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by JENN WOOD
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Nearly three years after a Colleton County jury convicted disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh of murdering his wife and son, South Carolina’s highest court is taking up the case — and FITSNews is providing live coverage from inside the courtroom.
Today, the South Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Murdaugh’s direct appeal – and his related appeal of the order denying him a new trial based on jury tampering allegations. The hearing — scheduled for 9:30 a.m. EST in Columbia, S.C. — marks the first time attorneys for both sides will appear before the justices in person since the appeal was filed.
At issue is not Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence, but whether legal errors — including alleged jury interference, evidentiary rulings, and limits on juror questioning — undermined the fairness of his 2023 murder trial. Prosecutors argue the verdicts entered against Murdaugh were supported by overwhelming evidence and should stand. Defense attorneys argue the trial was structurally compromised and that a new trial is required.
The court is hearing two tracks of appeal together:
- A challenge to the guilty verdicts, including the admission of financial-crimes evidence
- A challenge to the denial of a new trial following post-verdict jury tampering allegations involving former clerk of court Becky Hill
Each side will present structured argument segments, with rebuttal time reserved for the defense. The justices may question attorneys at any point during their allotted forty minute presentations.
In addition to providing expansive background coverage on our Murdaugh Appeal landing page, FITSNews will be running a live feed (below) with real-time updates, key exchanges, notable questions from the bench, and procedural developments as they happen. Our courtroom reporting and live updates are being coordinated by our Columbia-based team, with analysis and legal context added in real time.
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THE POLLS …
As we did during Murdaugh’s 2023 trial, we’re once again inviting our audience to weigh in — this time not on his guilt or innocence, but on the legal questions facing the justices.
Our live polls are designed to track how readers view the strength of the competing legal arguments as they are presented to the court. As you follow hearing and its aftermath, we’ll keep these polls open throughout today’s hearing and update results as arguments unfold.
What do you think? Vote in our polls and post your comments in our always-engaging comments section…
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Did Alex Murdaugh receive a fair trial?
What should the Supreme Court do?
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THE FEED…
12:01 p.m. EST – Barber asks the justices to further expound on the cell phone issues and explains the various movements which activate the cell phone backlight feature on an iPhone. Barber very effectively explains the importance of the accuracy of this data, “The point is the phone had to be thrown out before he drove past that spot, and that fact was not known until near the close of the state’s case.”
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11:58 a.m. EST – Defense attorney Phillip Barber has begun answering rebuttal questions from the justices. The justices immediately began questioning about rule 404b and the admittance of the financial crimes.
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11:53 a.m. EST – Questioning of Waters continues as Justice Few addresses the weapons expert issue brought by Murdaugh’s team.
“As I read this record, there’s nothing, I mean, literally zero, about how Paul Greer used the method. He says he used it, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t say, he didn’t say, I found four different individual markings. He didn’t say, here they are. Here’s where they were, nothing.”
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Well, well… the movie 'Fargo' gets a reference in the #Murdaugh appeal. Lead prosecutor @CreightonWaters brings it up to highlight Alex Murdaugh's financial motive for murder, but gets rebuked by justice John Few. "I haven't seen 'Fargo' – get to the point," Few told Waters. ? pic.twitter.com/eR6d2aZEDO
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) February 11, 2026
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11:46 a.m. EST – The justices are still — very aggressively — questioning Waters about the admittance of the financial crimes. Once again, they are well over their 20 minute time limit.
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11:37 a.m. EST – Chief Justice Kittridge says, “Unlike the federal counterpart of 404b, our case law has said that our version of 404b is a rule of exclusion, not inclusion, and the gate here was just left open. I couldn’t find any example of financial crime evidence that was excluded. And the granular detail in the expansiveness of which everything under the sun was allowed is arguably problematic.”
Kittridge continues, “Even the nature of the victims. There are many examples here. I want you to respond to share one — I think his name is Tony Satterfield was testifying — when we had to hear about the disabled brother. How is that related to motive?”
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11:31 a.m. EST – Justice James inquired about Maggie Murdaugh’s phone, “Why is this phone being taken from the scene, and why not Paul’s? Why not just leave her’s there too?”
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11:24 a.m. EST – Waters has begun presenting his argument to the justices, “Fundamentally, our case boiled down to four important points.”
