Latest news with #AlexMurdaugh
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
A Look Back at Alex Murdaugh's Murder Trial 4 Years After He Killed His Wife and Son (and Why He Is Still Fighting for His Freedom)
Maggie Murdaugh and her son, Paul Murdaugh, were found dead on June 7, 2021, at the family's hunting lodge in South Carolina Alex Murdaugh, a wealthy lawyer, was found guilty of murdering his wife and their son in March 2023 He was sentenced again in April 2024 for federal charges of money laundering, wire fraud and bank fraudIt's been four years since Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead at their hunting lodge on June 7, 2021 — and two years since the family's patriarch Alex Murdaugh was charged with their murder. On March 2, 2023, Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before finding Alex Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife and son. He was given two consecutive life sentences in prison for the crimes. Between the highly publicized trial and the Netflix series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, all eyes have been on the Murdaugh family for years. Throughout the investigation and trial, Murdaugh maintained his innocence. In fact, he tried to cast suspicion on his cousin Curtis "Eddie" Smith, despite the "mountain of evidence" prosecutors had allegedly assembled against him. Since the deaths of his wife and son, the once-wealthy and powerful attorney from a prominent South Carolina family has been disgraced in connection with his alleged involvement in illegal drug distribution, money laundering, theft, embezzlement and perjury. Murdaugh has struggled with severe opioid addiction for years, allegedly spending $50,000 a week on drugs. Here's everything to know about Alex Murdaugh's murder trial and alleged crimes. In the opening statements, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said that authorities have GPS information from Murdaugh's smart devices contradicting his alibi, and cell phone video placing him at the estate during the time of the murders. According to authorities, a video Paul took at 8:45 p.m. picks up his voice, and the voices of both his parents, at the property's dog kennels. Murdaugh originally told authorities he wasn't near the kennels but later admitted he was lying. When footage from a responding officer's body cam was shown in court, which showed Maggie and Paul's bodies, Murdaugh was seen wiping away tears — though an officer who was called to the crime scene reported that Murdaugh didn't seem upset, saying there were no "visible tears." Paul was shot twice with a shotgun, but Maggie was shot in the back with an assault rifle, and then several more times when she was already on the ground. Murdaugh's lawyer, Jim Griffin, asserted that his client invited authorities to search the family estate, which pointed to his innocence, because no guilty person would be so transparent. Griffin also cross-examined Det. Laura Rutland about the state of Murdaugh's clothes, asking, "He didn't look like someone who had just been within feet of blowing Paul's head off, right?" She responded, "I can't say that. There are so many factors that you would have to take into account." Though, she said that Murdaugh could have changed his clothes after the shooting. "He's sweating, and they're dry, so I'd say yes," she said. Jeff Croft, an agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified that Murdaugh was brought in for questioning days after the murders of Maggie and Paul. Croft claimed that during the police interview, Murdaugh got emotional and made a surprising statement when he first saw graphic photos of his slain son. "It was so bad, I did him so bad," Croft alleged that Murdaugh cried. "He's such a good boy, too." Britt Dove, from the computer crimes unit for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified about usage of Maggie's phone on the night of her murder, both before and after she died. She made a phone call at 7:50 p.m. that lasted three minutes; according to authorities, Maggie also sent messages to a friend that night as she headed to the property, saying something felt "fishy" about Murdaugh's behavior. After her phone call, she didn't use the phone again. At 9:06 p.m., after prosecutors believe Maggie was already dead, the phone's camera activated for a second. "It appears the phone's being moved and the camera's activating in the background to see if it would recognize somebody's face that would unlock it," Dove said. In the subsequent hour, Murdaugh called his wife's phone three times, and sent her a text saying "Call me babe." Prosecutors claim those were an attempt to bolster his alibi. Maggie's phone was discovered discarded beside the road outside the gates of the estate. Evidence surfaced that Murdaugh changed his clothes at some point in the evening. Prosecutors showed a Snapchat video of the disgraced attorney wearing khakis and a blue button down about an hour before the murders, and he then spoke to the police later that night in a white t-shirt and shorts. On the stand, Mushelle "Shelley" Smith, a caregiver to Murdaugh's mother, testified that he visited his mother's home for 15-20 minutes on the night of the murders, but that he instructed her to say that he was there for 30-40 minutes "if someone asked." The timeline is important to both the prosecution and the defense, as authorities have stated that Murdaugh visited his mother to create an alibi for his whereabouts the night of the murders. If he did remain at his mother's home for 15-20 minutes, prosecutors allege he would have had the time to commit the crime. Smith also described Murdaugh's behavior as "fidgety" that night, and said that he offered to give her money towards her wedding expenses in the same conversation. For his alibi, Murdaugh told authorities that he had visited his ailing father in the hospital and spent time with his elderly mother, and had come home to the 1770-acre Islandton, S.C. estate to discover his wife and son dead, shot to death with separate firearms. Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO of the law firm where Murdaugh was a partner, testified under oath that she suspected he was stealing money from the company, starting in May 2021, when he was writing company checks to a client, but depositing them into a personal account of his, opened with the client's company name. She further testified that she confronted Murdaugh about the missing funds, totaling more than $2.8 million, on the day of the murders. On the stand, Maggie's sister Marian Proctor testified that she found her conversation with Murdaugh immediately after the deaths strange, because he didn't seem focused on finding who had murdered his family members. "We never talked about finding the person who could have done it," Proctor said. "It was just odd." She continued: "He said that his number one goal was clearing Paul's name," referring to his son's role in a 2019 boating accident that led to the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. "And I thought that was so strange, because my number one goal was to find out who killed my sister and Paul." Defense attorney Jim Griffin suggested that Murdaugh's cousin Curtis "Eddie" Griffin could have been involved with the murders, citing his involvement in supplying the disgraced attorney with drugs and his role in the botched suicide-for-hire plot. Because Murdaugh's defense team introduced the scheme, which they also admitted he concocted, Judge Clifton Newman ruled that the previously inadmissible information could now be considered as part of the trial. In his testimony, Buster recalled when his father called him to tell him what had happened. "He said, 'Are you sitting down?' " he testified. "He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot." Buster also recounted his father's state of mind on the night of the double homicide that took his mother and brother away from the young man. "He was heartbroken," he said. "I walked in the door and saw him, gave him a hug. He was destroyed." Buster also testified that his mother and brother confronted Murdaugh in the past about his drug use. Murdaugh has said he took up to 60 pills a day to feed his addiction. "I thought that he had handled it," Buster said, after his father went to rehab in 2018. After testifying, Buster squeezed his father's hand. In a teary assertion of his innocence, Murdaugh denied committing the murders. "I did not shoot my wife or my son," Murdaugh said. "I could never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them, not ever." Murdaugh also testified that he lied about information he gave to the authorities, and lied to his family about details of the day of the deaths. He long asserted that he was nowhere near the estate's kennels on the night of the murders, but recanted that on the stand. "What a tangled web we weave," Murdaugh said on the stand. "Once I told a lie — then I told my family — I had to keep lying." He attributed the lies to paranoia induced by his longtime drug use. "I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did," Murdaugh said. After testimony concluded at the trial, jurors took a visit to the home where Maggie and Paul were murdered. Per The New York Times, jurors spent around an hour on the property examining the areas where the crimes took place. After deliberating for less than three hours, jurors found Murdaugh guilty of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul. The following day, he was sentenced to two life sentences in prison, which will run consecutively. Murdaugh's defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, announced on X that he and Jim Griffin are appealing their client's conviction as well as his prison sentences. "This is the next step in the legal process to fight for Alex's constitutional right to a fair trial," the post read. Eight months after receiving his guilty verdict, Murdaugh filed a motion for a new trial in the murders of his wife and son. The motion accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of jury tampering. According to the motion, Hill pressured jurors to "reach a quick guilty verdict" and advised them not to "believe Murdaugh's testimony" to help secure herself a book deal. She did publish a book about the case in 2023, titled Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders. Though Hill denied the allegations, one juror did admit that the clerk's comments influenced her verdict decision. Still, in January 2024, a South Carolina judge denied Murdaugh's motion for a new trial. His attorneys later filed a motion in July 2024 to the South Carolina State Supreme Court, and the case is still under review. In September 2023, Murdaugh pled guilty to federal charges of money laundering, wire fraud and bank fraud. Seven months later, he was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. This new sentence will run concurrently with the state prison time he's actively serving. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Where Is Buster Murdaugh Now? What to Know About His Life After Dad Alex Murdaugh's Conviction
