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Key names to know as Murdaugh double-murder case gets stunning reset

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The stranger-than-fiction saga of the Murdaugh family — the Southern legal dynasty unraveled by double murder and massive financial fraud — is heading back to the courtroom for a high-stakes do-over.

Alex Murdaugh, the once-powerful South Carolina 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 family’s Moselle hunting estate in June 2021.

But on May 13, the state Supreme Court unanimously reversed 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.

ALEX MURDAUGH LAWYERS FILE APPEAL ALLEGING OUSTED SOUTH CAROLINA COURT CLERK SWAYED JURY

Before the murders, Murdaugh was part of a legal dynasty in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather served as elected prosecutors in the region for more than 80 years, while the family law firm was a legal powerhouse.

At his 2021 murder trial, 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.

ALEX MURDAUGH, ACCOMPLICE ORDERED TO PAY MILLIONS IN MONEY SCHEME AFTER HOUSEKEEPER’S DEATH

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 scion’s return to court.

He remains behind bars on state and federal financial-crimes sentences tied to stealing roughly $12 million from clients.

ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF THE ONCE POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER’S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL

Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, was Alex Murdaugh’s wife and one of the two victims found dead near the dog kennels at Moselle on June 7, 2021.

MURDAUGH HOUSEKEEPER REVEALS ONE DETAIL THAT CONVINCED HER ALEX WAS GUILTY OF MURDERS: ‘HE DID IT’

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, Maggie’s death will again be central to the state’s burden. Prosecutors must prove who killed her and Paul, beyond a reasonable doubt, without the benefit of the now-vacated 2023 verdict.

‘UNTOUCHABLE’ ALEX MURDAUGH COMPARED TO TED BUNDY FOR INDIGNANCE AT FAMILY MURDER SENTENCING

Paul Murdaugh, 22, was Alex and Maggie Murdaugh’s younger son and the second murder victim. 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 state’s case relied heavily on evidence placing Alex Murdaugh at the murder scene shortly before the killings.

Richard “Buster” Murdaugh is Alex and Maggie Murdaugh’s 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 that’s been my stance.”

ALEX MURDAUGH’S DEFENSE ATTORNEY EXPLAINS WHY HE THINKS THE DISGRACED LAWYER IS INNOCENT, WILL GET A NEW TRIAL

Since the conclusion of the first trial, Harpootlian’s message has been that the first trial was tainted by Hill’s misconduct and that the second trial must be carried out under stricter rules.

Harpootlian, one of Murdaugh’s lead defense attorneys, has already previewed a retrial strategy that includes seeking a venue change, attorney-led jury questioning and possibly sequestering jurors.

Jim Griffin, another Murdaugh defense attorney, has been central not only to the appeal but also to Murdaugh’s civil lawsuit against Hill.

MURDAUGH RETRIAL HOPES DIM AS EX-AG SAYS BECKY HILL’S GUILTY PLEA WON’T SWAY HIGH COURT

After the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Murdaugh’s convictions, Griffin helped announce a lawsuit against Hill. The suit accuses the former clerk of violating Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial and seeks punitive and compensatory damages, as well as $600,000 of attorneys’ fees.

Griffin said the lawsuit was meant to hold Hill accountable and reveal the “entire scope of her conduct.”

Creighton Waters is the prosecutor who secured the original guilty verdicts. Now he faces the job of trying to win the case a second time, under a microscope, after the first conviction was blown up.

Waters and Harpootlian have already previewed competing visions for the retrial, with Waters signaling an impending fight over whether Murdaugh can receive a fair jury in South Carolina.

“We depend on our citizens to do what their oath requires them, put aside things that they might have read in the media or in a podcast or whatever, and base their evidence and their decisions solely on the evidence that’s presented in the courtroom,” Waters told Fox News Digital.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said prosecutors could seek the death penalty if Murdaugh is convicted again.

WATCH: AG vows quick retrial after Supreme Court tosses Murdaugh murder convictions

“We’re back to square one on this case,” Wilson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that all legal options were on the table, including the death penalty.

In the first trial, Murdaugh received life without parole. A retrial could, in theory, expose him to something more severe if prosecutors pursue capital punishment and meet the legal requirements.

FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA CLERK IN MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE FELONIES

South Carolina Supreme Court found Hill exercised “improper external influences” during the first trial.

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According to testimony reviewed by the court, jurors said Hill told them to “watch him closely,” “watch his actions” and not be “fooled” by the defense.

