Convicted family killer’s lawyers have argued that comments made by an elected county clerk influenced the jury
Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted of murdering his wife and son in 2021, is returning to the courtroom Monday as his attorneys push for a new trial for the disbarred South Carolina lawyer.
Murdaugh’s lawyers are expected to grill Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill in an attempt to prove she influenced the jury by warning them that Murdaugh couldn’t be trusted. Hill has denied those claims in sworn statements.
Jurors will also be questioned about whether Hill’s alleged statements influenced how they decided the case.
Judge Jean Toal ruled earlier this month ruled that Murdaugh’s lawyers need to show not only that Hill made the comments but also that those remarks changed the outcome of the trial.
Toal also told lawyers they can’t question the elected clerk about a criminal investigation into whether she used her office for financial gain, emailed prosecutors with suggestions on how to discredit a defense expert, conspired with her son who is charged with wiretapping county phones, or plagiarized part of her book on the case.