Former South Carolina Clerk of Courts Becky Hill, who presided over the Alex Murdaugh murder case, is facing 76 counts of misconduct, according to the South Carolina Ethics Commission.
Hill is accused of using her public office as Colleton County Clerk for financial gain, specifically to promote her book on the Murdaugh case, some of which she has admitted to plagiarizing and apologized for.
Hill is also accused of transferring approximately $10,000 in federal bonuses to himself in the form of child support payments, according to the notice of hearing. He also used federal funds to buy food and gifts for court officials, including “Easter treats,” Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day gifts, paint, flowers and decorations, various meals for himself, office furniture, dog food, dog bones and dog beds.
The court clerk, who held the position for nearly four years, resigned in March following allegations of juror misconduct in the Alex Murdaugh trial, but maintained that his decision to step down was not a result of his actions during the double murder trial.
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Justin Blumberg said Becky Hill’s decision to step down as Colleton County Clerk of Courts has nothing to do with the ongoing investigation into her conduct. (WCIV)
“Another huge impact for our clerk’s office came in 2023 when we had to handle one of the largest trials in South Carolina history, bringing our small town together and making everyone proud,” Hill said at a press conference at the time he announced his resignation. “Handling a trial of such importance to the people of South Carolina, as well as to national and international media interest and public scrutiny, caused me to reflect on my decision to remain in the clerk’s office.”
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Rebecca Hill arrives at the Today Show studios in New York City on March 6, 2023. Becky Hill was a court clerk in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. (Jennifer Mitchell for Fox News Digital)
She added that her decision not to seek reelection in 2024 will allow her to “focus on being a wife, mother and grandmother” and that she wants to “provide ample time for other Republican candidates” interested in the Colleton County Clerk of Court position.
Her lawyer, Justin Bamberg, Alex Murdaugh’s Financial Crimes, At a press conference in March, Hill said her decision had nothing to do with the ongoing investigation into the clerk. Fox News Digital has reached out to Bamberg for comment about the ethics complaint.
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Colleton County Clerk of Courts Becky Hill and her attorney, Justin Blumberg, announced Hill’s resignation on Monday. (WCIV)
“I want to be very clear that my comments today are not a reaction to any ongoing investigations or anything of that nature,” Blumberg said.
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Alex Murdaugh talks with his attorney, Jim Griffin, during a jury tampering hearing at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier via Associated Press)
SLED will be held in September. Two investigations launched There was an investigation into Hill’s conduct during Murdaugh’s murder trial, including an investigation into allegations that he used his position as clerk to benefit financially from the sales of his books, and an investigation into allegations of jury tampering.
After being sentenced in 2022 Killed his wife and son Alex Murdaugh appeared in court again in January for a hearing that focused on allegations of jury misconduct against Hill following the 2021 murder on his family’s hunting land.
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Alex Murdaugh is removed from handcuffs during a jury tampering hearing at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier via The Associated Press)
Murdaugh’s lawyers argued the allegations were valid, but Judge Jean Toll ultimately decided a new trial was not necessary after hearing from the jury that presided over the case.
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Before sentencing, Toll said Hill was “attracted by the allure of celebrity” and made some fleeting and foolish comments, but that jurors had taken their task of convicting Murdaugh seriously.
Of the 12 jurors who convicted Murdaugh last spring, 11 said Hill did not influence their verdict, including one who said he heard Hill comment that he had been watching Murdaugh’s body language but that her words did not influence the verdict.
