Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh was denied a new trial by a South Carolina judge on Monday after his defense team accused a court clerk of tampering with the jury.
Murdaugh’s attorney claimed Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill influenced jurors by suggesting they watch Murdaugh’s actions and body language as he testified. But Judge Jean Toal ruled that lawyers for the disgraced legal heirs had not proved that the comments influenced whether they found him guilty of murdering his wife and one of his sons.
Toal said after reviewing the entire transcript of the six-week trial, he could not overturn the verdict “on the strength of a few short, stupid comments by a publicity-seeking court clerk” because they did not persuade the jury.
The decision came after jurors on a panel said under oath Monday that the clerk’s suggestion made him appear guilty and that the comments contributed to Murdaugh’s conviction.
“He made it look like he was already guilty,” said the unnamed woman, who later answered in the affirmative when asked if Hill’s instructions had affected her guilty vote.
Hill is under investigation for allegedly trying to convince a jury to convict Murdaugh.
He also faces allegations that he used his position to benefit financially from the sale of his book on the case.
Alex Murdaugh is led out of the courtroom during a jury tampering trial at the Richland County Judicial Center, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Columbia, AP SC Judge Jean Toal addressed the court and ruled that the disgraced law attorney didn’t prove that those comments influenced whether they found him guilty of murdering his wife and one of his sons. Law & Crime
“Juror Z,” the first juror questioned in the trial, said Hill told jurors to watch Murdaugh’s actions and “watch him closely.”
“Juror Z” later said that he stood by the former’s sworn statement which showed he was more influenced by his fellow jurors than Hill in the deliberation room.
Other jurors called to testify during the trial said they used only trial evidence and testimony to convict Murdaugh last year of killing his 52-year-old wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul on the family’s hunting property in 2021.
Alex Murdaugh appeared emotionless when he was denied a new trial by a judge on Monday. Legal & Criminal Murder is placed in shackles and taken out of the courtroom. Law & Crime
A juror said he heard Hill advise the panel to “watch his body language” before Murdaugh, 55, took the stand, but said he was not swayed by the guidance.
Hill denied he ever talked about the case or Murdaugh with any of the jurors.
“I’ve never talked to any jurors about anything like that,” Hill said.
Toal said he wasn’t sure if Hill was truly silent, noting he was “attracted to the siren call of celebrity.”
In other developments, the trial was interrupted by a bailiff who said the jurors were watching a live Court TV broadcast of “Juror Z’s” testimony because authorities failed to confiscate their cellphones when they entered the courtroom.
Toal, the former chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, then took a short break before allowing the trial to continue.
“We’ll get through this,” Toal said.
Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill listens as Prosecutor Creighton Waters makes closing arguments in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh in Colleton County Court Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Columbia, SC AP
Toal has ruled lawyers must prove that Hill’s comments directly influenced the guilty verdict, although they argued that any interference should be grounds for a new trial.
“According to the State, if Ms. Hill had the jury room decorated like an elementary school classroom with colorful signs saying ‘Murdaugh guilty’ that would not violate Mr. Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial … as long as the jurors did not testify that they voted guilty because the decoration,” the defense wrote in a brief.
Murdaugh, left, was convicted of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul (center.) Facebook
Even if Murdaugh was somehow acquitted in a new trial, he would still be serving a 27-year sentence for stealing $12 million from his family’s law firm and the victim of a lawsuit settlement.
He has confessed to financial crimes but insists he was not the instigator of the double murder of his wife and son.
If the jury modification appeal fails, defense attorneys are expected to challenge the two consecutive life sentences by arguing that his murder trial was unfair for a number of reasons — including that the judge allowed testimony about his financial fraud.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