Those points according to Waters are motive, means, opportunity and multiple acts of guilty conscious.
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11:16 a.m. EST – Jim Griffin thought he was done presenting the evidentiary arguments, but the justices held him back for more questions. The justices are approaching the evidentiary issues very thoughtfully — it is definitely less intense than the last round of questions to Waters.
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11:12 a.m. EST – Justice Few addresses Griffin, “I’m asking to what extent does the trial judge when looking at a theory of motive that isn’t 100% solid, to what extent does the trial judge analyze the believability, the ultimate usefulness of the theory of motive before admitting the evidence?”
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11:09 a.m. EST – Kittridge asks Griffin if there was any 404b evidence that was proffered by the state that was disallowed. Griffin responds, “No, Your Honor.”
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11:06 a.m. EST – Chief Justice Kittridge has shifted questioning to the admittance of the financial crimes asking Griffin, “Do you believe any of the evidence about the defendant’s financial crimes could have been admitted under rule 404b as motive evidence?”
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Phase II of the #Murdaugh appeal is now underway on our FITSNews live feed… @LawyerGriffin arguing the state's case was "not an overwhelming evidence" case, and that cell phone data pointed to Alex Murdaugh's "innocence, not his guilt." pic.twitter.com/sRq5nyoiKj
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) February 11, 2026
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11:03 a.m. EST – Justice Verdin asks Griffin what the harm was in the cell phone throwing testimony was when they were able to very effectively cross-examine the expert so the jury had an idea of their concerns.
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10:59 a.m. EST – Justice James has asked Griffin, “What’s your theory as to when the phone was tossed out of the window by someone?”
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Griffin responds, “With all due respect, I think that’s asking the wrong question. I think the right question is would the phone turn on and record any sort of activity if Alex threw it out the window at 9:08?”
10:53 a.m. EST – Jim Griffin has begun arguing the evidentiary issues on appeal. There are five evidentiary issues in front of the justices for consideration today. Griffin tells the Court, “This was not an overwhelming evidence case. This was a very close case, and the cell phone and GPS data, frankly, pointed to his innocence, not his guilt.”
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10:34 a.m. EST – 14 minutes following the expiration of the State’s time limit, Chief Justice Kittridge recessed for a 10 minute break.
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10:28 a.m. EST – Justice Hill reminds Waters the clerk of court in a courthouse is the first and last point of contact for the jurors. Hill says, “Justice is supposed to be blind, but court officials” when it comes to a case should be mute. He then notes the obvious bond and respect that is likely to be built between a juror and a clerk of court. Waters tells the justices Hill wasn’t really the main contact for the jurors, it was really the bailiff, Bill Polk.
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10:24 a.m. EST – The State’s 20 minutes has long since expired and the justices have opted to continue questioning Waters. Justice James has again referred back to the egg juror’s testimony. This is clearly a big point of contention for a couple of the justices. James tells Waters he is struggling to understand why the egg juror was not allowed to testify and asks Waters if they can consider her affidavit.
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10:21 a.m. EST – Justice Kittridge is questioning Waters about how they can pick and choose when to believe Hill about and when to believe the jurors when they contradict. Waters refers to Toal’s finding that a few “foolish and fleeting” comments should not change the outcome of the trial.
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10:15 a.m. EST – Justice Few asks Waters how he can justify the statement that Becky Hill wasn’t “completely credible” when it’s clear from her statements and actions indicate she is a liar.
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"Justice is supposed to be blind… court officials are supposed to be mute." -S.C. supreme court justice Buck James #Murdaugh
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) February 11, 2026
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10:11 a.m. EST – The more the justices question Waters, the faster he speaks. Justice Kittridge notes how Barnwell Clerk of Court, Rhonda McElveen’s testimony regarding Hill’s comments the trial mirrored the jurors, “the similar nature of the comments is striking.”
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10:07 a.m. EST – Chief justice Kittridge has asked Waters what they should do about the order that doesn’t even mention juror z’s comment regarding Hill telling the jurors “don’t be fooled” by Murdaugh’s testimony. Justice Kittridge points out that if that statement is considered, it makes the other innocuous comments far more “nefarious.”
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10:05 a.m. EST – Justice Letitia James stopped Waters to begin questioning, She asks Waters how the court can find certain comments of juror Z’s testimony credible, but not others. She then asks the Waters if they are able to consider all the comments made by the jurors — including egg juror — or just what justice Toal considered.
