Appeals court grants Murdaugh motion on jury tampering, sending case back to circuit court

Convicted double-murderer Alex Murdaugh’s bid for a new trial has cleared its first hurdle.

The South Carolina Court of Appeals has granted Murdaugh’s motion — which alleged jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill — to suspend his conviction appeal and order a hearing on the allegations.

Murdaugh was convicted in March of killing his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, who were shot to death on June 7, 2021, at the family’s dog kennels on their 1,770 acre estate, Moselle.

The case will now return to circuit court, where his attorneys plan to file a motion requesting a new trial. The case will once again be in front of Judge Clifton Newman, who oversaw Murduagh’s original murder trial.

In a brief order signed by Chief Justice Bruce Williams, the Court of Appeals wrote: “After careful consideration, we grant Appellant’s motion.”

“The recent ruling to stay the appeal and remand the case for a hearing on Alex Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial is welcomed news,” read a statement from Murdaugh’s attorneys. “We intend to proceed expeditiously and will seek a full blown evidentiary hearing addressing the serious allegations pertaining to improper jury communications by the Clerk of Court.”

In response to a request for comment from The State, a spokesperson from the Attorney General’s Office declined to comment, stating, “We will respond through the legal process at the appropriate time.”

As a condition of the order, Murdaugh’s attorneys will be required to submit status updates to the appeals court every 30 days.

“Failure to file status updates may result in the dismissal of this appeal,” the appeals court warned.

The order comes 1.5 months after Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, filed a motion requesting that the appeal be stayed and remanded to the lower court due to alleged jury tampering by Hill.

Hill, who is in her first term as clerk of court, has been accused of improperly influencing the jury that convicted Murdaugh by orchestrating the removal of a juror who she believed was not convinced of his guilt, encouraging the jurors not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and denying jurors smoke breaks during deliberations.

In their reply, the Attorney General’s Office said that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, who investigated the murders of Maggie and Paul, had found “significant factual disputes” with the claims of jury tampering.

However, they conceded that it might be necessary to send the case back to a lower court to “properly resolve some of the serious claims” made by Murduagh’s attorneys.

The claims came to light after Hill, who gained a measure of celebrity for her humor and “Southern charm” following the closely watched trial, self-published a memoir, “Behind the Doors of Justice.”

Since the allegations emerged, Hill has hired to high-profile attorneys: state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, known for representing various victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, and Will Lewis, a former assistant U.S. attorney.

This is a breaking news story. Check back here for updates.