Alex Murdaugh trial clerk hires lawyers after bombshell jury tampering claims – latest
Murdaugh’s attorneys accused South Carolina Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict in his murder trial
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The court clerk who oversaw the murder trial of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has hired high-profile lawyers after his attorneys accused her of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict against him.
The disgraced legal scion’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin filed a motion for a new trial on Tuesday, alleging that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill tampered with the jury because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal.
Ms Hill has now retained the counsel of State Rep Justin Bamberg and former assistant US attorney Will Lewis.
The clerk has yet to formally respond to the allegations against her and she is not currently facing any criminal charges.
Much of the 65-page motion centres around juror number 785 – who was infamously dismissed from the panel just hours before deliberations began. Judge Clifton Newman removed her for allegedly discussing the case with people outside of the court.
The woman then prompted some light-hearted relief when she asked to pick up her “dozen eggs” from the jury room before she left.
Defence attorney says ‘there is no choice’ but for the court to ‘grant a new trial’ for Murdaugh
Alex Murdaugh’s defence attorney Jim Griffin said that they are “very optimistic” that Murdaugh will be granted a new trial but that it was a matter of time.
“I am very optimistic that ultimately we will get a new trial. How long that will take, I don’t know,” he said.
The motion claims Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill instructed jurors not to be “misled” by evidence presented by the defence and to not be “fooled by” Murdaugh’s testimony when he took the stand.
Mr Griffin said that if this sworn testimony is true, “which we have every reason to believe that it is,” then ‘there is no choice’ but for the court to ‘grant a new trial’ for Murdaugh.
They said the clerk’s actions violated “Murdaugh’s constitutional right to a fair and impartial jury” and that the judge must grant a new trial.
Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at his murder trial
The convicted killer has accused a South Carolina court clerk of tampering with the jury at his high-profile double murder trial – because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal.
His team filed a motion Tuesday requesting a new trial on the basis that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill allegedly pressured jurors on the case to return a guilty verdict against him.
The motion also claims that Ms Hill had frequent private conversations with the jury foreperson – with the pair often disappearing to private rooms for five to 10 minutes at a time.
“During the trial, Ms Hill asked jurors for their opinions about Mr Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence,” the motion reads.
“Ms Hill pressured the jurors to reach a quick verdict, telling them from the outset of their deliberations that it ‘shouldn’t take them long.’”
Rachel Sharp reports.
Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at murder trial
Much of the motion centres around juror number 785 – who became known as the egg juror when she was dismissed hours before the jury began deliberations
Court clerk allegedly told juror ‘everything Murdaugh has said has been lies’
Following the prosecution’s closing argument in the Murdaugh trial, Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill allegedly asked juror 785 what her verdict would be, a motion filed on Tuesday reads.
The juror said she thought prosecutor Creighton Waters’ closing was good but that she had questions because the murder weapons have never been found.
Ms Hill allegedly told her “that everything Mr Murdaugh has said has been lies and that I should forget about the guns, they will never be seen again”.
The juror said that around 10 minutes later, she was dismissed from the jury. During her dismissal, she was accused of having spoken to at least three people about the case.
The motion claimed it was not the first time Ms Hill had approached the juror about her verdict.
She allegedly confronted the juror after claiming that she had seen a post in local Facebook group “Walterboro Word of Mouth” from juror 785’s former husband Tim Stone.
The post purportedly claimed that the juror was drinking with her ex-husband and, when she became drunk, she expressed her views on whether Murdaugh was innocent or guilty.
A follow-up post from an account called Timothy Stone apologised for the post saying that he was driven by “Satan”.
When Ms Hill confronted the juror about the posts, the juror said she hadn’t seen her ex-husband in 10 years, the motion states.
Ms Hill allegedly told the juror that SLED and Colleton County Sheriff’s Office personnel had gone to Mr Stone’s house and that he had confirmed he made the post.
She then allegedly asked juror 785 whether she was inclined to vote guilty or not guilty – to which she said she had not made up her mind.
Murdaugh’s attorneys claim that the original post was “fictitous” and that a download of Mr Stone’s Facebook shows he did not make either post.
Alex Murdaugh has a new victim story. We should be paying attention
The convicted killer is once again claiming to be a victim in one of America’s most explosive murder cases.
While the 65-year-old disgraced legal dynasty heir sits behind bars for the brutal June 2021 slayings of his wife Maggie and son Paul - his defence team is demanding a new trial on the grounds of alleged jury tampering.
Murdaugh’s attorneys held a press conference on Tuesday to unveil damning allegations against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, who they claim pressured jurors to convict him.
The attorneys gave a glimpse of Murdaugh’s reaction to the evidence outlined in the motion, saying: “He was astonished, he was shaking, he was in disbelief.”
