Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has accused a South Carolina court docket clerk of tampering with the jury at his high-profile double homicide trial – as a result of she was pushed by fame and a want to safe a guide deal.
The disgraced authorized scion and double assassin filed a movement on Tuesday requesting a brand new trial on the premise that Colleton County Clerk of Court docket Rebecca Hill allegedly pressured jurors on the case to return a responsible verdict in opposition to him.
Within the movement, Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin declare that Ms Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them to not imagine Murdaugh’s testimony and different proof introduced by the protection, pressuring them to succeed in a fast responsible verdict, and even misrepresenting crucial and materials data to the trial decide in her marketing campaign to take away a juror she believed to be favorable to the protection”.
Particularly, they declare that the clerk instructed jurors to not be “misled” by proof introduced by the defence and informed jurors to not be “fooled by” Murdaugh’s testimony when he took the stand.
She allegedly instructed the jury to “watch him intently,” to “take a look at his actions,” and to “take a look at his actions” on the stand – one thing a minimum of one juror stated they understood to imply that Murdaugh was responsible.
The movement additionally claims that Ms Hill had frequent personal conversations with the jury foreperson – with the pair typically disappearing to non-public rooms for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.
“In the course of the trial, Ms Hill requested jurors for his or her opinions about Mr Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence,” the movement reads.
“Ms Hill invented a narrative a couple of Fb submit to take away a juror she believed won’t vote responsible.
“Ms Hill pressured the jurors to succeed in a fast verdict, telling them from the outset of their deliberations that it ‘shouldn’t take them lengthy.’”
Murdaugh’s attorneys declare that Ms Hill “betrayed her oath of workplace for cash and fame” and, off the again of her work on the case, secured a deal for a guide titled “Behind the Doorways of Justice”.
“She did this stuff to safe for herself a guide deal and media appearances that may not occur within the occasion of a mistrial,” the movement claims.
A lot of the movement centres round juror quantity 785 – who turned notorious when she was dismissed from the panel simply hours earlier than jury deliberations started.
Choose Clifton Newman eliminated the feminine juror from the panel for allegedly discussing the case with a minimum of three different individuals outdoors of the court docket. The lady then prompted some light-hearted – and widely-reported – reduction when she requested to choose up her “dozen eggs” from the jury room earlier than she left.
In keeping with the movement, Ms Hill had gone to Choose Newman on 27 February – the day after Murdaugh testified – claiming that she had seen a submit in native Fb group “Walterboro Phrase of Mouth” from juror 785’s former husband Tim Stone.
The submit purportedly claimed that the juror was ingesting along with her ex-husband and, when she turned drunk, she expressed her views on whether or not Murdaugh was harmless or responsible.
A follow-up submit from an account referred to as Timothy Stone apologised for the submit saying that he was pushed by “Devil”.
When Ms Hill confronted the juror in regards to the posts, the juror stated she hadn’t seen her ex-husband in 10 years, the movement states.
Ms Hill allegedly informed the juror that SLED and Colleton County Sheriff’s Workplace personnel had gone to Mr Stone’s home and that he had confirmed he made the submit.
She then allegedly requested juror 785 whether or not she was inclined to vote responsible or not responsible – to which she stated she had not made up her thoughts.
Murdaugh’s attorneys declare that the unique submit was “fictitous” and {that a} obtain of Mr Stone’s Fb exhibits he didn’t make both submit.
After the prosecution’s closing argument on the morning of 1 March, juror 785 stated that the court docket clerk requested her once more about what her verdict could be.
When the juror stated she thought prosecutor Creighton Waters’ closing assertion was good however that she had questions as a result of the homicide weapons have by no means been discovered, Ms Hill allegedly informed her “that all the things Mr Murdaugh has stated has been lies and that I ought to neglect in regards to the weapons, they may by no means be seen once more”.
The juror stated that round 10 minutes later, she was dismissed from the jury.
Throughout her dismissal, she was accused of getting spoken to a minimum of three individuals in regards to the case.
Exterior of the Fb submit and her ex-husband, the court docket was contacted by a co-worker of the juror’s tenant who stated that the tenant stated her landlord was a juror and had expressed an opinion when delivering a fridge to the property.
The movement from Murdaugh’s attorneys contains affidavits from juror 785 and her former husband Tim Stone, who has denied ever making the posts.
Sworn statements and knowledge has additionally been offered by jurors 630, 741 and 326.
The movement goes on to say that, throughout deliberations, Ms Hill refused to let jurors take a smoke break till they reached a verdict.
Then, simply hours after the jurors returned a responsible verdict, Ms Hill allegedly flew with a few of the panel to New York to seem on NBC’s At present present.
In conclusion, they declare that the court docket clerk’s actions violated “Murdaugh’s constitutional proper to a good and neutral jury” and that the decide should grant a brand new trial.
The Impartial has reached out to Ms Hill for remark.
Talking at a press convention outdoors the appeals court docket on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Harpootlian stated that they’d filed the petition based mostly on “newly-discovered proof” with the South Carolina Court docket of Appeals to grant a keep on Murdaugh’s attraction whereas the movement is heard for a brand new trial.
He stated that he additionally despatched a request to the South Carolina Lawyer’s workplace calling for a federal investigation to be opened into what he stated was the violation of Murdaugh’s civil rights.
The proof within the movement “speaks for themselves,” he stated.
