Alex Murdaugh denied new murder trial, despite jury tampering allegations

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina judge ruled Monday that disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh will not get a new murder trial after his attorneys accused a court clerk of jury tampering.

Murdaugh, who was convicted on March 2, 2023 in the murders of his wife and younger son and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, levied jury tampering allegations against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill in September. Hill has denied the allegations in a sworn statement.

Former S.C. Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal was appointed to hear those allegations in full and determine if Murdaugh, 55, legally deserved a new trial.

Toal said she couldn’t overturn the verdict based “on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of court.” She added while Hill may have passed "improper comments," the defense failed to prove that such comments influenced the jurors' decision to find Murdaugh guilty.

Hill was writing a book about the trial. Murdaugh’s defense called Barnwell County Clerk Rhonda McElveen, who said that Hill suggested a guilty verdict would sell more copies.

One juror says clerk's comments influenced her decision

A woman identified as juror Z said Monday that Hill told jurors to watch Murdaugh "closely."

“She made it seem like he was already guilty,” she said.

When asked if this influenced her vote to find Murdaugh guilty, the juror said “Yes ma’am.” The juror also said she had questions about Murdaugh's guilt, but felt pressured by other jurors.

Another juror said Hill told jurors to watch Murdaugh's body language before he took the stand in his own defense, but the juror said the comment didn’t change his decision. All ten other jurors also said their decision was based on the testimony and evidence presented during the trial.

Hill testified Monday and again denied the allegations.

“I never talked to any jurors about anything like that,” she said.

When asked why she told people she expected deliberations to be short before they began, Hill said she had a gut feeling based on years of working in courtrooms.

Toal ruled at a pretrial hearing earlier this month that improper contact or conversations with a juror alone may not be enough to grant a retrial. Murdaugh's attorneys had to prove that the alleged misconduct directly led a juror or jurors to finding Murdaugh guilty.

What's next for Alex Murdaugh?

Murdaugh has denied killing his family and his attorneys are expected to continue his appeal to the higher courts. They have said that trial judge Clifton Newman allowing testimony about his financial crimes enabled prosecutors to smear Murdaugh with evidence not directly linked to the killings.

No matter the outcome of his appeal, Murdaugh won't immediately be released from prison. Murdaugh has also been sentenced to 27 years in state prison for a multitude of financial crimes and promised not to appeal that sentence as part of his plea deal.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Murdaugh denied new murder trial over jury tampering allegations