The Trial: USA

The latest development in the Alex Murdaugh story was a ruling by the highest court in South Carolina reversing his conviction for the 2022 murder of his wife and son.
An elected county court clerk was accused of tampering with the jury process by hinting to sitting panelists that Murdaugh was guilty — a stunning betrayal of the public’s trust that the court said denied him a fair trial.

The clerk, Rebecca Hill, faced her own investigation and resigned.

In this episode, legal expert and retired chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals James Lockemy discusses the Murdaugh reversal with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley.

The episode breaks down Hill’s flagrant conduct which included plans for a behind-the-scenes book during the trial.

Evidence presented in post-trial proceedings examined how Hill hoped to profit from the publication, which was released six months after the trial but later pulled from circulation.

Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice and perjury for releasing graphic, sealed crime scene photos to the media and lying about it under oath at a 2024 hearing. The ex-official also admitted to improperly awarding herself cash bonuses.

Murdaugh’s increasingly complicated prosecution is now headed toward a retrial. He could also now face the possibility of a death sentence if convicted again.

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Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

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It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justice for a joyful little girl who was abducted outside her rural Texas home and murdered by a stranger driving a delivery truck.
MaryAnn Martinez, the Daily Mail’s Texas bureau chief, was in the courtroom as a jury sealed the fate of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s killer, Tanner Horner.
Athena, a first-grader with an affinity for the outdoors and the color pink, was abused and tortured by Horner, a FedEx driver, before he killed her and callously discarded her tiny frame in a nearby creek on Nov. 30, 2022.
A frantic, multi-day search for Athena ensued. The child’s death traumatized her rural community.
Horner pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April but a jury still had to determine his fate, which in Texas included the possibility of the death penalty. After a five-week trial,
Athena’s family watched as the panel found that Horner should be executed by lethal injection.
On this episode, Martinez discusses the case with host Kayla Brantley and takes us inside the courtroom for the dramatic last moments of the proceeding.
We also learn what is expected to happen next as Horner waits on death row.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After two years of legal mudslinging between “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni, a civil trial was set to unfold in New York.

The “It Ends With Us” co-stars instead capped their bitter dispute with a settlement deal that ended an ugly and costly two-year public ordeal that battered their reputations.

The Trial: USA this week examines the history of the litigation and explains why a last-minute settlement was a likely outcome. Kayla Brantley interviews entertainment and sports attorney Thomas H. Herndon Jr. about the legal drama.

In this episode, Herndon Jr. breaks down the legal strategies at play and weighs in on what a trial may have looked like.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East
Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — just yards from the President of the United States.

At one table sat FBI Director Kash Patel.

On this episode of The Trial: USA, Kayla Brantley and Daily Mail Associate Editor Wills take you inside the room as the shooting unfolded — including what happened at their table in the moments the chaos began.

They walk through the night step by step — from the first sounds of gunfire, to the Secret Service response, to the confusion inside one of Washington’s most high-profile events.

We also break down the case against Cole Tomas Allen, who has now appeared in court facing federal charges including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

What do we know about his motive?

What was revealed in court?

And how did he get so close?

This is what it was like inside the room.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A rising music star is now facing one of the most serious charges in the US justice system.

D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke) has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Prosecutors allege the two were in a relationship - and claim he killed her to protect his career, after fears their connection could be exposed. Her remains were later discovered inside a Tesla linked to Burke, months after she was last seen.

He now faces first-degree murder charges with special circumstances, including allegations of financial gain and killing a potential witness, meaning he could face life without parole, or even the death penalty if convicted.

Burke has pleaded not guilty, and his defense team says he is not responsible for her death.

In this episode, we take you back to the beginning of the case - who D4vd is, who Celeste was, and what investigators say happened.

Plus, Luke Kenton joins us to break down the latest developments from inside the courtroom, the evidence prosecutors are building - and what happens next.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East
Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrime
Email us: [email protected]
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.