The court’s ruling also referenced findings that Hill was drawn by the “siren call of celebrity” and allowed public attention to overcome her duty.

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Hill co-authored a book about the proceedings, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” which the lawsuit says earned roughly $100,000 before being withdrawn amid plagiarism allegations.

WATCH: Becky Hill walks into Colleton County Courthouse

According to the book’s synopsis, Hill had known the Murdaugh family for decades and was aware of “the rumors of corruption and crime surrounding the Murdaugh family.”

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WATCH: Murdaugh court clerk Becky Hill appears in South Carolina court for hearing

The state’s Supreme Court said Hill “egregiously attacked Murdaugh’s credibility” by suggesting to jurors that he was guilty and that his testimony could not be trusted. Hill later pleaded guilty to lying about what she said and did during the trial, including showing graphic crime-scene photos to media members.

LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST

Hill had previously pleaded guilty to four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs that were sealed court exhibits and then lying about it, plus two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting a book she wrote on the trial through her public office.

“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them and will carry that shame the rest of my life,” Hill said in a statement read to the court.

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She was sentenced to three years of probation.

Beach, 19, died in a 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh. The crash and ensuing litigation helped drag the Murdaugh family’s power into public view before the killings.

Alex’s father, Randolph Murdaugh III, was the top prosecutor overseeing South Carolina’s Lowcountry until 2005 — including Beaufort County, where the crash occurred. The family wielded enormous influence in the region.

Paul had taken out five friends in his father’s boat Feb. 23, 2019, and they were all drinking heavily. Paul had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when he smashed into the piling of the bridge.

After the collision, it took more than a week to recover Beach’s body about five miles from the crash site.

MURDAUGH TRIAL COURT CLERK PLEADS GUILTY TO SHOWING SEALED CRIME SCENE PHOTOS TO PHOTOGRAPHER

In the first trial, the prosecution argued Murdaugh’s financial life was collapsing before the murders due to Beach’s death.

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Supreme Court Delivers Emergency Decision – It’s Finally Happening

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Supreme Court Delivers Emergency Decision – It’s Finally Happening

President Donald Trump scored another significant legal victory Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with his administration in a case challenging controversial Biden-era energy regulations that critics say would have reduced consumer choice and driven popular appliances out of the marketplace.

The ruling marks the latest setback for former President Joe Biden’s regulatory agenda and comes as the Trump administration continues working to roll back federal rules that conservatives argue placed unnecessary burdens on businesses and American consumers.

In *American Gas Association v. Department of Energy*, the Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling that had upheld Biden administration regulations targeting non-condensing furnaces and commercial water heaters. The decision sends the case back for further review and opens the door for the Trump administration to pursue a different approach.

At the center of the dispute were Department of Energy efficiency standards that industry groups argued would effectively eliminate certain categories of gas-powered appliances by making compliance nearly impossible.

The American Gas Association and a coalition of trade organizations challenged the regulations, contending that the federal government had exceeded its authority and ignored statutory protections designed to preserve consumer choice.

Solicitor General John Sauer, representing the Trump administration, argued that federal law does not permit regulators to wipe out entire classes of products through aggressive efficiency mandates.

“The Department may not adopt standards that effectively eliminate from the market products that have distinct ‘performance characteristics,’” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote in a brief to the high court.

The Supreme Court ultimately agreed that the lower court should reconsider its ruling, delivering an important win for businesses, manufacturers, and consumers who opposed the regulations.

The Trump administration has already indicated that it intends to revisit the rules entirely.

“The Department has determined that the rules at issue are factually and legally flawed, and the agency is considering a new rulemaking in which it would correct those errors,” Sauer wrote.

The decision represents another major blow to Biden’s environmental and energy agenda, which frequently sought to use federal agencies to push stricter efficiency standards across a broad range of household products and appliances.

The legal victory comes just days after Republicans in the House of Representatives approved legislation targeting another Biden-era regulation that became a symbol of government overreach for many Americans.

Lawmakers voted 226-197 to pass the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act, commonly known as the SHOWER Act.

The legislation attracted support from 11 Democrats and aims to reverse restrictions affecting multi-nozzle shower systems.

Republicans argued that Biden administration regulations unnecessarily reduced water pressure by limiting the combined flow rate of multiple shower heads connected to a single fixture.

