There have been new developments in the concluded Alex Murdagh trial where a member of the jury states that her guilty verdict was influenced by a court clerk. The members of the jury has only been identified as Juror Z but the court clerk has been identified as Becky Hill.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the jurors were urged to watch Murdagh's body language and they made him appear guilty which influenced Juror Z's choice to convict Murdagh.
However, the other 11 unnamed jurors have stated that their decisions of a guilty verdict were based on testimony and evidence presented during the trial. In addition, only one of them had mentioned hearing something similar regarding Murdagh from Hill. Despite this Juror Z stands by their statement, even going on to say during questioning that it was their fellow jurors who influenced their decision to vote guilty more than Hill's statements regarding Murdagh's movements. They stated, "I had questions about Mr. Murdaugh's guilt but voted guilty because I felt pressured by other jurors." In the state of South Carolina, guilty verdicts must be unanimous.
Despite this other jury members continue to say that their decisions weren't influenced by Hill and while one juror said that they had heard Hill's comments the comments did not change their mind. Hill is expected to testify on Monday and is predicted to face heavy questioning from Murdagh's lawyers. The basis for Murdagh's appeal is jury tampering with the defense saying that if true then it does not matter whether a juror had overtly stated that their verdict would change. This is because even a hint of outside influence could have prevented Murdagh from receiving a fair trial. Hill herself has denied any jury tampering. In addition, Judge Jean Toal has deemed that the defense must prove potential misconduct. Additionally, Toal has limited what can be asked of Hill ruling out questions about a criminal investigation conducted by state agents into whether Hill had used Toal's office for financial gain plus emailing prosecutors with tips on how to discredit defense experts and conspiring with her son who is being charged with wiretapping county phones. However, Toal has stated, "I'm very, very reluctant to turn this hearing about juror contact into a wholesale exploration about every piece of conduct by the clerk."
What's Next?
Even if there is a new murder trial peaking over the horizon for Murdagh, he's still serving 27 years after he admitted to stealing a 12 million dollars from his law firm on in addition to settlements he had previously gained for clients on the grounds of wrongful death and serious injury lawsuits. He does, however, remain adamant that he did not kill his younger son Paul with a shotgun, nor did he murder his wife with a rifle continuing to state that he had found their bodies in their Colleton County home back in 2021.
