Hey, that folks. It is Wednesday, May thirteenth, and the double murder conviction of Alec's murder has been thrown out by the State Supreme Court of South Carolina. With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. This is a breaking story just getting this news rope. Not sure how many saw this one necessarily coming, but how many days a week did we have to cover this story back at GMA when this was happening in twenty twenty one, twenty twenty three.
Yes, when the murders happened in twenty twenty one. This captivated the nation because this wasn't look this is a tragic situation in any community when a mother and her son are murdered, but when the suspected gunman is the father and husband of those two, and then have it be a well respected, powerful family that was at the pinnacle of law enforcement for decades. Yeah, this had all the makings of a unbelievable, unthinkable crime story.
This is one. This was a family, Yes, Alex Murda and the Murda family. This had all the makings of really a family and a legacy you only really see fantasized in movies or on TV shows, But they really exist and this is what that family was in that area, small community. They were judges, lawyers, they just it's a legacy, generational family there and they were the ones at the center of this. So, yeah, Ropes, this was a story. I mean, the murders happened in twenty twenty one, but
arrests didn't come until a year later. So that was a year of people following this case and then following the trial. And now you're telling me, after all that we watched for a couple of years, the damn convictions have been thrown out. Now we should make clear here that does not mean Alex Murda is walking out of jail today.
No, no, no, no, no no, because part of all of this legal saga was the fact that Alex Murdau had been charged with financial crimes of significant proportions to the point where he has forty years I believe for the federal charges and twenty seven years for the state charges for whatever that is, which one is, which the point being he's going or he is going to stay behind bars almost certainly for the rest of his life, regardless of this double murder conviction being overturned.
Now I don't know where he's fifty seven, he said, right, so fifty seven, I don't know where any type of parole or chance to get out with those other convictions, But the double murder convictions were the ones that were going to keep him for sure in jail for the rest of his life. Ro This is significant, a significant legal win. It has to be for him and his legal team, even if he's not walking out of jail.
But the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned these double murder of this guy who was convicted of murdering, Yes, his wife and his twenty two year old son. Now this how many justices is five and five? There was unanimous, so they unanimously agreed that yes, in fact, he should
have those convictions overturned. He should get a new trial. Now, this guy ropes I actually I haven't followed that much since the conviction, but he has continued from the jump and even after conviction as we sit here, still claims his innocence.
He says he is an innocent man. He says he would never, could, never harm his wife.
And his son, and has pleaded with the jury, with the judge to say, please hear me. During his sentencing he pleaded for his life and insisted upon his innocence. But that is not what this case. That's not what this overturning of these convictions has. It has nothing to do with any presumed guilt or innocence. It has everything to do with how jury the Supreme Court has now ruled, was tampered with or wrongfully influenced.
And that sounds when you say tampered, that is a really big word, right, jury tampering. But that is essentially what we are talking about. So you hear a case Robes that's been so carefully examined, so scrutinized, yes, in media, but also by a bunch of lawyers, any podcasts, and this thing has been covered inside and out. So you think of all these reasons, So why and you hear even jury tampering. Somebody's messing with the jury. I didn't know where this one was going, and I haven't been
following it closely enough. But yes, somebody and not maybe who you would think is accused of messing with this jury. Yeah.
I would have assumed if someone gave improper jury instructions or unduly influenced the jury, it would have been the judge or an attorney, but I wouldn't never have considered the court clerk. But that is the person who is now officially, I guess, responsible for improperly influencing this jury according to the Supreme Court. And yes, that clerk is the reason why Alex Murdaw is getting a new trial.
And let's be clear here, folks, we hear clerk all the time when it comes to courtrooms and sometimes don't exactly understand what these folks do. But this person, it sounds like, certainly by what we know of court clerks.
But then the descriptions they gave of her responsibilities, she had the ability robes and she might have had more influence and more interaction with this jury than anybody else because as the court clerk she served during this trial as the person who essentially handled all of the paperwork she handled, she was kind of a liaison to the jury is one way to even describe it. She was there person, She was kind of their go to as the court clerk, so she handled a lot of logistics
moving them around. So she had a lot of time and a lot of influence with these folks. But why robes, Even if she does, why does she have a dog in the fight, and why would she want to influence the jury one way or another.
