- Judge denies Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new trial in the murders of his wife and son, dismissing claims of jury tampering by the Clerk of Court.
- Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his family to divert attention from his financial crimes.
- Jurors testify that they were not influenced by the Clerk’s actions, and the judge upholds the guilty verdict while criticizing the Clerk’s behavior.
Additional Coverage:
- Judge denies new murder trial for Alex Murdaugh (abcnews.go.com)
A judge has denied Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new trial in the murders of his wife and son. The motion, which was filed by Murdaugh’s attorneys last year, claimed that the jury for the murder trial was tampered with by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, who they alleged was protecting a book deal. However, Hill denied tampering with the jury. Murdaugh was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences after being found guilty of murdering his wife and son, who were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at the family’s hunting estate in 2021.
Prosecutors argued that Murdaugh killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and divert attention from his financial wrongdoings. In November, Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering related to stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and clients. His attorneys filed a motion for a retrial in September, claiming that Hill tampered with the jury by pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict and misrepresenting information to the trial judge.
During the hearing, Hill and several jurors testified. Some jurors claimed that Hill told them to pay attention to Murdaugh’s demeanor and actions during his testimony. However, Hill denied these allegations and stated that she only gave the jurors a pep talk on the day Murdaugh took the stand. Hill, who co-wrote a book about the Murdaugh murders, admitted to including false information in the book.
All of the jurors testified that they stood by their verdict and were not influenced by Hill’s actions. In her ruling, Judge Toal criticized Hill for her actions but concluded that they did not impact the jury’s decision. Toal also stated that she had read the trial’s entire transcript and found the verdict to be just. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson expressed the need to move forward and seek justice based on the facts of the case.
Read More About This Story:
- Judge denies new murder trial for Alex Murdaugh (abcnews.go.com)