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10:01 a.m. EST – Creighton Waters has begun his 5 minute presentation to the Court. Both Waters and Harpootlian know their time limits and utilized their 5 minutes quite well.
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9:41 a.m. EST – The first question came from justice George C. James Jr., “Can we consider the affidavit of the egg juror?” What was the rationale of not allowing her to testify?”
Harpootlian responds, “I don’t know. I’m not sure she stated a coherent reason.”
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9:40 a.m. EST – “In 51 years of practicing law, I’ve never seen a factual pattern like this,” Harpootlian told the Court. “Where a clerk of court had a financial motive to influence the jury.”
Harpootlian is reminding the Court of testimony given during the January 2024 evidentiary hearing regarding the financial motivation of former Colleton County Clerk of Court, Becky Hill.
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9:36 a.m. EST – Harpootlian is beginning the hearing arguing the jury tampering.
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9:34 a.m. EST – The gavel has pounded and the justices have entered the courtroom. Chief justice Kittridge has explained to counsel they have 5 minutes of their 20 minutes to speak uninterrupted. At that point, they will begin asking questions.
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9:12 a.m. EST – In the final photo permitted from inside the courtroom prior to the commencement of today’s proceedings, attorney general Alan Wilson – viewed by many as the current frontrunner in the race for governor of South Carolina – converses with Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin.
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9:08 a.m. EST – Early returns on our Murdaugh appeal polls indicate 51% of respondents believe Murdaugh did NOT receive a fair trial, while 45% believe he did. Similarly, 51% believe the S.C. supreme court should order a new trial, while 44% believe it should affirm the convictions.
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9:00 a.m. EST – Dick Harpootlian, lead attorney for convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, is in the building…
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8:47 a.m. EST – After the hearing is concluded, attorneys for Murdaugh will hold a press availability for the sole purpose of answering questions outside of attorney Dick Harpootlian‘s law offices in downtown Columbia, S.C. (1410 Laurel Street). The attorney general’s office has no current plans to issue a statement or hold a media availability following the proceedings – but indicated it would let press know in the event those plans change.
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8:41 a.m. EST – Our Jenn Wood is in the courtroom…
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8:34 a.m. EST – Who will be arguing the case for each side? On behalf of Alex Murdaugh, attorneys Dick Harpootlian, Jim Griffin and Phillip Barber will address the court, per a letter (.pdf) provided to the justices from the defense. On the prosecutorial side, attorney general Alan Wilson is bringing a veritable posse, but it appears per this response (.pdf) as though state grand jury chief Creighton Waters – who led the prosecution of Murdaugh – will be the attorney addressing the court.
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8:16 a.m. EST – Eric Bland, one of the civil attorneys at the heart of the Murdaugh Murders saga, has issued the following statement ahead of today’s hearing. Bland’s commentary is worth a ready, especially the closing reference to Sixth Amendment considerations, and how those “may cause a reversal” at the federal level.
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The televised oral arguments are going to take place at the South Carolina Supreme Court this morning at 9:30 in connection with the appeal of Alex Murdaugh’s double murder convictions that occur occurred in March 2023. The two main issues are whether it was prejudicial to Alex…
— Eric Bland (@TheEricBland) February 11, 2026
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8:06 a.m. EST – If you need a 30,000-foot primer on today’s hearing, our Jenn Wood has got you covered. This preview story details what today’s hearing will – and won’t – cover. It also discusses in detail the three paths available to the justices as they deliberate.
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8:01 a.m. EST – Another look at the gathering circus outside the courtroom…
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#Murdaugh circus is back in town… https://t.co/ek1SCsMtgk
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) February 11, 2026
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7:52 a.m. EST – To get a sense of the questions the five justices are most likely to focus on during today’s hearing, our Jenn Wood penned this insightful article. It details the jury tampering allegations, admissibility questions and related issues that are likely to dominate discussion.
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7:49 a.m. EST – Members of the media and interested observers are already gathering on the steps of the S.C. Supreme Court…
(Click to view)
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5:32 a.m. EST – Welcome to our live feed! Be sure to check back throughout the day for updates!
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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.
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1 comment
Agree that he will get a new trial, he’ll get convicted again.