Both sides say ‘politics’ being injected into Alex Murdaugh’s retrial

Summary

• S.C. Supreme Court vacates Alex Murdaugh 2023 murder convictions
• Attorney General Alan Wilson signals death penalty on table
• Murdaugh defense calls death penalty talk political posturing
• Wilson office rebuts claims of political influence in case

The pre-trial phase for a potential Alex Murdaugh murder retrial hasn’t even begun, and legal opponents are already taking jabs at one another — but in the political arena and not the courtroom.

With South Carolina’s high court vacating Murdaugh’s 2023 double murder convictions and consecutive life sentences last week, the notion of putting the death penalty on the table for a retrial is sparking public debate between the chief prosecutor and Murdaugh’s defense team.

Here is a play-by-play as the debate heats up “ring side” in the political ring, as both sides accuse the opponent of “injecting politics” into a legal case.

Is the death penalty on the table for Alex Murdaugh?

On May 13, the S.C. Supreme Court reversed a ruling denying convicted fraudster and formerly convicted murderer Richard “Alex” Murdaugh a new murder trial and remanded the case back to the state circuit court for a potential retrial, citing jury interference and tampering by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill.

In the first trial, Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 for the June 2021 killings of his wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul, and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Following the Supreme Court’s reversal, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, whose office prosecuted the murder case and a multitude of fraud cases against Murdaugh, announced that his office would aggressively seek to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible, and on May 15, the AG’s Office issued an even more aggressive statement to multiple media outlets:

“In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we’re back to square one on this case, and that means all our legal options are on the table, including the death penalty,” Wilson said.

During the 2023 murder trial, graphic and often horrific details of the killings were made public, as both victims were shot multiple times — the son with a shotgun and his mother with a high-power rifle, resulting in what has been described in court as “catastrophic” damage to the victims.

However, during a May 18 afternoon press conference in Columbia, attorneys for Murdaugh scoffed at the notion of the death penalty, calling it “playing politics” as Wilson prepares to leave the AG’s Office in a run for S.C. governor, and saying they are “sick and tired” of the political posturing.

“Clearly, he is not talking to the lawyers in his office; he’s probably talking to his political consultants who thought it would be a good sound bite for his political campaign,” said Murdaugh attorney Richard “Dick” Harpootlian to open the presser.

“The law is clear that he cannot seek the death penalty if it’s due to vindictive prosecution,” Harpootlian added. “Alan Wilson is playing politics, instead of playing prosecutor… please, Alan, focus on your job and not the politics.”

Harpootlian also questioned what is different in this case now to warrant the death penalty.

“What does he (Wilson) know today that he didn’t know five years ago?” Harpootlian asked. “Why is he seeking the death penalty. Is there some new piece of evidence?”

Attorney general responds to comments from Murdaugh press conference

The S.C. Attorney General’s Office issued a rebuttal statement Monday afternoon, May 20, following the Murdaugh press conference.

“This case is being treated exactly as it should be, as a brand-new trial. Every legal option is on the table, and those discussions are happening as they should happen, with the dedicated prosecutors and staff within the Attorney General’s Office, not as part of some campaign apparatus,” stated the AG’s Office. “In 2022, the legal and practical realities surrounding the death penalty were very different. South Carolina had not carried out an execution in more than a decade. That has changed, and it is one of several factors that must now be considered as we move forward.”

Politically oriented debate continues on national TV

The sparring in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court ruling, along with press conferences and interviews, continued this week on national news networks.

On Tuesday, May 19, Wilson told NewsNation, “The decision to make legal determinations and what courses of action to pursue in the criminal justice system are solely within this office. And so, his political statement about me being political was, in fact, him injecting politics into this case.”