Representative Russell Fry of South Carolina, who introduced the legislation, framed the issue as one of personal freedom and consumer choice.

“Washington bureaucrats have gone too far in dictating what happens in Americans’ own homes,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) who sponsored the legislation.

“This is about defending consumer choice, pushing back on regulatory overreach, and standing up for commonsense policy,” Fry added.

Supporters of the legislation argued that the rule reflected a broader pattern of federal agencies attempting to regulate everyday aspects of American life.

“It seems like the Democrats want to tax you out of existence and overregulate you,” said Rep. John McGuire (R-VA). “So, this is a step in the right direction. Less regulation.”

The SHOWER Act would permanently codify an executive order signed by President Trump that restored a more consumer-friendly interpretation of federal law. Under Trump’s order, each nozzle in a multi-head shower system is treated individually rather than having all nozzles combined under a single flow-rate limit.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie praised the legislation as a practical solution that returns decision-making power to consumers.

“By codifying how different nozzles are categorized, the SHOWER Act offers a commonsense fix that will allow households to choose what meets their needs, not what Washington mandates,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Fry echoed those concerns and argued that the Biden administration’s approach had become a symbol of excessive federal interference.

He said, “The SHOWER Act reaffirms that each nozzle is a shower head — plain and simple — and that homeowners, not the federal government, should decide how much water pressure they want.”

Taken together, the Supreme Court’s ruling and the House vote represent major victories for President Trump’s broader effort to reduce federal regulations, expand consumer choice, and rein in what supporters view as years of bureaucratic overreach by Washington agencies.

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Trump Sends Haters Into Full Meltdown With Who He Brought To NBA Game

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Trump Sends Haters Into Full Meltdown With Who He Brought To NBA Game

President Donald Trump made a high-profile appearance Monday night at Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks hosted Game 3 of the NBA Finals, bringing national attention to an already historic evening for New York City.

The Knicks entered the game with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs and stood just two victories away from capturing their first NBA championship in decades. The matchup marked the first NBA Finals game played at Madison Square Garden since 1999, creating enormous excitement throughout the city.

Security around the arena was significantly heightened as President Trump attended the game alongside members of his administration, close advisers, and longtime allies. The increased security presence came just one day after six people were injured during a stabbing incident at nearby Penn Station, located directly beneath Madison Square Garden.

The president arrived to a packed arena and watched the game from a private suite alongside a number of prominent administration officials and advisers.

Among those reportedly attending with the president were:

Sec. Sean Duffy

Sec. Doug Burgum

Administrator Lee Zeldin

Deputy COS Dan Scavino

Jared Kushner

Envoy Steve Witkoff

Walt Nauta

Boris Epshteyn

Natalie Harp

The appearance highlighted Trump’s continued visibility on the national stage while also underscoring his deep connection to New York City, where he built his business career long before entering politics.

Meanwhile, as the president attended one of the biggest sporting events of the year, he continued drawing attention to another issue that has become a central focus of his administration: election integrity.

Trump has repeatedly criticized California’s election system as state officials continue counting ballots from last week’s primary elections. The prolonged counting process has reignited debate over election administration and voter confidence in the nation’s most populous state.

The controversy intensified after U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli disclosed that the Department of Justice has spent more than a year attempting to review California’s voter registration records.

“For over a year, the Department of Justice has been trying to audit California’s voter rolls,” Essayli said.

“Federal law gives the Attorney General the authority to review state voter files and confirm that only eligible U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections,” he added.

The dispute comes as California election officials continue processing large numbers of ballots days after polls closed. Unlike many states that report nearly complete election results within hours, California’s system routinely requires days or even weeks to finalize outcomes.

The lengthy process has fueled concerns among many voters who question why election results remain unresolved long after Election Day.

Essayli also highlighted several aspects of California’s voter registration policies that have attracted attention from federal officials.

Among the forms of identification accepted for certain voter registration purposes are gym membership cards, employer identification cards, credit and debit cards, prescription drug labels, and insurance cards.

Critics argue that such policies deserve closer scrutiny, while supporters maintain that safeguards are already in place to protect election integrity.

The issue has also renewed discussion surrounding the SAVE America Act, legislation supported by many Republicans that would establish nationwide proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voter registration.

California officials continue to defend the state’s election system and insist that existing safeguards adequately protect the voting process. They also maintain that there is no evidence that widespread non-citizen voting has affected election outcomes.