Buster Murdaugh was born to parents Alex and Maggie Murdaugh Buster was thrust into the spotlight when his dad was convicted of murdering Maggie and their other son, Paul Buster has also dealt with his own legal troubles, including a 2019 wrongful death lawsuit concerning Mallory BeachBuster Murdaugh and his family were prominent members of their South Carolina community — but the Murdaughs gained national notoriety in the summer of 2021, after the murders of Buster's mother, Margaret 'Maggie' Murdaugh, and brother, Paul Murdaugh. Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were shot and killed on June 7, 2021, at Moselle, their family's 1,770-acre property in the low country of South Carolina. At the time of their deaths, Paul was awaiting trial in connection with the 2019 boating death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The double murder sent shockwaves through their small South Carolina town of Hampton, where the powerful Murdaugh family had been practicing law since 1910. Adding to the local drama was the fact that Buster's father, South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, found himself at the epicenter of the shocking slayings. Alex's attorney, Jim Griffin, revealed that the grieving husband and father was considered a person of interest from the onset of the authorities' investigation into the murders. The charges against Alex continued to mount throughout early 2022, but he wasn't officially linked to the killings of his wife and son until July 2022 — when a South Carolina grand jury indicted the disgraced attorney in the double murder. Prosecutors alleged that, on the evening of June 7, 2021, Alex lured his estranged wife Maggie from their family's beach house (where she had been staying) to their hunting estate, where he then shot and killed her and Paul execution style near the dog kennels on the property. Despite the 'mountain of evidence' presented against Alex during his 2023 murder trial, Buster stood by his father's side, maintaining his innocence and testifying in his defense. But the fallout from the deaths of his mother and brother — and his father's March 2023 double murder conviction — was devastating for Buster. 'Buster is collateral damage to his father's situation,' a childhood friend of Buster's told PEOPLE in 2022. 'I think he's developed this attitude of 'I'm gonna shut people out before they shut me out.' His circle of friends got really small really fast.' So where is Buster Murdaugh today? Here is a look at Buster's life before, during and after the tragic deaths of his mother and brother — and his father's conviction. Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr., otherwise known as Buster, was the eldest son of Alex Murdaugh and his wife, Margaret 'Maggie' Murdaugh. Buster and his younger brother Paul were born into one of the most prominent families in Hampton County, South Carolina. They earned recognition from the family law firm, Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick (or PMPED), which was founded in 1910 by Buster's great-great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr., The Greenville News reported. Over the next century, the law firm grew into a multimillion-dollar practice that employed several generations of Murdaughs — including Buster's father, Alex. Randolph Sr. was also the first member of the family to serve as Solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit, where he prosecuted criminal cases in four South Carolina counties, according to its website. The Murdaugh family would go on to hold the office continuously from 1920 to 2006. 'For over a century, the Murdaughs were law and order here in the 14th circuit,' The Hampton County Guardian reporter Michael Dewitt said in the Netflix docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. 'They ran both sides of the legal ledger, from civil cases to criminal cases.' Dewitt continued, 'They were the law in this area — and, at times, they were above the law.' Buster and his family first made national news after his mother, Maggie, and younger brother Paul were found shot to death at Moselle, the family's 1,770-acre hunting estate in South Carolina. The headlines following their murders primarily centered on Buster's father, Alex. The once-wealthy and powerful attorney quickly became disgraced in the months following the murders, as a result of his alleged involvement in illegal drug distribution, money laundering, theft, embezzlement and perjury, PEOPLE previously confirmed. In addition to the almost 90 charges brought against Alex, he was also charged with murdering Maggie and Paul after a grand jury indictment in July 2022. Buster found his name entangled in his father's legal turmoil in September 2021, when Alex was reportedly 'shot in the head while changing a tire' in Hampton County, South Carolina. However, less than two weeks later, South Carolina law enforcement revealed that Alex allegedly arranged the shooting himself — hiring Curtis Edward Smith to shoot him in the head so that Buster could receive $10 million in a life insurance payout after his death. Buster also made headlines when he testified for the defense at his father's double murder trial. Buster told the jury he 'knew a little bit' about his father's drug use (which at one point had Alex allegedly spending $50,000 a week on opioids and taking up to 60 pills a day). Buster also claimed on the stand that his father was 'heartbroken' following the deaths of Maggie and Paul. After a highly publicized six-week trial in early 2023, Buster's father, Alex, was found guilty of murdering his wife and son. Buster, Alex's only surviving child, was in the courtroom as the verdicts were read. Alex's defense team moved for a mistrial after the guilty verdicts were handed down, but the motion was quickly denied by the judge. 'The evidence of guilt is overwhelming, and I deny the motion,' state Circuit Judge Clifton Newman said, per Good Morning America. The following day, Alex was sentenced to two life sentences for the murders of Maggie and Paul. Alex, however, maintained his innocence when he addressed the judge at his sentencing hearing. 