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What Did Alex Murdaugh Do? Former Lawyer’s Financial Crimes
Alex Murdaugh’s name became synonymous with one of the most stunning legal sagas in recent memory — a once-untouchable South Carolina attorney whose family dynasty crumbled under the weight of two life sentences, dozens of fraud charges and a murder trial that gripped the country. Now, with his murder convictions overturned and a new trial on the horizon, Us Weekly is breaking down exactly what Alex did, what he admitted to and where his sprawling legal mess stands today.
While the murder case remains in flux, one thing has not changed: Alex openly admitted to a years-long scheme of stealing millions of dollars from his clients and his own law firm. Those financial crimes are entirely separate from the murder charges — and they are the reason he is still behind bars even after the South Carolina Supreme Court tossed his murder convictions on May 13, 2026.
Alex Murdaugh’s Financial Crimes Explained
Not only was Alex accused of killing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son Paul Murdaugh, but he also drowned in legal trouble related to financial and drug crimes. The former civil litigation lawyer was hit with a staggering 102 grand jury criminal charges and 19 indictments tied to fraud and drug offenses.
The charges painted a portrait of a years-long scheme involving embezzlement, wire fraud and money laundering. Alex ultimately pleaded guilty to 22 federal charges — including wire fraud and money laundering — and was hit with 40 years in federal prison for those crimes alone. On top of that, he received a 27-year state-level sentence for separate financial crimes, bringing his total non-murder punishment to a jaw-dropping 67 years behind bars.
As part of the fallout, Alex was disbarred and had his assets seized. The money he stole was funneled away from clients and his former law firm — a betrayal that shocked the South Carolina legal community and dismantled the Murdaugh family’s decades-long influence in the region.
Alex Murdaugh’s Admissions on the Witness Stand
When Alex took the stand during his six-week murder trial in early 2023, he did something most legal experts called a high-stakes gamble: he openly conceded to the financial wrongdoing while maintaining his innocence in the killings.
Alex admitted that he had stolen millions of dollars from his clients and his own law firm. He also acknowledged that he lied to investigators about his whereabouts on the night Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were killed near the dog kennels on the family’s South Carolina property in June 2021.
The former attorney later apologized to jurors for that lie, telling them he hadn’t been “thinking clearly” and didn’t believe he had been “capable of reason” at the time. Still, he insisted he “didn’t shoot” Maggie or Paul “anytime, ever.”
His attorney, Dick Harpootlian, has continued to draw a sharp line between the two sets of crimes. “I think Alex understands he did a bad thing in stealing all that money,” Harpootlian told the Daily Mail in January 2026. “He is adamant he didn’t kill Paul and Maggie. He always has been … and when we get a fair trial, I think the jury will determine he didn’t do it.”
Alex Murdaugh’s legal team is speaking out about how he is depicted in Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family. His attorneys issued a statement to The New York Post on Wednesday, November 5, calling out what they claimed were “numerous inaccuracies and misleading portrayals that distort the truth” about the Murdaugh family. Murdaugh’s lawyers noted […]
Alex Murdaugh’s Murder Convictions and Sentence
The financial admissions did little to soften the jury, which found Alex guilty on March 2, 2023, of murdering Maggie and Paul. The judge handed down two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole — one for each victim — meaning Alex was expected to die in prison even before factoring in his fraud sentences.
In total, Alex was serving two consecutive life sentences plus 67 additional years for the financial offenses. Since August 2023, he had been working as a wardkeeper’s assistant inside the South Carolina Department of Corrections, a job that reportedly involves helping run day-to-day operations at a correctional facility, per the New York Post.
When he wasn’t working his prison job, Alex was deeply involved in his own appeal. “You can talk to him, unlike normal clients who have no concept of the appellate process or how all this works,” Harpootlian said in the January 2026 interview. “He is interested because he is a lawyer, so we talk about where we’re at and what we think the grave issues are with the case and what our weaknesses are.”
Alex Murdaugh’s Murder Convictions Overturned
On May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered a bombshell ruling, unanimously overturning Alex’s murder convictions in a 5-0 vote and ordering a new trial. The justices ruled that the original proceedings had been tainted by “improper external influences” from former county clerk Becky Hill.
“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 Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s improper external influences on the jury and remand for a new trial,” the justices wrote, according to CNN.
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The appeal centered on allegations that Hill had improperly influenced jurors — including by telling them to “watch his body language” — and implied Alex was guilty. A handful of jurors confirmed Hill’s comments in affidavits and testimony, though most said they did not hear the remarks.
In January 2024, retired South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal initially denied Alex’s request for a new trial, concluding that Hill’s comments had not influenced the verdict. Toal did, however, find the comments improper and said she believed Hill had been “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” because of the high-profile nature of the case.
Hill herself faced consequences for her conduct. She was charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and misconduct in May 2025, per WLOS. After pleading guilty in December 2025, she was sentenced to three years of probation.
Alex Murdaugh’s Lawsuit Against Becky Hill
Just four days after his murder convictions were overturned, Alex sued Hill in federal court, claiming she rigged the trial so she could profit from a book about the case.
According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ and filed on May 17, 2026, Alex argued that Hill secretly worked jurors during his 2023 double-murder trial and pushed them to convict. Hill has been accused of telling jurors not to be “fooled,” “confused” or “convinced” by Alex’s defense team.
Murdaugh: Death in the Family is coming to an end with a glimpse at Alex Murdaugh‘s high-profile trial. In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Wednesday, November 19, finale, Alex (Jason Clarke) takes the stand after being accused of Maggie Murdaugh (Patricia Arquette) and Paul Murdaugh‘s (Johnny Berchtold) deaths. “Do you think you lived a […]
In the filing, Alex claimed Hill repeatedly pulled the jury’s leader aside for private conversations and pushed jurors to wrap up deliberations quickly, allegedly telling them it “shouldn’t take us long” and implying they could become famous following the verdict. He alleged her actions cost him at least $600,000 in legal fees and destroyed his right to a fair trial.
Hill and Neil R. Gordon released their book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, in August 2023.
Hill’s attorney, Will Lewis, did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the lawsuit.
What’s Next for Alex Murdaugh?
Even with the murder convictions tossed, Alex is not walking free. He remains incarcerated, serving the 27-year state sentence and 40-year federal sentence for his financial crimes — punishment that adds up to 67 years and is entirely separate from the murder case. A new murder trial will be scheduled, giving prosecutors another chance to make their case and giving Alex another shot at proving he did not kill Maggie or Paul.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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