The South Carolina Supreme Court has returned Alex Murdaugh’s murder case to a lower court for a retrial. This action could lead to another prolonged legal battle in the Lowcountry. The court’s decision is marked in a new docket entry dated May 29, labeled as a “Remittitur” for Richard Alexander Murdaugh.

This remittitur signifies that the case will resume at the trial level. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the court will need to manage various aspects, including scheduling hearings, revisiting pretrial motions, and addressing evidence disagreements. They also need to decide on a possible trial date.

Murdaugh, a former South Carolina attorney once influential in the Lowcountry, was previously convicted of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, in 2021 at the family’s Colleton County hunting estate.

In May, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s convictions, leading to a retrial. Despite this development, a new trial is not expected imminently. Alan Wilson, the South Carolina Attorney General, aims to bring the case back to court soon. He aspires to resume proceedings before January 2027, though acknowledges uncertainties regarding this timeline.

Murdaugh’s lead defense lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, plans to request a change of venue, attorney-led jury questioning, and possibly jury sequestration. “We now have the ability to analyze people’s social media,” Harpootlian told Fox News Digital, indicating the defense’s thorough approach to jury selection.

Murdaugh’s retrial follows the South Carolina Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to overturn his convictions. The court ruled that Rebecca “Becky” Hill, the Colleton County Clerk of Court, improperly influenced the jury during his trial.

Although his murder convictions and life sentences were voided by the state’s Supreme Court, Murdaugh remains in prison for his financial offenses.