A South Carolina court clerk who faced allegations of jury tampering during the Alex Murdaugh trial announced her resignation on Monday.
The Post and Courier reported that Rebecca Hill’s resignation comes amid an ongoing investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division and the State Ethics Commission. SLED has confirmed it is investigating Hill for jury tampering during the Murdaugh trial and using her official position for personal gain.
Up until Monday’s press conference, Hill had not said whether she was running for reelection. However, on Monday, she denied she was resigning due to mounting scandals. Instead, she claimed she was leaving her role for her grandchildren and to allow Republicans the chance to run for her seat before the April 1 filing deadline, the Post and Courier reported.
Murdaugh’s legal team sought a new trial earlier this year, accusing Hill of rushing jurors to reach a guilty verdict for a book she was writing and self-publishing on the trial. His attorneys claim Hill’s actions denied Murdaugh’s Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial.
Hill testified that she made $100,000 on her book, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, which she later admitted to plagiarizing. She later denied allegations that she told jurors not to be “fooled” by Murdaugh’s testimony or let the defense confuse them.
All but one juror said that Hill’s comments influenced their guilty verdict. One juror, identified as Juror Z, stated that Hill’s comments led them to believe “Mr. Murdaugh would lie when he testified.”
Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, and was sentenced to life in prison.
In addition to two life sentences, Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years for stealing more than $8 million from clients and his former law firm
Lead prosecutor Waters said a SLED investigation uncovered no outside tampering of the jury — though one juror said they felt pressured by other jurors to vote guilty.
Murdaugh, who was denied a new trial in January, has maintained his innocence.
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[Feature Photo: Alex Murdaugh reacts as he addresses the court during his sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)]
