The stranger-than-fiction saga of the Murdaugh family â the Southern legal dynasty unraveled by double murder and massive financial fraud â is heading back to the courtroom for a high-stakes do-over.
Alex Murdaugh, the once-powerful attorney whose family name carried courthouse weight for generations, was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh, at the familys Moselle hunting estate in June 2021.
But on May 13, the the convictions, finding that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly influenced jurors.
Here are key names to know ahead of the second trial.
Before the murders, Murdaugh was part of a legal dynasty in South Carolinas Lowcountry. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather served as elected prosecutors in the region for more than 80 years, while the family firm was a legal powerhouse.
At his 2021 , prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his wife Maggie and son Paul as his financial crimes were closing in, hoping the killings would generate sympathy and buy time from his impending money troubles.
While Murdaugh has admitted to stealing money and committing insurance fraud, he has denied the murders.
In 2023, he was convicted after a six-week trial and sentenced to consecutive life terms without parole. But the convictions were recently overturned, leading to the legal scions return to court.
He remains behind bars on state and federal financial-crimes sentences tied to clients.
Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, was Alex Murdaughs wife and one of the two victims found dead near the dog kennels at Moselle on June 7, 2021.
Maggie and Alex were married at the Second Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 14, 1993.
Maggie was shot four or five times with a rifle, while Paul was shot twice with a shotgun.
In a retrial, Maggies death will again be central to the states burden. Prosecutors must prove who killed her and Paul, beyond a reasonable doubt, without the benefit of the now-vacated 2023 verdict.
Paul Murdaugh, 22, was Alex and Maggie Murdaughs younger son and the second . Long before his death, Paul was already a controversial figure because of the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
At the murder trial, Paul became crucial in another way: his cellphone video from the kennels. The states case relied heavily on evidence placing Alex Murdaugh at the murder scene shortly before the killings.
Richard “Buster” Murdaugh is Alex and Maggie Murdaughs surviving son.
WATCH: Buster Murdaugh: I do not believe the trial was fair
In a Fox Nation series “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh,” Buster spoke candidly about his father and his murder trial during an exclusive sit-down interview conducted by Fox News’ Martha MacCallum.
“I do not think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother,” he said. “We have been here for a while now and thats been my stance.”
Since the conclusion of the first trial, Harpootlians message has been that the first trial was tainted by Hills misconduct and that the second trial must be carried out under stricter rules.
Harpootlian, one of Murdaughs lead defense attorneys, has already previewed a retrial strategy that includes jury questioning and possibly sequestering jurors.
Jim Griffin, another Murdaugh defense attorney, has been central not only to the appeal but also to Murdaughs civil lawsuit against Hill.
After the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Murdaughs convictions, Griffi
