Court clerk resigns amid scandal in Murdaugh case

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CN) — The elected court clerk who oversaw Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial last year announced she would resign from her position amid accusations she tampered with the jury.

Clerk of Court Becky Hill made the announcement Monday outside the Colleton County courthouse, where last year the 55-year-old ex-attorney Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and son after a six-week trial that became a true-crime media sensation.

Hill's attorney, Justin Bamberg, said a letter of resignation would be sent later that day to the governor’s office. Bamberg denied Hill’s decision was related to ongoing criminal and ethics probes into Hill’s conduct during the proceedings, which has become the focus of Murdaugh’s efforts to obtain a new trial. Instead, the attorney said the controversy had become a distraction for voters as the clerk’s election looms in November.

“The resignation is strictly about the people of Colleton,” Bamberg said.

Jurors testified at an appeal hearing for Murdaugh in January that Hill made inappropriate comments during the trial. One juror said Hill claimed the defense’s presentation was intended to “distract” or “mislead” them. Other jurors said Hill told them to watch the defendant closely on the witness stand.

Hill took the witness stand and denied making the comments. A judge determined Hill was “not completely credible,” but her actions did not justify a new trial.

Defense attorneys first laid out the tampering claims in a motion filed last fall. They argued Hill wanted a guilty verdict to juice the sales of a self-published book. Hill testified she and her co-author made about $100,000 from sales of “Behind the Doors of Justice,” which was pulled from shelves after Hill admitted she plagiarized parts of it.

Hill’s co-author, Neil Gordon, said in a statement Monday that he was interviewed last week by a state police agent. The agent told Gordon he suspected Hill used her political office for personal gain.

“In their questioning of me, they were honing in on how many different times Becky did book signings, interviews and speaking engagements during the workday,” Gordon said. “I sincerely hope her resignation lessens any potential action taken against her, and that it restores public trust in the office of clerk of court.”

Hill’s deputy clerk will assume her responsibilities until the governor makes an appointment.

Follow @SteveGarrisonPC

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit