Earlier today, our media outlet reported exclusively on a bombshell filing from attorneys representing convicted killer Alex Murdaugh – a motion which alleged extensive jury tampering during his double homicide trial in Colleton County, South Carolina earlier this year.
Murdaugh, 55, a disbarred attorney and alleged fraudster from Hampton, S.C., was found guilty of the graphic 2021 murders of his wife – 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh – and younger son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, at the family’s former hunting compound, known locally as Moselle.
The jury deliberated for only a few hours before returning its verdict: Guilty on all counts. The following day – March 3, 2023 – Murdaugh was sentenced to consecutive life sentences by S.C. circuit court judge Clifton Newman.
This week, Murdaugh’s attorneys submitted a motion (.pdf) claiming Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill engaged in systematic manipulation of the jury – allegedly steering its perceptions of the case and fabricating a social media scandal to have a pro-Murdaugh juror removed.
Specifically, they alleged that Hill “asked jurors their opinions about Mr. Murdaugh’s guilty or innocence, instructed them not to believe evidence presented in Mr. Murdaugh’s defense (including his own testimony), lied to the judge to remove a juror she believed might not vote guilty and pressured jurors to reach a guilty verdict quickly so she could profit from it.”
In addition to the complaint, Harpootlian and Griffin sent a letter (.pdf) to U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs referring the allegations against Hill to her office for criminal investigation.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to proactively address? We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
1 comment
Wool the pull over your eyes; or whatever, but I think you may, or may not, be off course. 1st of all: If my memory serves me well the “egg-lady” was removed way before deliberations began. 2nd: You are pinning all of this corruption inside the courtroom on Ms. Hill without considering that she may have been setup by someone who actually posted the Facebook post. 3rd: Murdaugh may have known that Ms. Hill was meddlesome in the courtroom and may have helped him swing some verdicts in all of those big dollar lawsuits. Heck, it may have been SLED that sent the bogus post just to remove an unwanted juror. You need to go broad and expand your imagination. Remember you are entertainment. Go smoke some good sativa and see where your mind goes – and I’m not joking. As far as Becky’s book goes, last I looked it was #73 in Books and #1 in more than a couple categories. And P.S. don’t forget about the possibilities of someone orchestrating all of this and Becky is the Patsy. Good day. Oh yea; ask me about my novel that is ready to publish but I refuse to self-publish