Alex Murdaugh murder conviction: South Carolina Supreme to hear appeal

Alex Murdaugh appealed his conviction for killing his wife and son and will have the case reviewed by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Murdaugh cited jury tampering in the appeal claiming that former Colleton County Court clerk Becky Hill influenced the jury.

His attorneys asked for a new trial, but earlier this year, Chief Justice Jean Toal said that while HIll was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and did make improper comments to the jury, the comments did not influence the jury.

The juror only identified as Juror Z testified that Hill told the panel to watch the defendant “closely” and watch his “actions.” Juror Z said other jurors pressured her to decide Murdaugh was guilty, Fox News reported.

“To me…she made it seem like he was already guilty,” Juror Z said when asked if Hill influenced her decision.

“Good Morning America” reported that the appeal filing said Hill had entered the jury room during the trial and that action should have resulted in a mistrial.

Hill was the person who read the guilty verdict and eventually published a book about the trial, the news show reported. She faces 76 counts of misconduct. She will appear in front of the state ethics commission at the end of the year. She denies wrongdoing, but did resign from her position as clerk of court, CNN reported.

Murdaugh’s attorneys said that the “legal principle of major importance is whether it is presumptively prejudicial for a state official to secretly advocate for a guilty verdict through ex parte contacts with jurors during trial, or whether a defendant, having proven the contacts occurred, must also somehow prove the verdict would have been different at a hypothetical trial in which the surreptitious advocacy did not occur,” CNN reported.

Murdaugh, a former attorney, was found guilty in March 2023 of killing his wife and son at their South Carolina estate in 2021. Prosecutors said he killed them for their life insurance. He is serving two life sentences, Fox News reported.

He also was sentenced to 27 years in prison for financial crimes after pleading guilty to 22 counts including financial fraud and forgery.

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