While Alex Murdaugh’s claim for a new murder trial was denied Monday, his defense team and South Carolina prosecutors questioned Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill.
During the hearing, South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toll finished questioning the 12 jurors who presided over the Murdaugh trial. Two of them said they heard Hill comment about what they were observing Murdaugh’s actions and movements, and only one of them said the comments influenced her decision to commit the crime. to issue a judgment.
Before Monday’s sentencing, Mr. Toal said that although Mr. Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and made “fleeting and foolish statements,” jurors took their task of convicting Mr. Murdough seriously. said that he had done so.
A jury of 12 found the disgraced lawyer murdered his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul on the family’s hunting grounds in June 2021 to distract from numerous financial crimes he admitted in November 2023. Murdaugh was found guilty.
Juror Alex Murdaugh says South Carolina court clerk’s words influenced guilty verdict
Alex Murdaugh speaks with defense attorney Jim Griffin during a jury tampering hearing Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
When Hill took the stand Monday, he answered a variety of questions related to allegations of jury misconduct.
Hill denies commentary allegations
The first juror questioned by Toal on Monday (referred to as Juror Z) testified that Hill told her to “closely” monitor Alex Murdaugh and monitor his “behavior,” and she added: Ta reached a guilty verdict Because of the store clerk’s comment.
Juror Z, who was the first to testify Monday, was asked how the clerk reached a verdict and said, “To me…she made it seem like he was already guilty.”
Alex Murdaugh, right, speaks with defense attorney Jim Griffin during a jury tampering hearing Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
Another juror said he heard the clerk comment on what he observed of Ms. Murdaugh’s body language, but said her words did not influence the verdict.
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Hill denied all allegations that he tried to convince some jurors to convict Murdaugh. She specifically rejected juror testimony that he instructed jurors to pay attention to Murdaugh’s actions and movements.
“I had no contact with the jurors regarding anything related to this trial,” Hill said.
Hill says he made $100,000 selling plagiarized books.
Murdaugh’s attorney, Dick Harpootlian, questioned Hill about selling his book, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” published after the trial ended, but Hill later admitted that the book contained plagiarism. admitted.
Colleton County Court Clerk Rebecca Hill walks past her daughter singing at a party on March 1, 2023 in Walterboro, South Carolina. Becky Hill is currently at the center of a campaign to get Alex Murdaugh’s double murder case retried. (Mark Sims, Fox News Digital)
Ms. Hill said she made about $100,000 from selling books with her co-authors before sales were suspended after she admitted plagiarism.
“After purchasing various things and paying the costs associated with it, I didn’t make a lot of money off the book, but I think it was around $100,000,” Hill said.
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Judge Jean Toll speaks in court during the Alex Murdaugh Jury Tampering Hearing on Monday, January 29, 2024, at the Richland County Judicial Center in Columbia, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
Harpootlian and attorney Jim Griffin It is alleged in their complaint In the new trial, Hill advised jurors not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony, pressured the panel to issue a “quick verdict,” and campaigned to remove members who were sympathetic to the defense. He claimed that he lied to the trial judge.
“Ms. Hill did this to secure a book deal and media appearances for herself that would not have occurred in a miscarriage of justice,” the filing states. “Mr. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.”
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Prosecutor Clayton Waters listens to Judge Jean Tolle during the Alex Murdaugh jury tampering hearing on Monday, January 29, 2024, at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
Ms. Hill said that certain details about the Murdaugh family included in her book were the result of “literary naivety” and apologized for plagiarism.
“I plagiarized, and I’m very sorry for that. What I did was what I did, and I apologize for that.”
Harpootlian also questioned Hill about a line in his book during Murdaugh’s double murder trial in which he said he “castrated” Griffin.
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“Mr. Harputlan, it was a book. … It’s just a word that was used,” she said.
Mr Hill acknowledged that he had said the deliberations would end quickly.
When Harpootlian asked Hill to address allegations that he told “the press and others” that he thought jury deliberations would not last long, Hill said he described the idea as a “gut feeling.” Admitted.
Alex Murdaugh is brought into court during a jury tampering hearing at the Richland County Justice Center on Monday, January 29, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
“It was my gut feeling and my opinion,” she said.
After a six-week trial, jury deliberations lasted about three and a half hours.
Hill mentions leaked photo of victim
Judge Toll questioned Hill about the apparent leaking of two sealed photographs of victims Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, who died on the Murdaughs’ hunting grounds in the Moselle, after they were presented in court.
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“The photos, which were sealed as court exhibits under your control, were leaked to public media, correct?”
Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and younger son Paul in June 2021, faces a new trial hearing on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the Richland County Justice Center in Columbia, South Carolina. attend. (Tracy Glantz/Associated Press, Pool)
Hill responded that she believes the photos were leaked to public media, but that she did not leak them herself.
“What happened was, I think, someone in the gallery, if I remember correctly, took a picture from a screen that had some pictures on it,” the clerk testified.
Hill added that she never gave Netflix access to the photos. Later, in response to questions from Harpootlian, Hill said he believed Netflix obtained the photos due to a mistake by a court reporter.
A court clerk said Hill drove the jurors home because he wanted to sell a book.
Rhonda McElveen, a Barnwell County court clerk and president of the South Carolina Court Clerks and Register of Deeds Association, said Hill wants to write a book to make more money and get a lakefront home. He testified that he was talking.
Rebecca Hill arrives at the Today Show studio on March 6, 2023 in New York City. Becky Hill served as a court clerk during the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. (Jennifer Mitchell, FOX News Digital)
Ms. McElveen testified under questioning from Ms. Harpootlian that Mr. Hill suggested that a guilty verdict would help sell books.
Mr. McKelvin also testified that Mr. Hill and the bailiff drove the jurors home, but said they should not have done so because clerks are not supposed to talk one-on-one with jurors.
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But in response to questions from Waters, McKelvin said he had never seen Hill speak one-on-one with jurors.
