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.
WATCH: Murdaugh’s attorneys demand new trial over allegations of jury tampering
Attorneys for Mallory Beach and Stephen Smith families react to Murdaugh accusations
Attorneys Ronnie Richter and Eric Bland released a statement in response to the bombshell motion filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys.
“It is an extraordinary thing to accuse a Clerk of Court with jury tampering. The right to a fair and impartial jury is the bedrock of our judicial system,” the statement read.
“Time will tell whether there is any merit in this latest Murdaugh missive, or whether this is just another Murdaugh misdirection.
“In the meantime, it is important to keep in mind that the system has to work even for the worst of us – this is our only assurance that it will work for the rest of us.”
The attorneys represent the families of Mallory Beach – who was killed in a 2019 boat crash when Paul Murdaugh was drunk driving the boat – and Stephen Smith – who was found dead in a road in Hampton County in 2015.
Murdaugh agrees to plead guilty in theft case
The former South Carolina attorney has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges he stole millions of dollars from clients.
If Murdaugh doesn’t change his mind before he appears in court on 21 September, it would mark the first time he admits guilt for any crime in court.
Prosecutors say he decided to kill his wife Maggie and son Paul because his millions of dollars of theft was about to be discovered and he was hoping their deaths would buy him sympathy and time to figure out a cover-up.
Read more:
Alex Murdaugh to plead guilty in theft case.
Court records show convicted murderer and former attorney Alex Murdaugh has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to stealing millions of dollars from clients
FULL STORY: Will Alex Murdaugh get a retrial? His attorneys are ‘very optimistic'
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys announced Tuesday they have filed the petition based on “newly-discovered evidence” with the South Carolina Court of Appeals to grant a stay on Murdaugh’s appeal while the motion is heard for a new trial.
They’ve accused the court clerk at his double murder trial of telling jurors not to trust him when he testified in his own defense, having private conversations with the jury foreperson and pressuring jurors to come to a quick verdict.
The request filed by Murdaugh’s lawyers on Tuesday also accuses Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of giving jury members business cards from reporters during the trial. After the verdict, she traveled to New York City with three of the jurors to do interviews.
Jim Griffin said that they are “very optimistic” that Murdaugh will be granted a new trial over the matter.
“I am very optimistic that ultimately we will get a new trial. How long that will take, I don’t know,” he said.
Read more:
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
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys double down on calls for new trial
Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys have doubled down on their calls for a new murder trial.
Speaking on NBC News’ Today show on Wednesday morning, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin branded the conduct of Colleton County clerk of the court Rebecca Hill “highly improper and, frankly, illegal”.
Who is juror 785?
Juror number 785 became infamous when she was dismissed from the panel just hours before jury deliberations began.
Judge Clifton Newman removed the female juror from the panel for allegedly discussing the case with at least three other people outside of the court.
She had also given her opinion about the evidence she had seen in the case, he said.
After telling the defence and prosecution his decision in the courtroom, Judge Newman brought the juror in and told her she was being removed.
The juror prompted laughter in the courtroom when she was asked if she had left anything in the jury room.
“A dozen eggs,” she replied.
This sparked laughter from Judge Newman, the defence and the prosecution – and even Mr Murdaugh – as court staff were instructed to go and collect her eggs from the jury room to return to her.
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial? Legal expert weighs in
When Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul back in March, his legal team insisted that the fight wasn’t over.
Six months on, his attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin descended on the South Carolina court of appeals in Columbia and filed a motion calling for a new trial.
Motions for appeals or new trials are hardly uncommon in criminal cases.
But, the foundation for the request from Murdaugh’s attorneys is.
In the bombshell 65-page filing, Murdaugh has accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of breaking her oath by allegedly tampering with the jury in the case, pressuring them into returning a guilty verdict against him.
So just how serious are these allegations? And will this now pave the way for Murdaugh – a man convicted of killing his wife and son in cold blood, a man facing another 700 years behind bars on 100 financial fraud charges and a man embroiled in a sprawling saga of mystery deaths – to be granted a new trial?
Prominent attorney Duncan Levin weighs in on the latest development in the case in an exclusive interview with The Independent.
Court clerk’s co-author responds to Alex Murdaugh’s claims of jury tampering as she lawyers up
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill has not yet responded to allegations of jury tampering in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial - but her co-author is staunchly defending the clerk he describes as someone of integrity and genuine character.
Neil R Gordon appeared on Court TV Tuesday night just hours after Murdaugh’s defence attorneys filed a motion requesting a new trial for the convicted killer on the basis that Ms Hill tampered with the jury because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal.
Mr Gordon and Ms Hill worked together for months after the trial on a tell-all book titled Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, which was released on 1 August.
Read more...
Court clerk’s co-author responds to Alex Murdaugh’s claims of jury tampering
Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill has not yet responded to allegations of jury tampering in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial
See Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh in new Lifetime movie 'Murdaugh Murders’
It’s been six months since Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul.
But the South Carolina saga that has gripped a nation since the June 2021 slayings is far from over.
Now, the twisted story will be told in a two-night event on Lifetime.
Lifetime’s 500th original movie Murdaugh Murders: The Movie will air at 8pm on 14 October and 15 October.
Bill Pullman will star as the disgraced Murdaugh patriarch, alongside Lauren Robek as his wife Maggie, and Curtis Tweedie as his son Paul.