What the Murdaugh Documentaries Left Out - and Why the Murder Case Is Back

Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal told the story of a powerful South Carolina family unraveling after a fatal boat crash, two murders, and the exposure of years of financial crimes. Valerie Bauerlein’s The Devil at His Elbow went further into the family history and the network of power surrounding Alex Murdaugh. Since both projects appeared, the murder case has changed again.

In May 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s convictions for killing his wife, Maggie, and son Paul. The ruling did not declare him innocent. It found that misconduct by the former Colleton County clerk of court denied him a fair trial. State prosecutors have said they will try him again.

The Case the Documentaries Introduced

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found shot to death near the kennels at the family’s Moselle property on June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh told investigators he had discovered their bodies after returning home.

Prosecutors later argued that Murdaugh killed them to delay exposure of financial thefts that threatened his law practice, reputation, and family standing. A jury convicted him in March 2023, and he received two life sentences.

The Netflix series also followed the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Paul Murdaugh had been charged with boating under the influence in that case before his death. The civil investigation into the crash helped bring attention to the family’s finances and influence.

What The Devil at His Elbow Adds

Bauerlein, a Wall Street Journal reporter, traces the Murdaugh family’s legal power across generations and examines how Alex Murdaugh used professional trust to steal from clients, colleagues, and vulnerable families. The book connects the murder investigation to a broader collapse that involved far more than one criminal trial.

Murdaugh admitted to financial crimes and received a 27-year state sentence. He also received a 40-year federal sentence for financial offenses. Those convictions remain in place regardless of what happens in the renewed murder prosecution.

Why the Murder Convictions Were Overturned

The South Carolina Supreme Court concluded that former clerk Becky Hill improperly communicated with jurors and interfered with the trial. Hill had promoted a book about the case and was later convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury connected to her conduct.

Because of that interference, the court ordered a new trial. The decision focused on the integrity of the proceeding, not on whether the evidence presented against Murdaugh was persuasive.

The state has continued preparing for a retrial. Prosecutors have moved to unseal materials connected to juror inquiries, while Murdaugh’s lawyers have sought additional testing of DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails.

Why He Will Remain in Prison

Even without the murder convictions, Murdaugh is serving lengthy sentences for stealing millions of dollars. The South Carolina attorney general made that point immediately after the appeal ruling: the overturned convictions do not mean Murdaugh will be released.

The documentaries captured the fall of the Murdaugh family and the first murder trial. Bauerlein’s book documented the system of influence and theft around it. The next chapter will return to a courtroom, where prosecutors must again prove who killed Maggie and Paul without the jury interference that erased the first verdict.

References: Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal | The Devil at His Elbow | Attorney General Alan Wilson to retry Murdaugh murders | Attorney General Alan Wilson files motion to unseal Murdaugh juror inquiries

The Truth In Facts team was assisted by generative AI technology in creating this content