"The evidence was overwhelming": Alex Murdaugh denied new trial in murder of wife and son

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of murdering his wife and son last year. His attorneys asked for a new trial to be conducted after accusing the court clerk of tampering with the jury. On Monday, January 29, 2024, the judge gave a ruling, according to which no retrial will take place.

In connection to the allegations made by the defense team, Judge Jean Toal said,

"The evidence was overwhelming..."

The clerk, Rebecca Hill, became the center of attention amidst the Murdaugh trial. However, the jurors claimed Hill didn't influence the verdict.

---

Judge denied the appeal of a retrial made by Alex Murdaugh's defense team after throwing accusations against Rebecca Hill

55-year-old Alex Murdaugh has been convicted of the 2021 killing of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. In connection to that, Murdaugh's defense team claimed that the court clerk, Rebecca Hill, influenced and tampered with the jury during the then-ongoing murder trial. CNN reported that Judge Jean Toal ruled against the appeal made by the defense team. She explained her decision and said,

"I simply do not believe that the authority of our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity influenced clerk of courts."

Toal added that the guilty verdict the jury gave was not surprising at all. Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh's defense lawyer, told CNN,

"We go from here to Court of Appeals, then South Carolina Supreme Court, if necessary – and then federal court."

Justin Bamberg and Will Lewis, the attorneys who represented Rebecca Hill claimed that they believed the jurors in the trial were extremely professional and worked according to the instructions provided to them by the court.

---

The judge stated that Hill's comments weren't enough to influence the entire verdict

According to Judge Toal, Hill did make some "fleeting and foolish" remarks during the Alex Murdaugh trial. However, there wasn't enough evidence to prove that she influenced the jurors' decision. Authorities have not yet charged Rebecca Hill, and she has denied the allegations against her. The State reported that Hill exposed herself to more controversies regarding the case after writing a book titled Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.

While the book was released in August 2023, sales were shut down by the end of the year as a portion was found to be plagiarized. Meanwhile, Alex Murdaugh's defense team filed an appeal for a new trial in September 2023. They claimed that Hill wanted to increase her book sales and, thus, wanted a quick end to the case. She, however, denied the accusations.

While nine jurors stated that they did not communicate with the court clerk in any way before the verdict, one of them said,

"To me, it felt like she made it seem like he was already guilty."

Two jury members stated that while they had heard comments from Hill, their decision wasn't influenced by her.