Murdaugh sues former court clerk whose actions caused his murder convictions to then be vacated

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. — Alex Murdaugh, the imprisoned former South Carolina attorney, is suing the clerk of court from his 2023 trial, accusing her of tampering with the jury.

He’s suing Becky Hill for more than $500,000.

Despite the clerk of court being charged and later pleading guilty to misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice, Murdaugh’s attorneys believe she has never truly been held accountable. They also want to know if she acted alone.

“Now let me be clear: Alex Murdaugh owes a lot of people a lot of money. None of this money will go to him personally. The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold Becky Hill accountable,” said Murdaugh’s attorney, Jim Griffin.

It’s not clear whether any of his fraud victims would get the money.

Another Murdaugh attorney, who is a former state senator himself, criticized South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson after the Republican candidate for governor announced over the weekend that he may seek the death penalty in Murdaugh’s retrial.

Murdaugh’s attorneys said they’ve received new pieces of information since the trial for the 2021 murder of Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and youngest son, Paul Murdaugh.

Murdaugh’s attorneys claim that local law enforcement and state agents botched the murder investigation.

“There was a bloody footprint next to Paul’s body,” said Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh’s attorney. “It was a Colleton County sheriff’s deputy’s foot. I’m not a CSI fan, but it looks like they violated every basic rule.”

Murdaugh still maintains his innocence.

“He got somewhat emotional,” Griffin said. “And I don’t think he’ll mind him telling you this, he has always said, he deserves to be in jail for the financial crimes he committed. But being in jail for something you didn’t do is a hard pill to swallow.”

Wilson did not deny that Hill acted inappropriately during the trial. However, he maintains that it didn’t affect the outcome.

Wilson said his office will seek a new trial, possibly by the end of this year, regardless of what happens with his run for governor.

Murdaugh’s attorneys claim his oldest son, Buster, still supports his dad but wants his privacy. They said Murdaugh will never plead guilty or take a plea deal, and they said we could see a trial before the end of the year, possibly in a different county.