Nevertheless, the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts suggest that federal scrutiny of California’s election practices is likely to continue in the months ahead.

As President Trump watched the Knicks pursue a championship before a national audience, the broader debate over election security, voter roll maintenance, and ballot-counting procedures remained front and center in American politics.

For the administration, both issues reflect themes that have become central to Trump’s presidency: public safety, government accountability, and restoring confidence in institutions that many Americans believe deserve greater transparency.

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Iran Makes Shocking Admission About Trump’s Strike On Ayatollah

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Iran Makes Shocking Admission About Trump’s Strike On Ayatollah

New details released by Iran’s own foreign minister are shedding light on the operation that eliminated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and reshaped the balance of power in the Middle East.

The account, offered by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a televised interview, provides one of the clearest descriptions yet of the strike that launched Operation Epic Fury. According to counterterrorism experts, the remarks serve as powerful evidence that the joint U.S.-Israeli operation was not designed to indiscriminately destroy an entire complex but instead to surgically target the leadership at the center of Iran’s regime.

Araghchi revealed that he survived the February 28 strike because he was located in a different section of Khamenei’s compound when the attack occurred.

“Well, the building we were sitting in was targeted, but the wing we were in remained intact while the other wing of the building was destroyed,” Araghchi said in an interview that aired June 4 on the Lebanon-based, Hezbollah-backed Al Mayadeen television network.

The revelation immediately drew attention from military analysts, who pointed to the extraordinary accuracy required to destroy one section of a heavily protected compound while leaving another standing.

According to Araghchi, Khamenei was in his office at the time of the attack. Other officials inside portions of the compound also survived because they were not located in the targeted area.

Dr. Omar Mohammed, a counterterrorism expert and director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, said the description confirms what many military observers suspected from the beginning.

“In the Arabic version, Araghchi says he was in a different wing of the compound, briefing another official, and his wing survived while the leader’s office was destroyed,” Mohammed explained.

Araghchi also disclosed that he had arrived at the compound for a meeting related to negotiations in Geneva and indicated that Khamenei was expected to be present in his office according to standard procedures.

Based on those details, Mohammed argued that the operation demonstrated an unprecedented level of intelligence gathering and precision targeting.

“They did not flatten a building; they took one wing and left the one next to it standing. That is President Trump’s whole doctrine in a single strike — he does not want a war of occupation, he wants to show the United States can reach the center of a hostile regime with precision and then offer it a way out,” Mohammed said.

Military officials later confirmed that the strike involved Israeli aircraft employing dozens of precision-guided munitions alongside advanced air-launched ballistic missiles. The attack reportedly killed Khamenei, Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, IRGC Commander Mohammed Pakpour, and several additional senior security officials.

President Trump later publicly acknowledged U.S. involvement in the operation.

“He was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems, and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he or the other leaders killed alongside him could do,” the president wrote.

Mohammed believes the strike sent a message that Tehran should have immediately understood.

“Iran was handed the clearest message an adversary can get — we can reach your leader in his own office, and here is the off-ramp,” Mohammed noted. “A rational state takes the exit. Tehran did the opposite. It fired on Israel, killed a civilian in Bahrain, struck Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and closed the Strait of Hormuz, setting off a global energy crisis. The surgical strike was American. The months-long war that followed was Iran’s choice.”

Following Khamenei’s death, leadership passed to his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a transition that Mohammed believes revealed deeper contradictions within Iran’s political system.

“In Arabic, Araghchi calls the new leader ‘the young Khamenei in place of the elderly Khamenei.’ That is the language of a monarchy, not a republic of clerics,” Mohammed observed. “They are rewriting the theology on air to fit a son who lacks the religious rank, who was wounded in the same strike and who then vanished for weeks. A revolution that came to power by ending a monarchy is handing the throne from father to son.”

For many analysts, the operation has become a defining example of President Trump’s national security philosophy: use overwhelming precision to neutralize threats, avoid prolonged military occupations, and leave adversaries with a clear opportunity to de-escalate.

“The real story is not that Iran is strong,” Mohammed continued. “It was shown the precision of American power and the door was held open, and it chose to widen the war instead.”

Araghchi’s account appears to reinforce what American and Israeli officials have maintained from the start. The strike was not an act of indiscriminate destruction. It was a carefully planned operation aimed directly at the leadership of one of America’s most persistent adversaries, demonstrating both the reach and precision of modern U.S. military capabilities.

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