Well, she had a book to sell.
Yes, it all comes down to the same shit. Does it money?
Oh?
Wow?
I mean yes she according to all accounts, and the Supreme Court agreed. She suggested that Alex Murdau's own testimony
could not be trusted. And yes, she was co authoring a book that was set to be released, So yes, she had skin in the game, so to speak, which I actually am surprised that the clerk of court would be allowed in any way, shape or form to profit off of a story and certainly a trial that she had absolute influence already over like to me, that is all almost tempting Fate's that's it's a tough situation to allow someone who has a legal and a professional duty
to uphold the law on one hand, on the other hand, to be able to prom to allow that employee to profit off of a court case that seems like a mess in the making.
They said she was. She's kind of just dropping hints about his guilt. She just keeps saying things in the air, putting things in their air. And the jury had to at some point afterwards they were questioned about this, so they explained what she did, but Roll just saying like watch his body language, or he can't be trusted, or he looks shifty, or the little things putting influence to taint this jury against this guy. Was that necessary? First of all, she could have probably.
Let the evidence speak for itself.
But what a shame, I mean that personal profit right it has thrown out. How much money was wasted trying this guy. You got to do it again.
It's interesting you say that because in the Supreme Court's decision they acknowledge that.
I thought it was so.
Interesting the wording that they used in making this fairly shocking decision. Today, but they say, our justice system provides demands that every person is entitled to a fair trial, of course, which includes an impartial jury, untainted by external forces bent on influencing the jury toward a biased verdict.
Although we are aware of the time, money and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdo's motion for a new trial due to hills improper external influences on the jury, and remand for a new trial.
So they even said, like, hey, begrudgingly. We have to. We are forced to overturn these convictions.
That's every once in a while. Don't get to say this a lot. Something gives you faith in the justice system. This is going to cost all of us more money. This is going to excuse me, South Carolina particular taxpayers a lot more money to do this again because one person decided to do what this clerk did and Robes, it's worth it for this man who already has got forty year conviction in the twenty seven year conviction for financial crimes, it's still worth it to make sure he
gets a fair trial. Robes. It's exhausting sometimes, but man, that's a fair trial. That's something about it that gives you faith in the justice.
Yes, I hear what you're saying, but I just feel for every person involved, from the prosecutor to of course the surviving family members. Again, know what shambles this family must be in.
I don't know.
I can't imagine there is a surviving son. He has some legal issues of his own. I mean, this is to have to go through this again, to live through this again, the people who loved members of this family, who have suffered unimaginable losses to finally feel like, Okay, he's behind bars. He's staying behind bars, and that is perhaps the silver lining for folks who feel emotionally upended by all of this. At least he is not getting out of prison. He is going to remain behind bars.
As prosecutors and they say this is going to be a speedy recovery. They claim they are going to pursue, they're going to retry him again, and they're not going to waste time doing it.
So there's that we got to do this all over again.
But rope, So for that, I'm not sure exactly how this goes. And you know what, even if he didn't have the other financial crimes, I think we've seen stuff like this before. Even if they had overturned it, I don't think he would have been walking out of prison now.
I highly doubt that.
No, given his and look, he had incredible means, he had incredible power. So in terms of being a flight risk, yeah, and so yes, if the financial crimes weren't there, weren't keeping him behind bars, I have a hard time believing he would be let out while they get their ducks in a row to retry him.
But still now Robes, he's got I assume appeals going on those other convictions. We don't know when he might be eligible for parole, eligible to get out, or if one of his convictions gets overturned or an appeal that's successful. You couple that, now, Robes with the possibility of having to go through a whole new trial. Yeah, where you throw your hands up, Robes, Who knows what could happen.
Yeah, I was gonna say, what if the jury finds him not guilty. Look, the reality is there were no witnesses to this crime, and he says he didn't do it. And look, this was in a remote area. I believe it was their hunting property where his wife. Uh, and we should mention his the victim's Maggie. She goes by, But Margaret Murdaw Maggie is how she went by. And then Paul Murdau, who was just twenty two years old.
No one wants to think a father is capable of killing his own son, and yes, his wife, we've seen that before plenty. But the allegation was the motive was that he was trying to garner pity from the community because he was being looked into and was potentially being charged with financial crimes, and so he was trying.
