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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.’

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh (together center) were gunned down near the kennels at the family’s property of Moselle, in Islandton, South Carolina, on June 7, 2021

Murdaugh’s attorneys submitted court documents in Colleton County, South Carolina asking that a trial judge hold an evidentiary hearing on the allegations against Hill (left) 

Hill (left) states quite bluntly in her book, ‘I believe he was lying and changing his story on the fly, making it up as he went along, trying to deflect and distract [the prosecutor] Creighton’

Court documents claim Hill, right, would enter the jury room on a regular basis, as well as having private conversations with the jury foreperson ‘lasting five or ten minutes’

South Carolina court clerk Becky Hill was spotted the first time outside the court building in Walterboro, South Carolina, since Alex Murdaugh ‘s lawyers accused her of fabricating a Facebook post in order to get a juror thrown off the disgraced lawyer’s murder trial

Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian claim they have sworn statements from two jurors that are enough cause for Alex Murdaugh to get a new murder trial

Attorney Dick Harpootlian said: ‘We have evidence that she fabricated the existence of a Facebook entry by one of the jurors’ former husbands. Never happened. We’ve got an affidavit from him. He never did it.’

The lawyer, who is also a Democratic State Senator, added: ‘This is unprecedented that the, that the clerk of court went on a campaign to discredit the defense and discredit Alex Murdaugh’s testimony.’

Murdaugh’s team say they were informed of Hill’s alleged behavior after the publication of the book, when jurors who were ‘upset’ with her came forward.

They are arguing that Hill breached a South Carolina code which states: ‘No public official, public member, or public employee may knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to obtain an economic interest for himself.’

‘We were hitting brick walls until her book came out,’ Dick Harpootlian said. ‘Then jurors who obviously were not comfortable in how she handled matters, and even less comfortable with her going on a book tour and making money off it, they reported it to us.

Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul earlier this year

Hill is understood to have also organized a post-trial drink with members of the media and court staff, following Murdaugh’s double murder conviction.

Following a six-week trial, jurors deliberated for just a few hours before reaching the guilty verdicts.

Hill admitted in her recently published memoir that she worried that he would be found innocent, professional cv writing (click through the up coming web page): ‘I knew in my heart he was guilty.’

Soon after the trial, Hill released her book, ‘Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,’ and she is a prominent contributor on season two of Netflix’s documentary ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,’ released last month.

Even if his murder conviction is overturned, Murdaugh will not walk free from prison.

He pleaded guilty last month to financial crimes for stealing millions of dollars from personal injury clients, and a settlement for the family of his longtime maid who died in a mysterious fall at his home.

Murdaugh is awaiting sentencing in that case, and faces decades in prison.

South Carolina prosecutors have hit back at the claims and submitted an affidavit from Hill

In its order last month, the five-member South Carolina Supreme Court granted Murdaugh’s motion to pause his conviction appeal, kicking the matter back down to circuit court to allow him to file a motion for a new trial.

The ruling will pause Murdaugh’s conviction appeal until the lower court can address his request for a re-trial.

If he is denied a new trial, Murdaugh could resume his appeal of his original conviction and sentence, which was being pursued on separate grounds from the jury tampering claims.

Becky HillUS Supreme CourtAlex Murdaugh