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.
Who is Rebecca ‘Becky' Hill? The Court of Clerk accused of tampering with jury in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca ‘Becky’ Hill has been accused by Alex Murdaugh’s defence attorneys of tampering with the jury at his high-profile trial.
They claim that she “betrayed her oath of office for money and fame” and, off the back of her work on the case, secured a deal for a book titled “Behind the Doors of Justice”.
Ms Hill describes herself in her book as “a bit of a legal eagle” whose entire career had led up to her being elected Colleton County’s Clerk of Court.
She was elected to the position in November 2020. Before that she was a court reporter for 12 years.
While assigned to Perry M. Bucker, the administrative judge for the Fourteenth Circuit, she met Alex Murdaugh and his father, Randolph, who served as the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor.
In the book, she described the courthouse as a “wonderful charm” and recalled seeing the Murdaughs in the halls.
She also wrote about her “granddaddy,” Felder Hiers, who ran an illegal liquor still with Murdaugh’s grandfather Buster Murdaugh.
Her book about Murdaugh murders was published in July just months after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty in the June 2021 killings his wife and son.
What is the Clerk of Court accused of doing?
Becky Hill is accused of having one-on-one chats with the jury foreperson, sometimes behind closed doors in a bathroom.
The details are in a motion filed by Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys this week.
Ms Hill allegedly told jurors who smoked they couldn’t take a cigarette break until a verdict was reached. She also gave jurors the business cards of reporters during the trial, according to the defense.
“She asked jurors about their opinions about Mr. Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence. She instructed them not to believe evidence presented in Mr. Murdaugh’s defense, including his own testimony. She lied to the judge to remove a juror she believed might not vote guilty. And she pressured jurors to reach a guilty verdict quickly so she could profit from it,” Murdaugh’s attorneys wrote.
Hill also allegedly told the jury “not to be fooled” by the evidence presented by the defense, to watch Murdaugh closely as he testified and to “look at his actions,” and “look at his movements.” One juror said in a sworn statement that they understood that to mean Murdaugh was guilty.
The clerk also accompanied three jurors to New York City where they gave TV interviews after the trial.
“Clerks are supposed to help get people in the courtroom, organize exhibits, get lunch or answer simple jury questions like finding the bathroom,” lawyer John Fishwick Jr., a former U.S. Attorney, told the Associated Press.
“You are never supposed to talk to a jury about the case.”
Becky Hill is preparing a statement in response to jury tampering allegations
Neil Gordon, who co-authored the book Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, with Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill told Court TV that she will give a statement on the recent jury tampering allegations in the near future.
He added that Ms Hill was in the process of assembling a legal team before responding.
Mr Gordon recalled how he felt when he heard what Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin believed to be Ms Hill’s alleged motivation.
“I was pretty upset at what Harpootlian said was the motivation Becky had,” Mr Gordon said. “Last time I checked, Simon and Schuster did not send us a check for $200,000.”
What is the new Lifetime movie Murdaugh Murders?
Lifetime network announced Wednesday that its 500th original will be about the Murdaugh family and the double murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
The two-part movie event is set to air over two nights, 14 October and 15 October.
The network released a synopsis:
“Murdaugh Murders: The Movie follows the twisted true story of Alex Murdaugh played by award-winning actor Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Halston), who was found guilty in the double homicide of his wife, Maggie and his son, Paul. For over 100 years, the wealthy and powerful Murdaugh Family were a local dynasty in the South Carolina low country, where they oversaw the prosecution of all criminal cases in the state’s 14th circuit district. But behind all the power, black ties, and fancy dresses Alex had many secrets… Even with all of Alex’s influence, he couldn’t prevent The Murdaugh Family’s legacy from being tarnished after Paul was involved in a boating accident that left a young girl dead.”
It continued: “While Maggie was consumed with what was happening with Paul, Alex was hiding his addiction to opioids and stealing insurance settlements from his own clients to fund his habit and the family’s lavish lifestyle. Then in June 2021, Maggie and Paul were found murdered and eyes began to turn to Alex. The bizarre story continued when Alex was nearly shot in the head and his indiscretions and lies began to surface, leading to the eventual unraveling of Alex Murdaugh’s once charmed life.”
PHOTOS: Bill Pullman will play Alex Murdaugh in Lifetime movie Murdaugh Murders
Will Alex Murdaugh get a new trial?
Prominent attorney Duncan Levin told The Independent that the claims laid out in the court documents are “extremely serious” and, if true, Murdaugh could – and should – be granted a new trial.
“The allegations in the complaint are extremely serious,” he said.
“The complaint asserts that an elected state official, the Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, engaged in deliberate misconduct by tampering with the jury during Mr Murdaugh’s trial for the murder of his wife and son.”
Mr Levin – the former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and prominent criminal defence attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey – explained that the accusations could amount to a violation of Murdaugh’s rights.
“If proven true, these allegations not only undermine the integrity of the judicial process but also represent a significant violation of Murdaugh’s constitutional right to a fair trial,” he said.
Read more...
Will Alex Murdaugh be granted a new trial? Legal expert weighs in
Exclusive: Prominent defence attorney Duncan Levin tells Rachel Sharp that the allegations against court clerk Rebecca Hill are ‘extremely serious’ and that – if true – Murdaugh could and should be granted a new trial
WATCH: Murdaugh’s attorneys demand new trial over allegations of jury tampering
WATCH: Court clerk’s co-author responds to allegations of jury tampering
Who was the infamous ‘egg juror’ in the Alex Murdaugh trial?
Juror number 785 made headlines due to a comedic moment where she asked to retrieve a dozen eggs from the jury room after being dismissed from Murdaugh’s trial.
Now, the so-called ‘egg juror’ could be about to blow the killer’s case wide open again.
Rachel Sharp reports…
ICYMI: Buster Murdaugh breaks his silence months after father’s trial
Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son 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.
“I never had anything to do with his murder, and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level in any regard,” he said in a clip from the documentary, due for release on 31 August.
Smith, a nursing student, was found dead on a road in Hampton County, South Carolina, in the early hours of 8 July 2015 – not far from the prominent Murdaugh family’s estate where Alex Murdaugh murdered Maggie and Paul six years later.
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