|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by JENN WOOD
***
Nearly three years after a Colleton County jury convicted Alex Murdaugh of murdering his wife and son, South Carolina’s highest court has officially set a date to hear oral arguments in his appeal — the first of two pivotal moments that will decide whether the disgraced attorney receives a new trial or remains behind bars for life.
According to the court’s February 2026 roster, justices will take up the matter of The State v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. EST.
Murdaugh’s appeal — filed in the wake of his 2023 double-murder conviction — alleged his trial was “fatally compromised by jury tampering, improperly admitted evidence, and investigative failures.” His attorneys maintain former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill “inserted herself into the jury’s deliberations” and tainted its verdict for personal gain.
The state has insisted the guilty verdicts secured against Murdaugh were “solely the product of the jury’s honest deliberations,” citing “overwhelming evidence” of guilt, including a video from the dog kennels at the family’s Moselle hunting property which put Murdaugh at the murder scene just minutes before the shootings. Prosecutors also cited Murdaugh’s admitted lies to investigators and forensic timelines showing both victims’ phones locked within seconds of one another.
As FITSNews previously reported, the final briefs for both sides were filed in early November, closing the written record in one of the most closely watched appeals in South Carolina history.
***
RELATED | FINAL FILINGS IN ALEX MURDAUGH’S APPEAL
***
WHAT TO EXPECT
The February 11 hearing will mark the first time Murdaugh’s attorneys and state prosecutors face the justices in person. Each side is typically allotted thirty minutes to argue, though the actual duration of oral arguments can be influenced by the number of lawyers arguing for a side. The proceedings — held in the Supreme Court courtroom in Columbia — will likely draw intense media coverage and renewed public scrutiny of the trial that riveted the nation.
The five-member court — chief justice John Kittridge and justices John Few, George James Jr., D. Garrison Hill, and Letitia Verdin — will determine whether to affirm Murdaugh’s convictions, order a new trial, or remand the case for further proceedings.
If the verdicts are affirmed by the court, Murdaugh’s remaining avenues would be a petition for post-conviction relief (PCR) in state court or a federal habeas corpus review – the latter of which many believe gives him the best possible chance of overturning the verdicts.
If the court determines the trial was compromised, however, the ripple effects could reach far beyond one defendant — calling into question the integrity of a case that defined South Carolina’s judicial system for a generation.
As oral arguments approach, both sides are doubling down on their dueling themes. Prosecutors maintain the case was built on hard evidence and motive — what they called a “gathering storm” of financial ruin closing in on Murdaugh. Meanwhile, the defense insists it was the product of “a perfect storm of investigative incompetence, prosecutorial misconduct, and court official corruption.”
Which theory will prevail? We’ll get a better sense of that during February’s oral arguments…
***
THE ROSTER…
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