'I'm innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie. And I would never hurt my son 'Paul Paul,' ' he told Judge Newman. Buster has stood by his father, maintaining his innocence during and after his trial. In an interview with Fox Nation in August 2023, Buster doubled down on his stance that his father was innocent and did not belong in prison. 'I do not think that he could be affiliated with endangering my mother and brother,' Buster said in Fox Nation's The Fall of the House of Murdaugh. 'We have been here for a while now and that's been my stance.' Buster added that he believed his father's trial was 'not fair' and that pretrial publicity led the jury to form predetermined opinions about the former South Carolina attorney. 'I think that I hold a very unique perspective that nobody else in that courtroom ever held. And I know the love that I have witnessed,' Buster said, referencing his father's 'loving' relationship with his family. Buster also told Fox Nation that he believes the killer is still on the loose — and that his safety is at risk as a result. 'I think I set myself up to be safe but yes, when I go to bed at night I have a fear that there is somebody that is still out there,' he shared. Though Buster faced no charges in relation to the deaths of his mother and brother, he was not without his own legal troubles. Buster's name was mentioned more than 40 times during the investigation into the mysterious 2015 death of 19-year-old nursing student Stephen Smith. Smith — who was a classmate of Buster's — was found dead on a dark Hampton County road not far from the Murdaugh family estate during the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. Authorities initially ruled Smith's death a hit-and-run — before reopening the case in June 2021, following the murders of Maggie and Paul. Authorities revealed that, while investigating the murders of Maggie and Paul, new evidence connected to Smith's death surfaced, which led to them reopening the case. Shortly after Alex's conviction in March 2023, Smith's death was officially ruled a homicide. Buster has never been charged — or even questioned — in connection with Smith's death, however. He vehemently denied any involvement in a public statement released shortly after his father's conviction in March 2023. 'I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith's tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother,' the statement read. 'I haven't spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father's incarceration ... This has gone on far too long.' It continued, 'These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family. I am requesting that the media immediately stop publishing these defamatory comments and rumors about me.' Buster was also named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2019 by the mother of Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old who was killed in February 2019 after a boat driven by an allegedly intoxicated Paul crashed into a bridge. Alex, Maggie and Buster were all named in the lawsuit, as Alex was the owner of the boat and Maggie's credit card and Buster's ID were allegedly used by Paul to illegally purchase alcohol prior to the crash, Fox News reports. Beach's family and three of the other boat crash victims settled with Buster and the estate of Maggie in January 2023 for an undisclosed but 'significant' amount, an ABC affiliate station in South Carolina reported. Buster went from being a member of one of South Carolina's most well-known families to living a life in near isolation — cutting off contact from most of his social circle following his mother and brother's deaths. 'He really withdrew after everything happened,' a former college classmate told PEOPLE in 2022. 'He has really closed off and built walls around himself.' Buster has never returned to Moselle, his family's estate where his mother and brother were murdered, or his family's beach house on Edisto Island, S.C., where his mother was staying before her death. He also avoids his hometown of Hampton, where his family went from revered to reviled. 'I get stopped and yelled at all the time. I got cussed at in the gas station the other day,' Buster told his father in a taped jailhouse phone call, according to the University of South Carolina's newspaper The State. To escape, Buster moved into his girlfriend, Brooklynn White's, Hilton Head Island, S.C. condo, FITS News reported. The longtime couple went on to purchase a home together in Bluffton, S.C., in May 2023. They also share a golden retriever named Miller. White is currently an attorney at Olivetti McCray & Withrow, an all-female law firm in Hilton Head. She graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law — the same law school Buster attended before he was kicked out in 2019 for low grades and alleged plagiarism, according to The State. Jailhouse recordings revealed that Alex paid $60,000 to prominent lawyer Butch Bowers to help get Buster back into law school. Buster was reportedly readmitted and due to resume classes in January 2022, but 'it was mutually agreed that delaying readmission to law school would be best for him and for the law school,' Alex's attorney Jim Griffin told The State. Buster has yet to return to law school. It is not known whether he is currently employed. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Alex Murdaugh conviction in question after court clerk charged
