Murdaugh Murder Mania

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Murdaugh Murder Mania"

Podcast: That's So Criminal
Host: Lynden Blake (The Daily Wire)
Episode Date: May 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this special on-the-road episode, investigative reporter Lynden Blake unpacks breaking news in the true crime world: The South Carolina Supreme Court has unanimously overturned Alec Murdoch's murder convictions for the 2021 deaths of his wife Maggie and son Paul. The episode analyzes why the original trial was deemed unfair, details the series of interconnected deaths linked to the Murdaugh family, and explores the far-reaching implications of this legal upheaval through interviews with criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and commentary from true crime personality Nancy Grace.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Murdaugh Family and the Murders

• Recap of the Case:
  • Alec Murdoch, once a prominent South Carolina attorney, was convicted in 2023 for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family’s Moselle property.
  • The case riveted the nation, featured in many documentaries and series.
  • Other deaths connected to the family include the fatal fall of their housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield; the reopening of Stephen Smith’s 2015 homicide; and the boating death of Mallory Beach (involving son Paul).
  • "This just kind of started the downfall of that family." — Lynden Blake [04:31]

The Overturned Conviction and Reasons Behind It

• Timeline Leading to Overturn:

  • After the 2023 conviction, Murdoch’s team filed for a new trial, claiming jury tampering.
  • Judge Toll denied a retrial in January 2024; the defense appealed.
  • In February 2026, SC Supreme Court heard arguments – and now, all five justices agreed the original trial was unfair.

• Jury Tampering Allegations:

  • Court clerk Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury by making prejudicial comments, instructing jurors not to trust defense testimony, and allegedly showing them crime scene exhibits.
  • Hill resigned in 2024 and pled guilty to obstruction of justice and perjury.
  • "Rebecca Hill was writing a book about her point of view... she was talking to jurors. There are reports that she was showing them exhibits, pictures of the crime scene, things you can't do." — Lynden Blake [06:57]

Legal Perspectives: Interview with Mark Geragos

• Root Legal Issue:

  • "The issue was that during deliberations, the clerk of the court, who had a book contract, went in and insinuated herself and said very pejorative and deprecating things to the jury about Alec Murdoch and his testimony. That goes to the core, the absolute core, not only of your right to testify..." — Mark Geragos [08:04]
  • Geragos stresses that regardless of the evidence, Murdoch was denied a fair trial. The Supreme Court "excoriated the clerk of the court because it was frankly just outrageous." [08:57]

• Looking Ahead to a Retrial:

  • Geragos doubts the prosecution should pursue another murder trial, pointing out Murdoch's concurrent convictions on financial crimes.
  • "If I were the prosecutor, I would just take a plea and be done with it." — Mark Geragos [09:55]
  • He notes the potential irony: “the victim’s family, namely the son, testified in support of his father.” [10:18]
  • Praises Murdoch's defense attorney, Dick Harpoutlian, for securing the reversal.

• Host Questions on Retrial Challenges:

  • Lynden Blake raises concerns about pretrial publicity and possible strategies to mitigate jury bias, such as sequestration.

Statements from Alec Murdoch’s Defense & Nancy Grace

• Defense Attorney Statement:

  • From Dick Harpoutlian: “Alex has said from day one he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this court has provided.” [10:51]

• Nancy Grace Commentary:

  • Grace remains convinced of Murdoch’s guilt, attributing his motive to "pure unadulterated greed."
  • Highlights Murdoch’s financial crimes: "He stole the money…from one of his clients that was left a quadriplegic, living in a mobile home with his mother taking care of him." — Nancy Grace [11:17]

What Comes Next?

• Next Steps:
  • If the prosecution pursues retrial, the entire process reverts to square one with pretrial motions, discovery, and efforts to prevent juror contamination.
  • Given Murdoch's prior guilty pleas to other charges (serving a 40-year sentence), the state may opt not to retry.
  • “He will be waled if he survives and gets out.” — Lynden Blake [12:55]
  • Multiple possible outcomes discussed, but consensus is the overturning was legally necessary due to jury tampering.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You freak out and you're like, what? What? So I had to call someone smarter than me." — Lynden Blake [06:39]
• "I thought the WTF was when they did this special hearing...it was not a fair trial." — Mark Geragos [08:04]
• "Pure unadulterated greed." — Nancy Grace [11:17]
• "If the prosecution wants to do this again... they would have to start over." — Lynden Blake [12:07]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:00–04:30 — Lynden Blake recaps the Murdaugh family saga and outlines other deaths connected to the family.
• 04:30–07:30 — Explains the process that led to the Supreme Court overturning the convictions.
• 07:56–10:14 — Interview with Mark Geragos: discussion of jury tampering’s legal impact and upcoming retrial implications.
• 10:51–11:15 — Defense attorney Dick Harpoutlian’s public statement.
• 11:17–11:52 — Nancy Grace’s commentary linking Murdoch’s alleged motives to greed and financial crime.
• 12:00–13:00 — Analysis of what happens next, speculation on retrial vs. accepting current convictions.
• 13:50–End — Lynden Blake wraps up with next steps and ongoing coverage promises.

