STORY: The murder conviction of former lawyer Alex Murdaugh - who was accused of killing his wife and 22-year-old son - was thrown out by the highest court in South Carolina on Wednesday.
The case drew nationwide interest for its mix of wealth, power and violence surrounding one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families.
The state's supreme court ruled that Murdaugh's 2023 trial was tainted by the improper influence of county clerk Becky Hill.
All five justices agreed: in a unanimous decision, the court wrote that it had "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."
Murdaugh's lawyers had argued he deserved a new trial.
They cited alleged jury tampering and prosecutorial errors during the investigation and trial.
He had been serving two consecutive life sentences for the shooting deaths.
Murdaugh will stay in state prison, where he is also serving a separate 27-year sentence for financial crimes.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says his office will seek to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible, saying in a statement, as he did when Murdaugh was convicted two years ago, that "No one is above the law."