Alex Murdaugh 's murder conviction has been thrown into question following felony charges brought against a South Carolina court clerk who oversaw his murder trial. Former Colleton County court clerk Becky Hill, 57, was charged with several felonies on Wednesday in two counties. Attorney Eric Bland, who represented multiple jurors in Murdaugh's murder trial and several of his financial crimes victims, told Fox News that Hill's charges 'bode well for Alex Murdaugh.' 'Three of those charges that are pending in Colleton County really have nothing to do with the trial. [Those are] actions that she took outside of that trial in the course and scope of her duties, taking advantage of her office - obstruction activity,' Bland said. 'That has nothing to do with it. One charge in Richland County is a perjury charge. And it's perjury that does stem from the [January 2024] hearing where Justice Toal rendered a decision not giving a new trial to Alex Murdaugh.' Hill was accused of obstruction of justice and misconduct in Colleton County as well as perjury in Richland County. The former court clerk allegedly lied to South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Toal in January 2024 when questioned over the alleged misconduct. According to charging documents obtained by Fox News, Hill told Toal that no members of the press had been allowed to view sealed exhibits in Murdaugh's trial - a claim that was allegedly found to be inconsistent with evidence obtained by authorities. Not all legal experts who spoke with Fox News agreed that the charges could help the convicted killer. 'The [suggestion] that Becky Hill is now in legal trouble helps Alex Murdaugh - I strongly disagree with that,' South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon said. 'I think the exact opposite is really true.' Hill was also accused of showing seal photographs to a reporter and using her position as clerk for financial gain, including the promotion of her book about Murdaugh's trial on social media. Murdaugh was convicted by jury in 2023 for the murders of his wife Maggie, 52, and his son Paul, 22, on his family hunting estate in June of 2021. The 56-year-old received two life sentences without parole, and filed for a re-trial last year with a 121-page appeal document. He and his legal team accused Hill of alleged jury tampering and argued that weeks after the trial ended, jurors allegedly informed them Hill had told them to ' watch [Murdaugh's] body language.' Hill had resigned her position earlier that year. Condon said he was 'surprised by the charges' against Hill, and argued that they do not help Murdaugh because 'they did not include jury tampering,' Fox News reported. 'That has been... the focus at the hearing for the retrial. Nothing in [Hill's charges] about jury tampering,' he continued. 'To my mind, it's a really big win for the state and a big loss for the defense because a main ground of their appeal would be this jury tampering,' Condon said. '...And the fact that there are no charges against former clerk Hill for jury tampering tells me that the authorities looked at that and did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show that she tampered with the jury.' Bland claimed to the outlet that Toal did not find Hill's testimony entirely credible and did not take it into consideration when ruling against a retrial. 'At the end of the day, this is going to be a legal decision on appeal,' Bland continued. 'Was Justice Toal correct in applying the South Carolina standard on juror interference by an official? And that, as the South Carolina standard says, you not only have to show the juror interference but you have to show the effect that it had on the jurors and their verdict.' 'I represented six of those jurors. Eleven of those jurors that Becky Hill said didn't have any effect on our verdict.' The former clerk held her position for about four years before resigning in March after allegations arose of jury tampering. At the time she said she was leaving the position to 'focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother' Of the jurors that found Murdaugh guilty, 11 of 12 said Hill did not influence their decision. One juror said Hill's comments had been heard but that her words did not influence their verdict. Bland noted that even if his sentencing was reversed and he was allowed a retrial, he would still serve time in prison for his financial crimes. Condon and Bland said that Hill had acted 'professionally' and noted the high-profile status of the case was a rarity in that small town. 'She probably was trying to be accommodating,' Condon said of the charges accusing her of sharing sealed photographs with a reporter. 'She's a really nice lady, probably trying to help somebody with their story. And again, I don't think there was a malicious intent with that whatsoever.' He did note, however, given the circumstances of the trial 'one would expect the clerk of court... to follow each and every rule.' Murdaugh's defense attorneys, however, said that the charges against Hill are 'serious' and 'not surprising.' Justice Toal denied Murdaugh's appeal for a retrial last year following accusations against Hill of jury tampering '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,' they added. Dick Harpootlian, one of Murdaugh's attorneys, told the outlet he believes Hill's charges will result in a new trial for the convicted killer. Alongside the charges related to the case, Hill was also accused of sending herself nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses in the form of child support payments, according to a notice hearing, Fox News reported. The former clerk held her position for about four years before resigning in March after allegations arose of jury tampering. At the time she said she was leaving the position to 'focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Alex Murdaugh trial: Experts weigh in on possibility of an overturned murder conviction
