Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction has come under scrutiny due to felony charges against a South Carolina court clerk who was involved in his trial.

Former Colleton County court clerk Becky Hill, 57, was charged with several felonies on Wednesday in two counties. 

Eric Bland, the attorney for several jurors in Murdaugh’s murder trial and some victims of his financial crimes, informed Fox News that the charges against Hill ‘bode well for Alex Murdaugh.’

Bland noted, ‘Three of those charges that are pending in Colleton County really have nothing to do with the trial. [Those are] actions that she took outside of that trial in the course and scope of her duties, taking advantage of her office – obstruction activity.’

‘That has nothing to do with it. One charge in Richland County is a perjury charge. And it’s perjury that does stem from the [January 2024] hearing where Justice Toal rendered a decision not giving a new trial to Alex Murdaugh.’

Hill was accused of obstruction of justice and misconduct in Colleton County as well as perjury in Richland County. 

The former court clerk allegedly lied to South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Toal in January 2024 when questioned over the alleged misconduct. 

According to charging documents obtained by Fox News, Hill told Toal that no members of the press had been allowed to view sealed exhibits in Murdaugh’s trial – a claim that was allegedly found to be inconsistent with evidence obtained by authorities. 

Not all legal experts who spoke with Fox News agreed that the charges could help the convicted killer.  

‘The [suggestion] that Becky Hill is now in legal trouble helps Alex Murdaugh – I strongly disagree with that,’ South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon said. 

‘I think the exact opposite is really true.’ 

Hill was also accused of showing seal photographs to a reporter and using her position as clerk for financial gain, including the promotion of her book about Murdaugh’s trial on social media. 

Murdaugh was convicted by jury in 2023 for the murders of his wife Maggie, 52, and his son Paul, 22, on his family hunting estate in June of 2021. 

The 56-year-old received two life sentences without parole, and filed for a re-trial last year with a 121-page appeal document. 

He and his legal team accused Hill of alleged jury tampering and argued that weeks after the trial ended, jurors allegedly informed them Hill had told them to ‘watch [Murdaugh’s] body language.’ 

Hill had resigned her position earlier that year.  

Condon said he was ‘surprised by the charges’ against Hill, and argued that they do not help Murdaugh because ‘they did not include jury tampering,’ Fox News reported. 

‘That has been… the focus at the hearing for the retrial. Nothing in [Hill’s charges] about jury tampering,’ he continued. 

‘To my mind, it’s a really big win for the state and a big loss for the defense because a main ground of their appeal would be this jury tampering,’ Condon said. 

 ‘…And the fact that there are no charges against former clerk Hill for jury tampering tells me that the authorities looked at that and did not believe there was sufficient evidence to show that she tampered with the jury.’  

Bland claimed to the outlet that Toal did not find Hill’s testimony entirely credible and did not take it into consideration when ruling against a retrial. 

‘At the end of the day, this is going to be a legal decision on appeal,’ Bland continued. 

‘Was Justice Toal correct in applying the South Carolina standard on juror interference by an official? And that, as the South Carolina standard says, you not only have to show the juror interference but you have to show the effect that it had on the jurors and their verdict.’ 

‘I represented six of those jurors. Eleven of those jurors said…anything that Becky Hill said didn’t have any effect on our verdict.’ 

Of the jurors that found Murdaugh guilty, 11 of 12 said Hill did not influence their decision. 

One juror said Hill’s comments had been heard but that her words did not influence their verdict. 

Bland noted that even if his sentencing was reversed and he was allowed a retrial, he would still serve time in prison for his financial crimes. 

Condon and Bland said that Hill had acted ‘professionally’ and noted the high-profile status of the case was a rarity in that small town. 

‘She probably was trying to be accommodating,’ Condon said of the charges accusing her of sharing sealed photographs with a reporter. 

‘She’s a really nice lady, probably trying to help somebody with their story. And again, I don’t think there was a malicious intent with that whatsoever.’

He did note, however, given the circumstances of the trial ‘one would expect the clerk of court… to follow each and every rule.’ 

Murdaugh’s defense attorneys,  however, said that the charges against Hill are ‘serious’ and ‘not surprising.’

 ‘We have long raised our concerns about her conduct during and after the trial and this arrest further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the judicial process. Every defendant is entitled to a fair and impartial trial and we look forward to Alex Murdaugh finally getting that fair treatment,’ they added. 

Dick Harpootlian, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, told the outlet he believes Hill’s charges will result in a new trial for the convicted killer. 

Alongside the charges related to the case, Hill was also accused of sending herself nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses in the form of child support payments, according to a notice hearing, Fox News reported. 

The former clerk held her position for about four years before resigning in March after allegations arose of jury tampering. 

At the time she said she was leaving the position to ‘focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother.’