• Clerk in Murdaugh Trial Is Charged With Misconduct and Perjury

    From P. Coonan@21:1/5 to All on Tue May 20 03:31:31 2025
    XPost: alt.fan.states.south-carolina, alt.lawyers, talk.politics.guns
    XPost: sac.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh

    The former court clerk who handled the trial of Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer who was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife and son,
    used her position for personal gain, misused public funds, shared
    information under court seal with a reporter and committed perjury,
    prosecutors said on Wednesday.

    The former clerk, Becky Hill, 57, was arrested on Wednesday and charged
    with two counts of misconduct in office and one count each of obstruction
    of justice and perjury, according to court documents.

    After Mr. Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison, his lawyers asked for
    a new trial, arguing that Ms. Hill had improperly influenced the jurors in
    his case.

    A judge denied the request last year, saying that while Ms. Hill had made “fleeting and foolish” comments, Mr. Murdaugh had not proved they were
    enough to affect the jury’s guilty verdict. Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers have appealed that ruling.

    During the trial, Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers had accused Ms. Hill of
    misconduct, including a series of inappropriate conversations with jurors
    that they said may have influenced the outcome of the case.

    Two jurors signed sworn affidavits saying that Ms. Hill had warned jurors
    not to “be fooled” by Mr. Murdaugh’s defense. Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers also
    said that she had private conversations with a juror, and that she told
    jurors before they started deliberating that “this shouldn’t take us
    long.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/us/becky-hill-alex-murdaugh-clerk- felony-charges.html

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