Experts disagree on whether Alex Murdaugh will get a murder trial do-over after former Colleton County, South Carolina, court clerk Becky Hill was charged with several felonies on Wednesday in two counties. "The [suggestion] that Becky Hill is now in legal trouble helps Alex Murdaugh — I strongly disagree with that," former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon told Fox News Digital. "I think the exact opposite is really true." The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on Wednesday afternoon announced that Hill, 57, has been charged with obstructing justice and misconduct in Colleton County and perjury in Richland County. The perjury charge stems from a lie she allegedly told South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Toal in January 2024, when the justice ruled that a new trial was not necessary for Murdaugh upon his appeal. Charging documents state that when Toal asked Hill, "Did you allow anyone from the press to view sealed exhibits?" Hill responded, "No, ma'am," which is apparently inconsistent with evidence obtained by authorities. They also accuse her of showing sealed photos to a reporter and using her official position as Colleton County clerk for financial gain, specifically by promoting her book about the Murdaugh case on social media. Murdaugh Court Clerk Becky Hill Released On Bond After Arrest On Perjury, Misconduct Charges A Colleton County jury in 2023 convicted Murduagh in the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on his family hunting estate. The disgraced personal injury lawyer, whose family had a stronghold on the justice system in neighboring Hampton County for about a century, had requested the new hearing based on allegations of jury tampering surrounding Hill, which Murdaugh's defense team had argued warranted a new trial. Read On The Fox News App SLED's charging documents filed Wednesday, however, do not accuse Hill of jury tampering. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hill's attorney, Will Lewis, for comment. Former South Carolina Clerk In Murdaugh Murder Trial Arrested On Multiple Felonies In 2 Counties Condon said he was "surprised by the charges" against Hill "and that they did not include jury tampering." "That had been… the focus at the hearing for the retrial. Nothing in [Hill's charges] about jury tampering," he said. "To my mind, it's a really big win for the state and a big loss for the defense because a main ground of their appeal would be this jury tampering, and the fact that there are no charges against former clerk Hill for jury tampering tells me that the authorities looked at that and did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show that she tampered with the jury." South Carolina Judge Denies Alex Murdaugh's Request For A New Murder Trial Meanwhile, attorney Eric Bland of Bland Richter LLP, who represented multiple jurors in Murdaugh's murder trial and several victims of his financial crimes, told Fox News Digital that "the optics" of Hill's charges "bode well for Alex Murdaugh." "Three of those charges that are pending in Colleton County really have nothing to do with the trial. [Those are] actions that she took outside of that trial in the course and scope of her duties, taking advantage of her office — obstruction activity. That has nothing to do with it," Bland explained. "One charge in Richland County is a perjury charge. And it's perjury that does stem from the [January 2024] hearing where Justice Toal rendered a decision not giving a new trial to Alex Murdaugh." Bland noted that Toal said during the 2024 hearing that she did not find Hill's testimony entirely credible and did not take it into consideration when ruling against a retrial. "At the end of the day, this is going to be a legal decision on appeal," Bland said. "Was Justice Toal correct in applying the South Carolina standard on juror interference by an official? And that, as the South Carolina standard says, you not only have to show the juror interference, but you have to show the effect that it had on the jurors and their verdict. I represented six of those jurors. Eleven of those jurors said… anything that Becky Hill said didn't have any effect on our verdict." Of 12 total jurors who found Murdaugh guilty in 2023, 11 said Hill did not influence their decisions. One said he heard the clerk make comments about watching Murdaugh's body language but said her words did not influence his verdict. Even if Murdaugh were to get his sentenced reversed and a retrial, he would still be serving the rest of his life in prison for his financial crimes, defrauding his law clients out of millions of dollars, Bland noted. WATCH: REBECCA HILL ON THE MURDAUGH VERDICT: Both Condon and Bland said Hill presented herself in a professional manner over the course of Murdaugh's murder trial, including one of the first days when a bomb threat shut down the entire courthouse and everyone inside had to evacuate. "She was very warm and engaging, and don't forget… she touches every aspect of the trial," Bland said. "She is in charge of the court personnel, the bailiffs. She's in charge of the clerk of court's office, where all the filings for the case go, and marshaling all the evidence. She's in charge of the jurors and making sure that they get there on time and they're comfortable and they have something to eat. She participates in all the meetings with the judge and the defense attorneys. So, she's privy to everything. And I think it just got to her head." WATCH: Becky Hill is asked whether she tampered with the jury Alex Murdaugh Court Clerk Becky Hill Misused Thousands Of Dollars On Paint Supplies, Dog Bed, Gifts: Complaint Condon similarly said the Colleton County courthouse is located in the small town of Walterboro, which does not often see high-profile criminal trials like the Murdaugh case. "She probably was trying to be accommodating," Condon said of the charges accusing her of sharing sealed photos with a reporter. "She's a really nice lady, probably trying to help somebody with their story. And again, I don't think there was a malicious intent with that whatsoever. Having said that... one would expect a clerk of court under these heightened circumstances to follow each and every rule, and the allegations show that she did not. But I don't think it was done with any evil intention." Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, Murdaugh's defense attorneys, told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday statement that while the charges against Hill "are serious, they are not surprising." WATCH: ALEX MURDAUGH ATTORNEY DICK HARPOOTLIAN REACTS TO HILL'S ARREST "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. Harpootlian told Fox News on Wednesday that he believes the charges against Hill will result in a new trial for Murdaugh. Hill was also previously accused of sending herself nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses in the form of child support payments, according to a notice of hearing. She used federal funds to give food and gifts to court employees, including "Easter Goodies," Mother's and Father's Day gifts, and Valentine's Day gifts; paint supplies; flowers and decor; various meals for herself; office furniture; and dog food, dog bones and a dog bed, among other items. SLED charging documents make note of the bonus payments. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter The former court clerk, who held her position for about four years, resigned in March following allegations of jury tampering in the Murdaugh trial but maintained that her decision to leave office was not the result of her conduct during the double murder trial. "Another significant impact in our clerk's office was in 2023, when we had to manage one of the biggest trials in South Carolina history. Our small town came together and made everyone proud," Hill said during a news conference at the time to announce her resignation. "Managing a trial with such importance to the people of South Carolina, as well as to the national and international media interest and public scrutiny, has caused me to reflect upon decisions involving my stay in the office of the clerk of court." She added that her decision not to seek re-election in 2024 would allow her to "focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother," and that she wanted to provide "ample time to other Republican candidates" interested in the position of Colleton County court clerk. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Her former attorney, Justin Bamberg, who has represented victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, said at a March news conference that Hill's decision had nothing to do with any pending investigations involving the article source: Alex Murdaugh trial: Experts weigh in on possibility of an overturned murder conviction
Fox News
17-05-2025
- Fox News
Alex Murdaugh trial: Experts weigh in on possibility of an overturned murder conviction
Experts disagree on whether Alex Murdaugh will get a murder trial do-over after former Colleton County, South Carolina, court clerk Becky Hill was charged with several felonies on Wednesday in two counties. "The [suggestion] that Becky Hill is now in legal trouble helps Alex Murdaugh — I strongly disagree with that," former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon told Fox News Digital. "I think the exact opposite is really true." The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on Wednesday afternoon announced that Hill, 57, has been charged with obstructing justice and misconduct in Colleton County and perjury in Richland County. The perjury charge stems from a lie she allegedly told South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Toal in January 2024, when the justice ruled that a new trial was not necessary for Murdaugh upon his appeal. Charging documents state that when Toal asked Hill, "Did you allow anyone from the press to view sealed exhibits?" Hill responded, "No, ma'am," which is apparently inconsistent with evidence obtained by authorities. They also accuse her of showing sealed photos to a reporter and using her official position as Colleton County clerk for financial gain, specifically by promoting her book about the Murdaugh case on social media. A Colleton County jury in 2023 convicted Murduagh in the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on his family hunting estate. The disgraced personal injury lawyer, whose family had a stronghold on the justice system in neighboring Hampton County for about a century, had requested the new hearing based on allegations of jury tampering surrounding Hill, which Murdaugh's defense team had argued warranted a new trial. SLED's charging documents filed Wednesday, however, do not accuse Hill of jury tampering. