Former county clerk in Murdaugh murder trial charged with obstruction of justice and misconduct
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The former clerk of court who read the guilty verdicts against notorious convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh is now facing multiple felony charges.
Rebecca 'Becky' Hill was arrested early Wednesday morning in Colleton County, South Carolina, and charged with obstructing justice and two counts of misconduct, according to court records. She was also charged with one count of perjury in Richland County, South Carolina. Two of the charges are related to Murdaugh's 2023 murder trial.
Hill was released on a personal recognizance bond, according to Colleton County jail records.
She is accused of making available photographs that were sealed evidence, 'which prevented, obstructed, impeded, hindered, or potentially impeded or hindered the administration of justice' during Murdaugh's trial for the murders of his wife and son, according to an arrest warrant for the obstruction of justice charge.
Hill is also accused of allegedly using her position as the clerk of court to promote her book, 'Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,' resulting in one of the misconduct charges, according to the arrest warrant.
The second misconduct charge appears unrelated to the Murdaugh trial.
In Richland County, Hill is also facing a perjury charge for 'false, misleading, or incomplete' testimony she gave during an evidentiary hearing to establish if Murdaugh should get a new trial.
Hill allegedly lied under oath when during testimony she was asked, 'Did you allow anyone from the press to view the sealed exhibits' by former state Chief Justice Jean Toal. Hill responded 'No Ma'am.'
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which released the arrest warrants, has been investigating Hill since early 2024 over allegations of jury tampering in Murdaugh's murder trial and whether she used her elected position for personal gain.
Murdaugh's attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, told CNN in a statement in a statement the charges were not surprising for them.
'We are aware of the charges filed against Becky Hill and while these developments are serious, they are not surprising. We have long raised our concerns about her conduct during and after the trial and this arrest further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the judicial process. Every defendant is entitled to a fair and impartial trial and we look forward to Alex Murdaugh finally getting that fair treatment,' the attorneys said.
In late 2023, Murdaugh's legal team requested a new trial based on allegations that Hill tampered with the jury by making comments implying Murdaugh's guilt to jurors.
Last year, Toal, a retired Supreme Court of South Carolina chief justice, said that Hill was 'attracted by the siren call of celebrity' and made improper comments to the jury, but ruled the comments did not influence the verdict it reached.
'I simply do not believe that the authority of our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of courts,' Toal said.
Murdaugh's team has since appealed that ruling.
Hill has repeatedly denied the allegations against her but resigned her position as clerk of court in March 2024. She maintained her resignation was unrelated to the state investigations.
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