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Tone and Style

Lynden Blake delivers spirited, fast-paced exposition characteristic of true crime podcasts, balancing legal expertise with vivid storytelling. The guests’ tones range from measured legal analysis (Geragos) to impassioned certainty (Grace). The episode maintains an engaging, digestible style for casual and devoted listeners alike.

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For those following the Murdaugh saga, this episode provides an essential, clear, and lively recap of the latest shocking legal twist—demonstrating how, even after years of media scrutiny, the pursuit of a fair trial remains center stage.

Transcript

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[Lyndon Blake]

Carolina Supreme Court overturns disgraced lawyer Alec Murdoch's murder convictions Wednesday.

[911 Caller (Alec Murdoch)]

This is Alec Murdoch at 4147 Moselle Road. I need the police in campus immediately. My wife and Todd will be on the line with me.

[Lyndon Blake]

Ok. After documentaries and shows about this case that frankly captivated the Nation, why South Carolina's highest court think the trial back in 2023 was tainted.

[Mark Geragos]

I don't understand why people are saying WTF, but that may be because I thought the WTF was when they did this special hearing.

[Lyndon Blake]

Is a town too small for a trial this big? I'm Lyndon Blake and you're listening to that's so Criminal.

[That's So Criminal Podcast Host]

That's so Criminal.

[Lyndon Blake]

We are doing a special episode of that's so Criminal on the road because some big news in the true crime world today. Alec Murdoch, his name is back in the headlines. So you know everyone is talking about it. He was a man that was convicted of killing his wife Maggie and his son Paul. If you remember this story, this is all in the news coming out of COVID in 2021. Maggie and Paul, mother and son dead on the family's property near the dog kennels. There was that video from Paul where you could hear Alex voice allegedly in the background. So this went to trial. Alec Murdoch found guilty. Well now the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the those 2023 murder convictions. And these weren't the only two killings murders associated with Alec Murdoch, the now disgraced attorney. But he was a prominent attorney in the low country in South Carolina Think back to when this was all in the news. You had the Murdaugh's housekeeper. This housekeeper raised those boys, was with the family for years, knew all of their secrets, all of their troubles. Well, one day she just tripped and fell down the steep staircase, died another death that was associated with the Murdaughs. Alec specifically, was Stephen Smith. This Guy died in 2015. It was a hit and run. But now, since Alec got arrested in 2021 for the murders of Maggie and Paul, Stephen Smith's case has been opened back up as a homicide case. And that investigation is still ongoing. And then you have Mallory Beach. And this is the tragic story that really started this whole thing with the Murdaugh family. She was the friend of Paul that was killed in the boat crash, that horrific boat crash that night with her and her friends all on board when Paul was operating the boat. It was Alec's boat. And this just kind of started the downfall of that family. The only murders he was convicted of. Alec, is who I'm talking about, Maggie and Paul, his wife and his son, again, back in 2023. But now there is a retrial ordered. So how do we get here? Well, back in 2024, Murdoch's team filed for a new trial. They didn't think that their client, Alec Murdoch, had a fair trial. And quickly, later on In January of 2024, this judge, Judge Toll, who was not the original trial judge, denied the motion for a new trial. So what did the defense team do? They appealed it. And then it was on February 11th of this year, in 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments about the retrial, about overturning the murder convictions. And then we found out today that that's exactly what happened. So we go back to square one in the legal process. Five justices voted unanimously that the Murdoch trial wasn't fair. Why? Well, there was this court clerk. Her name was Rebecca Hill. She was talking to the jury during the trial. They're claiming that Hill, quote, placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdoch his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury. So what does that mean? What did she do? Well, Murdoch's attorneys are claiming that she tampered with the jury by telling them not to be fooled by the defense testimony and to watch out, quote, watch out for Murdoch's body language. So she actually resigned from her position as court clerk back in 2024. She ended up pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and perjury charges. Murdoch's team still went through the appeal process and they won, and now they're getting a new trial. So Rebecca Hill, why was she talking to the jury? Well, everybody was aware of Alec Murdoch and the drama surrounding his family there in South Carolina. Plenty of people in the nation were aware of it. And it is so hard to keep all noise away from the 12 jurors going through this jury selection. I mean, imagine how many people they had to rule out because they were familiar with it. So once they got their 12 for this first trial, Rebecca Hill was writing a book about her point of view from this trial, and she was telling the story from her point of view. She was talking to jurors. There are reports that she was showing them exhibits, pictures of the crime scene, things you can't do. And it just takes, you know, a juror to say, my decision was impacted by what Rebecca Hill was doing for the convictions to be thrown out. Got to do a retrial. But when you see the headlines, Alec Murdoch, murder convictions overturned, you freak out and you're like, what? What? So I had to call someone smarter than me. It is powerhouse criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos to explain what is going on. And now he can hear this interview and you can go tell all your friends who why this had to happen. Okay, Mark Gerrigo is here with us again on that. So criminal. You have Alec Murdoch, you have his murder convictions overturned. South Carolina Supreme Court saying, let's do a retrial. Everyone that I've talked to today has said, wtf? What is going on?