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hill's attorney, Will Lewis, for comment. Condon said he was "surprised by the charges" against Hill "and that they did not include jury tampering." "That had been… the focus at the hearing for the retrial. Nothing in [Hill's charges] about jury tampering," he said. "To my mind, it's a really big win for the state and a big loss for the defense because a main ground of their appeal would be this jury tampering, and the fact that there are no charges against former clerk Hill for jury tampering tells me that the authorities looked at that and did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show that she tampered with the jury." Meanwhile, attorney Eric Bland of Bland Richter LLP, who represented multiple jurors in Murdaugh's murder trial and several victims of his financial crimes, told Fox News Digital that "the optics" of Hill's charges "bode well for Alex Murdaugh." "Three of those charges that are pending in Colleton County really have nothing to do with the trial. [Those are] actions that she took outside of that trial in the course and scope of her duties, taking advantage of her office — obstruction activity. That has nothing to do with it," Bland explained. "One charge in Richland County is a perjury charge. And it's perjury that does stem from the [January 2024] hearing where Justice Toal rendered a decision not giving a new trial to Alex Murdaugh." Bland noted that Toal said during the 2024 hearing that she did not find Hill's testimony entirely credible and did not take it into consideration when ruling against a retrial. "At the end of the day, this is going to be a legal decision on appeal," Bland said. "Was Justice Toal correct in applying the South Carolina standard on juror interference by an official? And that, as the South Carolina standard says, you not only have to show the juror interference, but you have to show the effect that it had on the jurors and their verdict. I represented six of those jurors. Eleven of those jurors said… anything that Becky Hill said didn't have any effect on our verdict." Of 12 total jurors who found Murdaugh guilty in 2023, 11 said Hill did not influence their decisions. One said he heard the clerk make comments about watching Murdaugh's body language but said her words did not influence his verdict. Even if Murdaugh were to get his sentenced reversed and a retrial, he would still be serving the rest of his life in prison for his financial crimes, defrauding his law clients out of millions of dollars, Bland noted. WATCH: REBECCA HILL ON THE MURDAUGH VERDICT: Both Condon and Bland said Hill presented herself in a professional manner over the course of Murdaugh's murder trial, including one of the first days when a bomb threat shut down the entire courthouse and everyone inside had to evacuate. "She was very warm and engaging, and don't forget… she touches every aspect of the trial," Bland said. "She is in charge of the court personnel, the bailiffs. She's in charge of the clerk of court's office, where all the filings for the case go, and marshaling all the evidence. She's in charge of the jurors and making sure that they get there on time and they're comfortable and they have something to eat. She participates in all the meetings with the judge and the defense attorneys. So, she's privy to everything. And I think it just got to her head." WATCH: Becky Hill is asked whether she tampered with the jury Condon similarly said the Colleton County courthouse is located in the small town of Walterboro, which does not often see high-profile criminal trials like the Murdaugh case. "She probably was trying to be accommodating," Condon said of the charges accusing her of sharing sealed photos with a reporter. "She's a really nice lady, probably trying to help somebody with their story. And again, I don't think there was a malicious intent with that whatsoever. Having said that... one would expect a clerk of court under these heightened circumstances to follow each and every rule, and the allegations show that she did not. But I don't think it was done with any evil intention." Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, Murdaugh's defense attorneys, told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday statement that while the charges against Hill "are serious, they are not surprising." WATCH: ALEX MURDAUGH ATTORNEY DICK HARPOOTLIAN REACTS TO HILL'S ARREST "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. Harpootlian told Fox News on Wednesday that he believes the charges against Hill will result in a new trial for Murdaugh. Hill was also previously accused of sending herself nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses in the form of child support payments, according to a notice of hearing. She used federal funds to give food and gifts to court employees, including "Easter Goodies," Mother's and Father's Day gifts, and Valentine's Day gifts; paint supplies; flowers and decor; various meals for herself; office furniture; and dog food, dog bones and a dog bed, among other items. SLED charging documents make note of the bonus payments. The former court clerk, who held her position for about four years, resigned in March following allegations of jury tampering in the Murdaugh trial but maintained that her decision to leave office was not the result of her conduct during the double murder trial. "Another significant impact in our clerk's office was in 2023, when we had to manage one of the biggest trials in South Carolina history. Our small town came together and made everyone proud," Hill said during a news conference at the time to announce her resignation. "Managing a trial with such importance to the people of South Carolina, as well as to the national and international media interest and public scrutiny, has caused me to reflect upon decisions involving my stay in the office of the clerk of court." She added that her decision not to seek re-election in 2024 would allow her to "focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother," and that she wanted to provide "ample time to other Republican candidates" interested in the position of Colleton County court clerk. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Her former attorney, Justin Bamberg, who has represented victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, said at a March news conference that Hill's decision had nothing to do with any pending investigations involving the clerk.
