Alex Murdaugh court clerk hits back at murderer's sensational appeal as she ... trends now
The court clerk accused of persuading a jury to convict Alex Murdaugh of murdering his wife and son in South Carolina has denied claims she told them 'not to be fooled' by him.
Lawyers for Murdaugh, 55, have demanded a retrial amid claims that clerk Becky Hill tried to secure a swift conviction and conspired to get one juror dismissed by claiming to have seen a non-existent Facebook post by the woman's ex-husband.
Hill, 55, published a book on the case and launched a book tour within four months of Murdaugh being sentenced to life in March, and his attorneys allege she needed a guilty verdict to make her fortune.
But State prosecutors have pledged to fight the bid and have submitted an affidavit from the Colleton County Court clerk denying dozens of allegations of jury tampering.
'I did not tell the jury 'not to be fooled' by evidence presented by Mr. Murdaugh's attorneys, I did not instruct the jury to 'watch him closely', I did not instruct the jury to 'look at his actions',' she wrote.
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has filed a motion for a new trial in the murders of his wife and son over claims of jury tampering
Colleton County Court clerk Becky Hill has produced an affidavit denying dozens of allegations that she abused her position
Hill admits in her new book that she worried Alex Murdaugh would be found innocent of murder. She appears in season two of Netflix 's documentary 'Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal' as seen above
'There are numerous misrepresentations and false statements contained within the motion for new trial.'
The former criminal attorney was already appealing against his conviction for shooting dead wife Maggie and younger son Paul at their 1,800 acre hunting estate in June 2021 to distract and delay investigations into his financial misdealings.
Their bodies were found where they fell. Paul, blasted twice with a 12-gauge shotgun – the fatal shot blowing his brains from his head – was found by the feed room.
His mother, apparently running towards her son as he was slaughtered, was shot multiple times with a .300 Blackout semi-automatic rifle.
The appeal has been put on hold after the state's Supreme Court agreed to hear his bid for a retrial amid claims Hill would improperly enter the jury room on a regular basis, ask jurors about their opinions on Murdaugh's guilt or innocence, and hold private conversations with jurors about the evidence.
One juror was dismissed after Hill claimed to have seen a Facebook post by her ex-husband suggesting that she had told him she already knew what the verdict would be.
The ex-husband denied ever writing such a post and Judge Clifton Newman took a swipe at Hill as he agreed to dismiss the juror, telling the court: 'I'm not too pleased about the clerk interrogating a juror as opposed to coming to me and bringing it to me.'
In her affidavit Hill also denies telling a juror that 'the Murdaugh's' had probably 'got to' a witness, or that 'everything Mr. Murdaugh had said was lies'.
She also denied claims she told the jury 'this should not take long' as they began their deliberations.
'Ms. Hill did these things to secure for herself a book deal and media appearances that would not happen in the event of a mistrial.' Murdaugh's lawyers claim in their motion.
'Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.'
