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Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced lawyer whose double-murder conviction was overturned, has filed a lawsuit alleging his civil rights were violated when court clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hill tampered with the jury at his trial.
The 17-page lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Columbia, alleges Hill improperly influenced jurors in an effort to secure a guilty verdict because she believed it would help sell books she planned to write.
“Neither Mr. Murdaugh nor his counsel knew at the time of trial that Ms. Hill—the elected Clerk of Court for Colleton County, the officer of the court charged as the primary caretaker of the jury—had secretly and deliberately inserted herself into the jury’s deliberative process for personal financial gain,” the lawsuit said.
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The South Carolina Supreme Court said Becky Hill allegedly engaged in “shocking jury interference” during the proceedings in which Alex Murdaugh was accused of murdering his wife and son. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)
The lawsuit follows a May 13 ruling by the South Carolina Supreme Court vacating Murdaugh’s convictions and ordering a new trial, finding Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice” and improperly influenced jurors.
According to the lawsuit, Hill repeatedly told jurors not to be “fooled,” “confused,” or “misled” by the defense’s case and instructed them to closely watch Murdaugh’s behavior and body language when he testified in his own defense. At least one juror later testified Hill’s comments influenced her guilty verdict, according to the complaint.
The filing also alleges Hill held repeated private conversations with the jury foreperson during the trial, including meetings in secluded areas and the jury room bathroom.
Mar 2, 2023; Walterboro, SC, USA; Alex Murdaugh is found guilty on all counts for the murder of his wife and son at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Boucher/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK (© Pool)
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According to testimony cited in the complaint, Hill said before and during trial that a guilty verdict would help book sales because she “needed a lake house.”
Hill co-authored a book about the proceedings, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders,” which the lawsuit says earned roughly $100,000 before being withdrawn amid plagiarism allegations.
According to the book’s synopsis, Hill had known the Murdaugh family for decades and was aware of “the rumors of corruption and crime surrounding the Murdaugh family.”
Murdaugh is seeking compensatory and punitive damages under federal civil rights law, including recovery of the $600,000 he says he spent defending himself during the original murder trial.
Defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin talk with client Alex Murdaugh, right, during his trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)
The lawsuit comes after the state’s Supreme Court ruled last week that Hill’s actions triggered the legal presumption that the jury had been improperly influenced and that prosecutors failed to prove the verdict was unaffected.
“As noted at the outset,” the justices wrote, “Hill’s shocking jury interference” forced the court to reverse the conviction and order a new trial.
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Timeline of the Reversal:
- October 2023: Murdaugh attorneys allege jury tampering
- January 2024: Jurors testify under oath
- December 2025: Hill pleads guilty to related charges
- May 13, 2026: Supreme Court overturns convictions
- May 18, 2026: Murdaugh sues Hill over jury tampering accusations
The unraveling began publicly in October 2023 when Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial accusing Hill of jury tampering.
By January 2024, jurors were testifying under oath about Hill’s comments and behavior.