A South Carolina judge denied Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new murder trial on Monday.
Judge Jean Tolle ruled Monday that he did not believe the new trial meant Muldau, who was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, was convicted of hunting his family in a housing complex.
Muldau was back in court Monday for a hearing on charges of tampering with a jury hearing in the Colleton County Court case involving Becky Hill.
Toal said before Monday’s sentencing that Hill had made a “fleeting and foolish comment” that he was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity”, but the jury did not take Muldau seriously in convicting Muldau. He said he was appointed.
The juror who presided over Muldau’s double murder trial last year testified Monday that Hill’s comments influenced her conviction.
The juror was referred to as Juror Z, and Hill said she told the juror to look “carefully” at Muldau for “behavior,” and that she did not agree because of the clerk’s comments. He added that a guilty verdict had been reached.
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.”
Muldau’s defense team and South Carolina prosecutors can cast doubt on Hill, who is accused of jury tampering.
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Judge Jean Tolle ruled that the juror who presided over Alex Murdau’s murder trial may testify about jury tampering during Murdau’s hearing for a new trial. (Gavin McIntyre/The Post and Courier by AP, Pool)
The disgraced lawyer’s defense team claimed that Hill urged the jury to convict him on the estate hunting his family for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.
Juror Z also testified that other jurors also made her feel pressured to convict, as her affidavit stated.
Of the 12 jurors who convicted Murdaugh last spring, 11 said Hill had no influence on their decision. One person said he heard the clerk comment on observing Murdaugh’s body language, but that her words did not influence his verdict.
Following Juror Z’s testimony on Monday morning, Toal announced on the record that the jurors’ cell phones had not been confiscated before the proceedings began, and that some of the jurors were live on their cell phones. I watched the stream. The judge then called for a five-minute recess.
“Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible time. And Murphy was an optimist.”
Toal later asked all jurors whether they watched the livestream and whether it influenced their testimony Monday. None of the jurors said their testimony was influenced.
Justice questioned the first of 12 jurors, known as Juror X, to preside over Muldau’s trial on Hill’s conduct on Friday.
Alex Murdaugh’s handcuffs are removed as he addresses the court during his sentencing for stealing from 18 clients at the Beaufort County Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Beaufort, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
Juror X said Hill’s comments did not influence her verdict.
When Toal asked the jury about the issue of private meetings that Hill apparently had, and whether they had anything to do with Murdaugh’s murder, Juror X said that the meetings were He said it was about a “different matter” and “has nothing to do with the incident.”
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After questioning the jury, prosecutors and Murdaugh’s defense attorney will be allowed to question Hill. Mr. Toal clarified that Mr. Hill is “not on trial,” and the court clerk will only have to answer related questions.
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Haptorian, left, and Jim Griffin during the sentencing of Alex Murdaugh, who stole from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, South Carolina. I talk. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier, Associated Press, Pool)
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Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian; It was alleged in their motion 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. “Ms. Hill betrayed the oath of her office for her money and fame.”
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South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Two investigations have been launched into Hill’s conduct during the Murdaugh murder trial. That included an investigation into allegations that Hill used her position as a clerk to profit financially from the sale of her book on the case, which she later admitted included plagiarism. ) and a separate investigation into jury tampering. Allegation.
Rebecca Hill arrives at the Today studio in New York City on March 6, 2023. She served as a court clerk during the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. (Jennifer Mitchell, FOX News Digital)
Murdaugh, 55, was sentenced in March to two life sentences for shooting and killing his 52-year-old wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son. Paul Murdaugh, 22, June 2021.
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The disgraced South Carolina lawyer was also sentenced to 27 years in prison for financial crimes in November. In exchange for a 27-year prison sentence, he agreed to plead guilty to 22 of about 100 charges totaling $10 million, including breach of trust, money laundering, forgery and tax evasion.
Murdaugh previously pleaded guilty in federal court to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering.
FOX News’ Chelsea Torres and Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
