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Alex Murdaugh’s Lawyers Appeal Convictions, Alleging Jury Tampering
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Defense attorneys for Alex Murdaugh, the former South Carolina attorney convicted in March of murdering his wife and adult son, plan to appeal his conviction, and filed a motion on Tuesday alleging jury tampering.
Murdaugh, 55, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the June 7, 2021, murders of his wife, Margaret, and their younger son, Paul, who was 22. Murdaugh was a prominent lawyer in the area, and the murders and his trial were highly publicized.
Attorneys Richard “Dick” Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said they interviewed jurors to uncover possible bias, and claim they discovered unlawful efforts by the Colleton County clerk of court, Rebecca “Becky” Hill, to influence jurors’ decisions.
In the court filing Tuesday, the attorneys alleged Hill tampered with the jury “by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed favorable to the defense.”
Hill in July published a book about the trial, “Behind the Doors of Justice: the Mudaugh Murders.”
According to Murdaugh’s lawyers, Hill tampered with the jury, including private conversations with the foreperson, in order to avoid a mistrial that could cost her book deal and media appearances. They claim Hill “betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.”
Hill also allegedly told jurors they, too, could be famous, and shared reporters’ business cards with them.
“Juror No. 578 took this to heart and made an appearance on Good Morning America the night of the verdict, which is why on the day the jury began deliberations he wore a suit coat for the first time during the trial,” the filing claimed. Hill also allegedly traveled to New York City with jurors when they appeared on the “Today” show.
According to corrections officials, on June 10, Murdaugh phoned his lawyer, Jim Griffin, on a legal call, which is not recorded or monitored due to attorney–client privilege, and read aloud from a journal he kept during his trial in Colleton County. Griffin recorded the call, and passed the recording to news media.
According to corrections officials, the recording was used for an upcoming Fox Nation documentary, “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.” He lost his phone privileges and his canteen privileges for 30 days.
“Inmates in the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections are not allowed to do interviews, the department said in a statement. “The department believes that victims of crime should not have to see or hear the person who victimized them or their family member on the news. Inmates lose the privilege of speaking to the news media when they enter SCDC.”
TMX contributed to this article.
