels on June 7, 2021.
“He’s a seashore man, goes to Hilton Head Island rather a lot. He likes to hunt and fish and keep busy,” the supply mentioned about Buster, who they mentioned additionally labored as company counsel for a restaurant chain final 12 months.
Whereas awaiting a retrial, Murdaugh – who has lengthy maintained his innocence in his kin’ murders – will nonetheless not be allowed to stroll free, as he’s additionally serving concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences for monetary crimes for stealing from his purchasers.
His attorneys appealed the homicide convictions, arguing that former Colleton County clerk Becky Hill tampered with the jury through the trial – claims that have been supported within the justices’ stunning choice Wednesday.
“Though we’re conscious of the time, cash, and energy expended for this prolonged trial, we’ve got no alternative however to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s movement for a brand new trial as a result of Hill’s improper exterior influences on the jury and remand for a brand new trial,” their report learn.
Prosecutors’ efforts to safe a conviction for Murdaugh “have been in useless” due to Hill, who “positioned her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his proper to a good trial by an neutral jury.”
Hill pleaded responsible in December to obstruction of justice, perjury, and two counts of misconduct in workplace after admitting she confirmed sealed crime scene pictures to a reporter and lied about it. She additionally fessed as much as selling her e-book concerning the trial by her public workplace.
Hill was sentenced to probation.
It’s more likely that Murdaugh will probably be acquitted through the retrial, felony protection lawyer Tyler Bailey of Columbia, South Carolina, advised The Put up.
“They will attempt to assault the case from a special angle, so I believe he has increased odds of being acquitted now than he did earlier than, just because it’s been a while and his group is aware of how individuals give it some thought,” Bailey mentioned.
Nonetheless, choosing a jury pool with out data of and private opinions concerning the highly-publicized case will probably be “a real nightmare,” in line with Columbia-based felony protection legal professional Dayne Phillips.
“I believe it’s going to be unattainable, nearly, or extremely inconceivable to search out 12 individuals who don’t know something concerning the case,” he mentioned.
However Phillips agreed that if an neutral jury might be chosen and Murdaugh’s attorneys “rework their protection technique, it might considerably enhance his possibilities of acquittal,” he mentioned.
Murdaugh’s protection group mentioned it “revered” the Supreme Court docket justices’ choice Wednesday to additionally restrict the quantity of testimony about Murdaugh’s monetary crimes that the prosecution will probably be allowed to introduce through the double-murder retrial.
“The preliminary jury heard greater than twelve hours of testimony about Alex’s monetary crimes. The Court docket held that this proof went far past what was obligatory and gave rise to unfair prejudice. On retrial, that won’t be permitted,” attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin wrote within the joint assertion.
“Alex has mentioned from day one which he didn’t kill his spouse and son. We sit up for a brand new trial performed in keeping with the Structure and the steering this Court docket has offered,” they mentioned.
South Carolina Lawyer Basic Alan Wilson mentioned his workplace disagrees with the Supreme Court docket’s choice however “will aggressively search to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as quickly as attainable.”
“Nobody is above the regulation and, as all the time, we’ll proceed to battle for justice,” Wilson mentioned.
