Alex Murdaugh might face a jury once again, according to a new finding from the high-profile murder case.
Murdaugh was found guilty in the trial for the murder of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, at their family’s hunting estate in June of 2021. During the trial, it was discovered that the motive could have been to cover up a string of financial crimes along with the press around Paul’s boating accident, which took the life of one of his friends.
The trial ended in March of this year, leading to a guilty verdict, and Murdaugh was sentenced to two life sentences to run consecutively without parole.
New findings, however, from Murdaugh’s legal team could lead to a new trial.
The New York Post reported that his legal team found evidence supporting a claim that a court clerk tampered with the jury by:
“Advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony.”
Colleton Country Clerk Rebecca Hill violated the constitutional right to a fair and impartial trial when she informed the jurors to “not be misled” by Murdaugh’s actions throughout the trial.
According to the New York Post, one juror spoke up about the court proceedings, giving his team the evidence they needed to file for a retrial.
“I understood [this] to mean that Mr. Murdaugh would lie when he testified,” the individual — who is identified simply as juror 630 — explained in the document.
Hill and the jury foreperson, juror 826, also frequently had “private conversations” that lasted “5 to 10 minutes,” juror 630 recalled.”
The juror also revealed that she felt Murdaugh might have been innocent but voted guilty as they felt pressured by the other jurors.
Hill not only pressured the jurors but was alleged to have made up stories about jury members she felt might sway the consensus. Hill told all the jurors to vote guilty in order to secure herself a book deal and media appearances.
Well, Hill got the book deal, publishing Behind The Doors Of Justice in July of this year. The book was based around the trial, but her words worked against her as passages from the novel made their way into the court filings.
Murdaugh’s attorneys stated that the content of the book, combined with how she interacted and spoke with the members of the jury:
“Betrayed her oath of office for money and fame.”
If a retrial does arise from this filing, I wonder if Netflix will jump on it for a documentary follow-up.