This is hardly the first time we’ve seen Murdaugh take on a victim role.
Megan Sheets reports.
Alex Murdaugh has a new victim story. We should be paying attention
There’s a predictable air of the Boy Who Called Wolf - but the seriousness of the allegations cannot be overstated
South Carolina Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill wrote a tell-all about Murdaugh trial
Ms Hill and co-author Neil R. Gordon published a tell-all book last month titled “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” that has revealed details from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile trial.
The clerk is being accused by Murdaugh’s team of improperly influencing the jury and betraying her oath of office for money and fame.
They have filed a motion requesting a new trial on the grounds of jury tampering.
Ms Hill wrote about how she was caught off guard when the jury finished their deliberations after just three hours.
“This was unusual. Most murder trials take some time for the jury to reach a decision, but apparently the jurors were satisfied they would be returning to the courtroom shortly with a verdict,” she wrote. “I was caught a bit off guard.”
She also wrote about how she knew Murdaugh in a professional context for years.
“Regardless of guilt or innocence, for me, reconciling Alex’s diametrically opposite roles was troublesome but not something I would allow to interfere with my sworn duties as clerk,” she wrote in the book.
“Although I was conflicted about knowing the Murdaugh family, and about having so many people watching and listening to me as I read the verdict, I was mostly concerned about Alex being found innocent when I knew in my heart he was guilty.”
Buster Murdaugh breaks his silence
The only surviving son of Alex Murdaugh has broken his silence to deny any involvement in the mysterious killing of gay teenager Stephen Smith – and insist that he still believes his father is innocent of the murders of his mother and brother.
He spoke out in his first TV interview since his family was propelled to national attention, for the new three-part FOX Nation documentary “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”.
In the interview, Buster slammed rumours that he too could have been involved in a heinous murder – that of 19-year-old Smith in July 2015 – and offered an alibi for his whereabouts on the night the teenager was killed.
He also doubled down on his father’s innocence in the murders of Maggie and Paul, but did not deny that his father may be a psychopath.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Buster Murdaugh breaks silence on Stephen Smith death and insists father is innocent
Despite insisting Alex Murdaugh didn’t kill Maggie and Paul, Buster said it was ‘a fair assessment’ to describe his father as a psychopath
Who are Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian?
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian spoke to the media on Tuesday after filing a motion requesting a new trial for the convicted killer on the grounds of jury tampering.
But who are they?
Dick Harpootlian
Dick Harpootlian, 74, was one of Murdaugh’s lead defence attorneys in his murder trial.
Prior to representing Murdaugh, he has had a long career as a prosecutor.
He has prosecuted several high-profile cases including the corruption trial of former University of South Carolina President Jim Holderman and the murder trial of serial killer Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins.
As well as being a prominent lawyer, Mr Harpootlian is also a state senator, representing South Carolina’s 20th district.
Jim Griffin
Jim Griffin, 60, was Murdaugh’s other lead defence attorneys in his murder trial.
Mr Griffin has also had a long career focused predominantly on working as defence attorney in white-collar crime cases.
As well as the murder case, both Mr Harpootlian and Mr Griffin are representing Murdaugh in his slew of other charges including his financial fraud trial.
The duo – who like Murdaugh attended University of South Carolina School of Law – was also previously hired to represent Paul in the boat crash case.
Murdaugh has lost prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary
The disgraced legal scion lost some of his prison privileges after he fed information to a Fox Nation documentary titled “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.”
During a jailhouse phone call on 10 June, Murdaugh’s lawyer Jim Griffin recorded him reading aloud entries from the journal he had kept during his double murder trial.
Prison policy prohibits inmates from talking to the media without permission because the agency “believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family member on the news,” state prisons spokesperson Chrysti Shain said in a statement.
As a result, Murdaugh has had his phone privileges revoked and his prison tablet computer confiscated. He also lost his ability to buy items in the prison canteen for a month.
He will now have to get permission from prison officials to get another tablet, which can be used to make monitored phone calls, watch approved entertainment, read books or take video classes, the prison spokesperson said.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Alex Murdaugh loses prison privileges over recorded phone call for documentary
South Carolina prison officials said Murdaugh’s lawyer Jim Griffin recorded the killer reading aloud journal entries in a jailhouse call and then handed the recording to documentarymakers
ICYMI: What happened at Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial?
After six weeks of dramatic testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, the jury took less than three hours to return a guilty verdict back in March. Alex Murdaugh was then sentenced to life in prison.
On 7 June 2021, Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul were found shot dead on the family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate.
Jurors heard how Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels on the affluent family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull.
After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband.
Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders but continued to claim his innocence of the killings.
