Who is Becky Hill? The former SC clerk at the center of the Murdaugh case. What to know

Rebecca “Becky” Hill, the former Colleton County clerk of court, has become a central figure in the Alex Murdaugh murder saga. Her conduct during and after the 2023 double-murder trial has now resulted in the South Carolina Supreme Court overturning Murdaugh’s conviction.

Here are key takeaways:

• The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Murdaugh’s 2023 double murder conviction, ruling that Hill’s actions denied him his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury.

• Hill was a 57-year-old Lowcountry grandmother and first-term clerk of court who was dubbed “Command Central” of the trial by a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist before her stunning fall from grace.

• She co-authored “Behind the Doors of Justice,” an insider book published just five months after the trial that was withdrawn after she plagiarized a section from a BBC reporter who had mistakenly emailed her a draft.

• Hill pleaded guilty in December to state charges of misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice, receiving probation with no prison time, 100 hours of community service and $11,880 in restitution.

• During the Murdaugh appeal hearing, Chief Justice John Kittredge called Hill a “rogue clerk of court” and acknowledged her conduct was improper.

• Murdaugh’s attorneys argued Hill made prejudicial comments to jurors — including telling them to “watch his body language” and not be “fooled by evidence” — to secure a guilty verdict that would boost her book sales.

• Hill lied under oath to former Chief Justice Jean Toal in January 2024 when she denied allowing press access to sealed exhibits, though investigators found she had shared sealed crime scene photos with a third party on Feb. 28, 2023.

• She resigned her $101,256-a-year clerk of court position in March 2024 after the plagiarism revelations and 76 alleged ethics violations by the S.C. Ethics Commission.

• Hill was released on personal recognizance bonds totaling $80,000 across two jurisdictions after her arrest, with arraignments held in Colleton and Richland counties.

• Attorney General Alan Wilson had been so taken with Hill during the trial that he publicly called her “Becky Boo” and thanked her after Murdaugh’s convictions.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.