He additionally stated that they had been calling for SLED – the company which led the investigation into the murders of Maggie and Paul – to face down on any investigation into the allegations in opposition to the clerk court docket as a result of the company is heavily-invested in Murdaugh’s conviction.
When requested in the event that they assume the court docket clerk ought to be hit with prison expenses, Mr Harpootlian rapidly dismissed the query. “No remark,” he fired again.
Mr Griffin stated that they’re “very optimistic” that Murdaugh shall be granted a brand new trial over the matter however that it was a matter of time.
“I’m very optimistic that in the end we’ll get a brand new trial. How lengthy that can take, I don’t know,” he stated.
Regardless of the allegations, the attorneys admitted that they didn’t attain out to Ms Hill in regards to the allegations, with Mr Griffin saying that they “thought it could be pointless”.
Jurors at Alex Murdaugh’s trial go to homicide scene in South Caroline
The duo – who’re longtime mates of the killer and represented him at his high-profile homicide trial – had introduced on Monday that new proof had come to mild since his March conviction over the brutal 7 June 2021 slayings.
Murdaugh is presently behind bars on the McCormick Correctional Establishment in South Carolina the place he’s serving two life sentences for his spouse and son’s murders.
Final week, it emerged that Murdaugh had misplaced a few of his jail privileges after he fed data to a Fox Nation documentary with out permission.
South Carolina Corrections Division officers stated on Wednesday that, throughout a jailhouse telephone name on 10 June, Mr Griffin had recorded him studying aloud entries from the journal he had saved throughout his double homicide trial.
Mr Griffin had then handed over the recordings to producers engaged on the brand new Fox Nation documentary about his high-profile case titled “The Fall of the Home of Murdaugh”.
Jail coverage prohibits inmates from speaking to the media with out permission as a result of the company “believes that victims of crime shouldn’t should see or hear the one who victimized them or their member of the family on the information,” state prisons spokesperson Chrysti Shain stated in an announcement.
The media interview violation, together with one other violation for utilizing a unique inmate’s password to make a phone name, are jail self-discipline points and never against the law, Ms Shain stated.
In consequence, the disgraced authorized scion has had his telephone privileges revoked and his jail pill laptop confiscated.
Murdaugh additionally misplaced his capability to purchase objects within the jail canteen for a month.
He’ll now should get permission from jail officers to get one other pill, which can be utilized to make monitored telephone calls, watch accredited leisure, learn books or take video courses, the jail spokesperson stated.
Mr Griffin was additionally issued a warning from jail officers that if he knowingly or unknowingly helps Murdaugh violate guidelines once more, he may lose his capability to speak to his consumer.
Telephone calls between legal professionals and prisoners should not recorded or reviewed as a result of their conversations are thought-about confidential.
However jail officers stated they started investigating Murdaugh after a warden reviewing different telephone calls heard Murdaugh’s voice on a name made in a unique inmate’s account.
Murdaugh claimed that his telephone password had not been working. He additionally informed the jail investigators in regards to the recorded journal entries, in line with jail information.
Murdaugh’s use of a jailhouse pill beforehand hit headlines when selfie pictures he took on the gadget had been obtained in a Freedom of Info request by FITS Information.
In most of the pictures, the convicted household killer appeared topless.
South Carolina jail officers later clarified that the images are mechanically taken as an inmate makes use of their pill that’s individually assigned to them – as a part of inmate monitoring.
Now, Murdaugh has misplaced the usage of his pill indefinitely as a result of his unauthorised communication with the documentarymakers – which marks his first media interview of types since his conviction.
His eldest – and now solely surviving – son Buster Murdaugh additionally broke his silence talking out in his first TV interview as a part of the three-part collection.
Within the interview, Buster insisted that he nonetheless believes his father is harmless of the murders of his mom and brother – however admitted that he could also be a psychopath.
Maggie and Paul had been discovered shot lifeless on the household’s 1,700-acre Moselle property again on 7 June 2021. Alex Murdaugh had referred to as 911 claiming to have discovered their our bodies.
Throughout his high-profile homicide trial, jurors heard how Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun whereas he stood within the feed room of the canine kennels on the prosperous household’s 1,700-acre Moselle property. The second shot to his head blew his mind nearly solely out of his cranium.
After killing Paul, prosecutors stated Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened hearth on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband.
In the course of the dramatic six-week trial, Murdaugh confessed to mendacity about his alibi on the night time of the murders however continued to say his innocence of the killings.
The jury didn’t agree and the disgraced authorized scion was convicted in March of the brutal murders.
Past the homicide expenses, Murdaugh, 55, can also be going through a slew of monetary fraud expenses for stealing tens of millions of {dollars} from his regulation agency purchasers and his lifeless housekeeper’s household.
He’s anticipated to plead responsible on 21 September to federal expenses – marking the primary time he has pleaded responsible to against the law in court docket.
Murdaugh can also be going through round 100 monetary expenses in state court docket in addition to expenses over a botched hitman plot the place he claims he paid an confederate to shoot him lifeless.
Murdaugh’s high-profile conviction additionally shone a highlight on another thriller deaths tied to the South Carolina authorized dynasty.
Following Maggie and Paul’s murders, investigations had been reopened into the 2018 loss of life of the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and the 2015 murder of homosexual teenager Stephen Smith.
In the meantime, on the time of his homicide, Paul was additionally awaiting trial for the 2019 boat crash loss of life of Mallory Seashore.