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by WILL FOLKS
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After the South Carolina supreme court’s unanimous – and emphatic – reversal of accused killer Alex Murdaugh‘s double homicide convictions, the stage is now set for the Palmetto State’s ‘Retrial of the Century.’
This week, I sat down with Murdaugh’s two lead attorneys – Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin – for a very special Week in Review episode featuring their thoughts on what comes next in this rapidly unfolding story. During our conversation, Harpootlian and Griffin opened up on a number of fronts – including their now-vindicated belief that lead prosecutor Creighton Waters pushed the envelope too far during the first trial when it came to bringing in evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes.
These financial crimes – which Murdaugh has already pleaded guilty to at both the state and federal level – were central to the prosecution’s theory of his alleged motive for murdering his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh. But the supreme court cited “considerable unfair prejudice” in trial judge Clifton Newman letting Waters “go as far and as deep into detail” as he did.
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Griffin told us he warned Waters during the trial that he was risking a reversal…
“I told Creighton during the trial, ‘you’re going too far,'” Griffin said. “You’re asking for too much. You’re risking a reversal. Why are y’all doing this?”
While the excessive introduction of financial crimes’ evidence played a role in the reversal of Murdaugh’s verdicts – and the two life sentences Newman handed down – the primary reason the accused killer is receiving a new trial was the documented jury tampering of disgraced former Colleton County clerk of court Rebecca “Becky” Hill.
Was Hill’s tampering an isolated incident, though? Or was she part of a broader jury rigging conspiracy?
During my conversation with Harpootlian and Griffin, I raised the possibility of civil litigation being filed by Murdaugh against Hill – and how such a case could potentially get to the bottom of what really happened in Walterboro, S.C. three years ago. Harpootlian said a potential civil action was “one possible way” to find out who may have been involved in allegedly fixing the jury.
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“People are looking at that… (at) who could be involved,” Griffin said.
Clearly, Murdaugh news is coming fast and furious again in the aftermath of the supreme court’s historic reversal. In fact, Harpootlian and Griffin announced they are holding a press conference this coming Monday (May 18, 2026) to discuss “new developments in the case.” FITSNews will be at that press conference, just as we are endeavoring to sit down with attorney general Alan Wilson and other key members of the Murdaugh prosecution to get their thoughts on what comes next in this saga (including the potential for Murdaugh to face the death penalty).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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