[Mark Geragos]

Okay, I don't understand why people are saying wtf? But that may be because I thought the WTF was when they did this special hearing about so people understand. The issue was that during deliberations, the clerk of the court, who had a book contract, went in and insinuated herself and said very pejorative and deprecating things to the jury about Alec Murdoch and his testimony. That goes to the core, the absolute core, not only of your right to testify, right to remain silent, right to have an unbiased jury deliberate, it infects the very nature of the process. I was always shocked. The there previously was an order by the appellate court appointing the former Chief justice to conduct an evidentiary hearing. Her conclusion, with all respect, was inexplicable. She found no harm, no foul. It made no sense. I think this is a great day for the rule of law because the. The Supreme Court there did what they had to do. They were not happy about it. In fact, they excoriated the clerk of the court because it was frankly Just outrageous. Anybody objectively looking at it, no matter how much evidence you think there was, no matter what your feeling is about Alex Murdaugh, whether you think he should fry or anything else, it was not a fair trial. I thought the judge, really, I was impressed by the judge the entire time. Obviously, he didn't have control of his rogue clerk.

[Lyndon Blake]

How do you think this retrial will favor now? Because there is so much out there. There's documentaries, there are movies. I mean, there is everything about this. How will a retrial work in this case?

[Mark Geragos]

Well, as a practical matter, it's really exalts form over substance. He's already pled guilty to a number of counts he's facing unrelated to the murder charge. A series of years. If I were the prosecutor, I would just take a plea and be done with it.

[Lyndon Blake]

So you don't think this is going to turn out to be more drama in the Murdoch?

[Mark Geragos]

Well, I didn't, I didn't say that. I mean, nobody's listening to me in, in most prosecutorial circles and most prosecutors don't have a budget, so they can do whatever they want. And could they usually cloak themselves in that? They're vindicating the victims in this case. That's ironic because the victim's family, namely the son, testified in support of his father. I consider Dick Harpoutlian a good friend. I thought he did a masterful job and he continues to do so. The proof is in getting the reversal.

[Lyndon Blake]

Alex. Defense attorney Dick Harpoutlion did release a statement today after the news came out. He said, alex has said from day one he did not kill his wife and son. We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this court has provided. Dear friend of the show, Nancy Grace has been all over the Alec Murdoch case from day one. She joined Will Caine's show earlier today to give her thoughts on this decision.

[Nancy Grace]

Alex Murdaugh is guilty of murdering his wife and son. Motive, pure unadulterated greed. Murdaugh was stealing millions and millions of dollars from his law partners, his friends, associates, banks, lending institutions, even his client, Grif. Did you know he stole the money? And this was shown in court from one of his clients that was left a quadriplegic, living in a mobile home with his mother taking care of him.

[Lyndon Blake]

So what now you're back to square one? The process starts over. If the prosecution decides they want to go forward and actually do a new trial, you will go through all the pre trial motions, the discovery, and you would try to not have the jury tainted because it would just get thrown out again. I was speaking to some of my friends that are attorneys and they were saying one thing you could do would be to try to sequester the jury and, and have the state put them up in a hotel and have them locked away from the outside world, truly isolated, which would almost have to be the case for a high profile case like this. And then you have the side of the defense who has also seen the prosecution's playbook and the prosecution seen the defense's playbook at the same time. So that could kind of change the strategy of how you want to go about trial. Round two, they could honestly take Alex guilty plea for his criminal charges that he's serving 40 years for right now and just be done with it. So Alex is 57. Even if he serves 80% of this 40 year sentence, he will be whaled if he survives and gets out. So that's one thing. But if the prosecution wants to do this again, go through everything again and try to convict Alec Murdoch again of killing his wife and son, they would have to start over. So many scenarios in this. But like Mark Garrigo said, like my attorney friend Derek Blythe said, this was the right call. The jury was tainted. Alec Murdoch did not have the right to a fair trial. They're going to do it again with this now in play. It's obviously a story we're going to continue to follow here on that. So criminal we'll bring you any updates as soon as we know how this case moves forward. Thanks for listening to this special episode. I'm Lyndon Blake and you've been listening

[That's So Criminal Podcast Host]

to that's so Criminal.