Courtroom clerk in Murdaugh homicide trial charged with exhibiting sealed images, perjury

[ad_1] COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The previous court docket clerk in South Carolina who helped with the trial of legal professional Alex Murdaugh, a strong, rich lawyer convicted of killing his spouse and son, confirmed sealed court docket reveals to a reporter after which lied about it, authorities stated Wednesday.

In all, former Colleton County Clerk of Courtroom Becky Hill was arrested on 4 prices. She faces obstruction of justice and perjury for exhibiting a reporter images that had been sealed court docket reveals after which mendacity about it, based on court docket paperwork. Sealed reveals are just for viewing by the jury, legal professionals within the case, and court docket staff.

She additionally faces two counts of misconduct in workplace for taking bonuses and selling by way of her public workplace a guide she wrote on the trial, based on the warrants.

Hill, 57, was launched on bail after court docket appearances in Colleton County and Richland County. Her legal professionals did not instantly reply to a message looking for remark.

“She lives right here. She turned herself in. We discovered about these prices final night time,” Hill's legal professional Will Lewis stated throughout her look in Colleton County court docket, based on a livestream of the listening to by WCIV-TV.

Hill was answerable for caring for the jury, overseeing reveals and serving to the choose throughout Murdaugh's six-week trial in 2023 when he was convicted of killing his spouse and youthful son. The case concerned energy, hazard, cash and privilege and an legal professional whose household had lorded over his small South Carolina county for almost a century.

Murdaugh is interesting his conviction and a sentence of life with out parole, partly accusing Hill of making an attempt to affect jurors to vote ‘responsible’ and being biased in opposition to Murdaugh for her guide. Murdaugh can be serving a separate sentence of a long time in jail for admitting to stealing thousands and thousands of {dollars} from settlements for purchasers who suffered horrible accidents or deaths — and from his household’s regulation agency.

An preliminary attraction by Murdaugh's legal professionals was denied, however Decide Jean Toal stated she wasn’t positive Hill instructed the reality about her dealings with jurors and was “attracted by the siren name of movie star” standing.

A few of Hill's prices concern Murdaugh's homicide trial. The arrest warrant stated Hill violated a choose's order to maintain sealed images from the general public. A second warrant stated Hill lied to Toal throughout a January 2024 listening to when the choose requested: “Did you enable anybody from the press to view the sealed reveals?”

The paperwork don't specify who Hill is accused of exhibiting the images to.

Murdaugh's legal professionals, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, stated they weren't shocked by Hill's arrest.

“We now have lengthy raised our considerations about her conduct throughout and after the trial and this arrest additional underscores the necessity to shield the integrity of the judicial course of. Each defendant is entitled to a good and neutral trial and we stay up for Alex Murdaugh lastly getting that honest therapy,” their assertion stated.

One of many prices — misconduct in workplace — includes cash that investigators stated Hill took for herself. They stated that included almost $10,000 meant for bonuses from federal cash meant to enhance youngster assist assortment and about $2,000 in cash from the Clerk of Courtroom's workplace.

The warrant on the opposite misconduct cost stated Hill used her public position as clerk of court docket to advertise her guide on the Murdaugh trial on social media.

All 4 prices are felonies. Hill faces as much as 5 years in jail if convicted of perjury, There are not any limits on the sentences for the opposite prices.

Hill was additionally accused final Might of 76 counts of ethics violations. Officers stated Hill allowed a photograph of Murdaugh in a holding cell to be taken to advertise her guide on the trial and used county cash to purchase dozens of lunches for her workers, prosecutors and a vendor.

Hill additionally struck a cope with a documentary maker to make use of the county courtroom in change for selling her guide on the trial, which later she admitted had plagiarized passages, based on the South Carolina Ethics Fee criticism.

Hill resigned in March 2024 over the last yr of her 4 yr time period, citing the general public scrutiny of Murdaugh’s trial and eager to spend time along with her grandchildren.