A South Carolina judge on Monday denied Alex Murdaugh’s request for a new double-murder trial following a daylong hearing that looked into claims a court clerk had improperly influenced the jury.
All 12 jurors testified that they stood by their guilty verdicts, with only one, Juror Z, testifying that they were swayed by Rebecca Hill’s comments.
Judge Jean Toal ruled that even if Hill told jurors to “watch [Murdaugh’s] actions” and to “watch him closely” on the stand, it did not take away from the validity of their verdict.
Murdaugh’s 2023 trial captivated the country and was one of the most closely watched trials in South Carolina history.
Toal said after reviewing the full transcript of the six-week trial, she couldn’t overturn the verdict based “on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court.”
“I find that the clerk of court was not completely credible as a witness,” Toal said. “Miss Hill was attracted by the siren call of celebrity.”