‘I didn’t tell jurors not to be fooled,’ Murdaugh murder trial Clerk of Court Becky Hill says

Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill has issued a sweeping denial of numerous jury tampering allegations against her made in September by Alex Murdaugh’s lawyers.

“I did not tell the jury ‘not to be fooled’ by evidence presented by Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers,” Hill said in a sworn affidavit filed Tuesday in Colleton County state court containing 26 specific refutations of jury tampering allegations against her.

“I did not say to the jury, ‘This shouldn’t take long’,” Hill said.

The affidavit, made public Tuesday, is her first public statement on the matter since accusations of jury tampering were first leveled at her in September by Murdaugh’s legal team.

Hill added in the three-page affidavit, “I did not instruct the jury to ‘watch him (Murdaugh) closely.’... I did not have private conversations with juror #826 in a bathroom,’ ... My conversations with Juror 826 did not involve the evidence, witnesses, or substance of the trial’.”

In early September, Murdaugh’s legal team, headed by attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, created a sensation when they called a State House press conference to announce they were filing a motion for a new trial that charged Hill with numerous incidents of making improper statements that might have influenced the jury to find Murdaugh guilty of the murders of his wife and younger son.

Moreover, the motion said, Hill’s motive was profit — “to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial. Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.”

Griffin and Harpootlian have asked for a new trial and a hearing to air the jury tampering allegations, but no hearing date has been set yet.

The allegations about Hill’s unlawfully interjecting her own opinions into jurors’ deliberations have caused widespread controversy because, if true, that would possibly mean Murdaugh would get a new trial. Jurors are supposed to base their verdict only on evidence introduced at trial.

Murdaugh was found guilty last March in Colleton County state court of two counts of murder in the 2021 shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul after one of the longest state criminal trials in the modern era. There were no eyewitnesses to the shootings.

Murdaugh, a disbarred lawyere convicted embezzler who stole some $9 million from fellow lawyers and clients, is now serving two consecutive life sentences in state prison. Although admitting the thefts, he contends he is innocent of the murders.

The six-week trial, full of dramatic revelations, was live-streamed and captured the nation’s attention.

The idea of having Murdaugh’s guilty verdicts overturned and having to retry what was called the “trial of the century” with new jurors was shocking for many.

Hill’s affidavit was attached to a 25-page filing by the S.C. Attorney General also made public Tuesday, in which prosecutors urged that Murdaugh’s legal team’s motion for a new trial be denied.

If a judge does not deny the motion for a new trial, a hearing should be convened where jurors in the Murdaugh trial would testify about the tampering allegations, the prosecutors’ motion says.

In Hill’s affidavit, she took issue with the numerous specific allegations of inappropriate comments she was supposed to have made:

▪ “I did not instruct the jury to ‘watch him (Murdaugh) closely’.”

▪ “I did not instruct the jury to ‘look at his actions’.”

▪ “During the trial I did not tell members of the jury that the media would want to interview them at the end of the trial.”

▪ “During the trial, I did not hand out business cards of media personnel.”

▪ I did not tell jurors, ‘Y’all are going to hear things that will throw you all off. Don’t let this distract or mislead you.”

Hill’s lawyers, Will Lewis and Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, issued this statement Tuesday: “From day one Becky has cooperated with SLED’s inquiry into these unfounded allegations, and for the entirety of that inquiry, we have categorically denied any allegation of improper jury tampering or influence.

“Today’s filing by the Attorney General demonstrates that Mr. Murdaugh’s attacks on Ms. Hill are not only inconsistent on their face but unsupportable by the overwhelming weight of the evidence. We look forward to putting this issue to bed. “

Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin said Tuesday, “We have received the state’s filing and are reviewing it and will be submitting our response in a future court filing.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 10:21 AM.