Alex Murdaugh's legal team has initiated an appeal of his life sentence for the 2021 murders of his wife and son, claiming that the inclusion of his financial misdeeds and alleged jury tampering tainted the trial's fairness. The appeal, filed Tuesday, argues that evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes, for which he received an additional 480 months in prison, prejudiced the jury in the murder case. The defense contends these crimes were unrelated to the murders and served only to cast Murdaugh in a negative light.
Furthermore, the appeal points to accusations against former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill, alleging she influenced jurors towards a guilty verdict. Hill resigned amidst these allegations, which she denies. While most jurors stated Hill didn't sway their decision, one acknowledged hearing her comment on Murdaugh's body language, though claiming it didn't affect their verdict. Judge Jean Toal previously ruled that these allegations were insufficient to warrant a new trial, a decision Murdaugh's lawyers are now challenging.
The appeal also contests the introduction of several firearms as evidence, asserting a lack of connection to the murders. Similarly, the defense disputes the relevance of gunshot residue found on a raincoat presented in court, claiming no evidentiary link to Murdaugh. The appeal is currently under review.