To distract, deflect, get pity.
That seems like a really hard motive to get my head around, but the prosecution proved it to a jury of his peers beyond a reasonable doubt.
I said that to you as we were getting caught up again. I'm like, wow, I don't remember that being the motive, because it's such a it's hard to believe. I just want to help my reputation, So I'm going to kill these two people. I love, one of them, a son of mine that is robes hard to get you hat around.
That's hard to get your head around.
And then just the entire story itself, we were trying to remember because it.
Has so many legs. His son Paul, who.
Was murdered, he had an issue that created some of the investigation into his finances. I mean, this whole thing is just a complicated web of deceit and certainly legal wrangling, and it's just been an overwhelming story to try and cover and get through.
So finally they had put this all to bed, and now it's all bubbling up again.
It's bubbling up, but we've been mentioning at least the clerk and why that was addressed by the court. But there is another reason they cited as to why maybe Alex Murda needed to get a new trial. Stay here, all right, folks, we continue here on Amy and DJ at Breaking News episode. Here were just came down a short time ago before we hit the record button. Alex Murda is getting a new trial in South Carolina. Met some of these trials ropes, they get some of the
same words. It was a case that captivated the country. It gripped the country. This was one of those things.
Absolutely, And look, their murders came right when we were coming out of her so kind of in the middle of a pandemic.
So there was so much focus on this story.
This was something that people almost watching sadly as entertainment, and it's become that Netflix series have come out of this. I mean, this is something that people have actually been consuming and just watching. But because it seems so unthinkable, it seems so crazy that someone would be capable, who had the means and the family and the power, why would you do what he was convicted of doing. It's hard to imagine.
All Right, Well, at this point. He is no longer Robes as of today a convicted double murderer, because the state Supreme Court there has thrown out his double murder conviction has been overturned in ordered that he should get a new trial. We've been talking a lot about that. Did we say your name Becky Hill?
Is her name Becky?
I don't know if we even said her name, but Rebecca Hill goes by Becky.
Yeah, she is the clerk we've been talking about. She is the one. I guess the centerpiece Robes really of why they say the conviction should be overturned, But they also mentioned it. I wonder, Robes, even if the clerk wasn't involved, did they have another good reason to overturn because they talked about a lot of his financial issues and his financial crimes that were used as evidence against him in the murder trial should not have come up.
Had nothing to do with this trial, and these judges said it was improper for the judge to allow that evidence to be presented. Jury didn't need to hear anything about that. Got nothing to do with nothing when it comes to who shot these two people. So I wonder, even if you didn't have the clerk was that bar high enough well overturn and possibly.
But you know what that means is that most likely won't now be in this new trial, and will that have an impact on what the jury decides.
Damn At this point Robes, everybody's heard about it.
And then I was just going to say, you've got now a further complication that there's almost I can't imagine you could find a jury of twelve who didn't already know about this case, didn't already have preconceived notions about this case, didn't even potentially follow this case. I don't
know where they find a jury. I mean, I guess you just have to take the oath as a juror that you can suspend maybe even prior beliefs or prior knowledge about what you think happened, and sit there with an open mind and an open heart and listen to the testimony as if this is all new information to you.
That's a tall order.
Huh, That's what somebody now is going to have to do. Did you see a timeline at all on the retrial?
Only only only by the fact that they said that they are going to quickly get this back on the court dockets and they want this to happen sooner rather than later, So you can only imagine that this is going to happen. I don't know what soon is though, when it comes to courts and our legal system, because that can mean very different things to different jurisdictions.
Different It just depends on so many things.
I don't know if they can decide just the court's schedule dictate when they can retry this and when they can't. Does this get priority over other cases? It might already have trial dates. I don't know the answer to that.
Yeah, folks, so yes, not a lot of answers now, but Eric, excuse me. Alex Murda got the response. At least he wonner from the state court. But that is a big headline today that one of the biggest court cases, one of the biggest murder trials we've seen in this country in the past decade. Certainly, now that trial didn't really happen, then that conviction has been tossed and Alex Murda is going to get a new trial. Just want to hop on and give be that breaking news update.
But we always appreciate you spending some time with us. I am TJ. Holmes on behalf of my dear Amy Robock. We will talk to Elson