South Carolina judge declines Alex Murdaugh's request for new double-murder trial

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MCCORMICK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: A South Carolina judge denied convicted killer Alex Murdaugh a new trial on Monday after his defense team claimed a court clerk had tampered with the jury selection.

Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill, according to Murdaugh's attorneys, influenced the jury by advising them to observe Murdaugh's demeanor and actions during his testimony.

Becky Hill's suggestions made Murdaugh appear 'guilty'

Judge Jean Toal, however, ruled that the attorneys for the disgraced legal figure had not demonstrated that the comments influenced their decision to convict him of murdering both his wife and one of his sons.

After reviewing the complete six-week trial transcript, Toal asserted that she couldn't overturn the verdict "based on the influence of passing and foolish comments made by a publicity-seeking clerk of court" as the jurors were not swayed by these remarks.

The verdict was rendered after a panel juror testified on Monday that the clerk's suggestions made him appear guilty, and that comment helped her find Murdaugh guilty.

The anonymous woman stated, "She made it seem like he was already guilty." When asked if Hill's instructions had an impact on her guilty vote, she answered in the affirmative, Fox News reported.

Hill is under investigation for purportedly trying to influence jurors to convict Murdaugh. Furthermore, she faces allegations of leveraging her position to financially benefit from sales of her book related to the case.

The first juror called during the trial, "Juror Z," testified that Hill instructed the jury to "watch him closely" and to keep an eye on Murdaugh's behavior.

"Juror Z" went on to state that she adhered to an earlier sworn declaration indicating that she was swayed during the deliberation process more by her fellow jurors than by Hill.

Jurors found Alec Murdaugh guilty of the murders of his wife Maggie and son

Other jurors summoned to testify stated that they reached the verdict of guilty for Murdaugh regarding the murders of his 52-year-old wife Maggie and his 22-year-old son Paul at the family's hunting property in 2021 solely based on trial evidence and testimony.

Before 55-year-old Murdaugh took the stand, a juror claimed to have heard Hill tell the panel to "watch his body language." However, the juror claimed he was unaffected by the advice.

Hill refuted any allegations of discussing the case or Murdaugh with jurors, asserting, "I never talked to any jurors about anything like that."

Toal claimed to be "attracted by the siren call of celebrity" but she wasn't sure if Hill was being sincere when she said she was staying silent.

Another development emerged when a bailiff interrupted the hearing, asserting that due to an oversight by authorities in failing to collect jurors' cellphones upon entering the courthouse, they were accessing a live feed of "Juror Z's" testimony on Court TV.

After taking a brief break, Toal, a former chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, gave the hearing permission to continue. "We are going to get through this," Toal declared.

Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty to 22 financial crimes

Toal had decided that attorneys needed to demonstrate that Hill's remarks had a direct impact on the guilty decision, even though they maintained that any manipulation ought to warrant a new trial, as reported by the New York Post.

The defense wrote in a brief, "According to the State if Ms Hill had the jury room decorated like a grade-school classroom with colorful signs saying ‘Murdaugh is guilty’ that would not violate Mr Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial … so long as jurors did not testify that they voted guilty because of the decor."

Murdaugh would still be serving a 27-year sentence for stealing $12 million from his family law firm and lawsuit settlement victims, even if he were somehow cleared in a retrial.

While acknowledging his financial crimes, he insisted that he was not the one who set off his wife and son's double homicide.

Defense attorneys will likely challenge his two consecutive life sentences if the jury tampering appeal is denied.

They will likely claim that the judge's admission of testimony regarding his financial fraud during his murder trial was unfair, among other reasons.