Convicted assassin and disgraced former legal professional Alex Murdaugh is looking for a brand new trial in South Carolina, alleging the courtroom clerk tampered with the jury as his legal professionals declare there’s “newly found out proof” within the case.
Murdaugh, who remains to be going through fees of monetary impropriety associated with his circle of relatives’s regulation company and the dying of his former housekeeper, was once convicted in March of killing his spouse, Maggie, and son Paul in 2021.
Legal professionals for the 55-year-old alleged in a brand new courtroom submitting that Rebecca Hill, Colleton County’s Clerk of Courtroom, engaged in intentional misconduct — intentionally violating a defendant’s constitutional proper to an excellent trial earlier than an unbiased jury — to protected monetary achieve for herself.
Hill self-published a e book at the case referred to as “At the back of the Doorways of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” in July.
Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, lawyers for Murdaugh, are inquiring for an evidentiary listening to that they stated in a information convention Tuesday will give them subpoena energy so they may be able to request telephone information and emails along with chatting with witnesses. In the end, they’re hoping for a brand new trial.
Murdaugh was once convicted of each murders after a six-week trial by which he testified in his personal protection. He was once sentenced to existence at the back of bars. He denied any involvement within the killings.
“I admire this courtroom, however I am blameless,” Murdaugh informed the pass judgement on forward of sentencing. “I might by no means below any instances harm my spouse Maggie, and I might by no means below any instances harm my son.”
Now Murdaugh’s lawyers declare Hill “recommended jurors to not be ‘misled’ via proof introduced in Mr. Murdaugh’s protection. She informed jurors to not be ‘fooled via’ Mr. Murdaugh’s testimony in his personal protection,” they stated in a courtroom submitting.
She additionally had “widespread personal conversations with the jury foreperson,” “requested jurors for his or her critiques about Mr. Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence,” “invented a tale a couple of Fb submit to take away a juror she believed may no longer vote to blame” and “stressed the jurors to achieve a handy guide a rough verdict,” they allege.
The brand new submitting incorporates sworn affidavits from 3 of the jurors, known best via their numbers, in addition to excerpts from Hill’s e book.
“Ms. Hill did this stuff to protected for herself a e book deal and media appearances that might no longer occur within the match of a mistrial. Ms. Hill betrayed her oath of place of work for cash and repute,” Murdaugh’s lawyers wrote.
Once they shared the affidavits with Murdaugh, “He was once astonished, he was once shaking, he was once in disbelief,” Griffin stated Tuesday afternoon.
The jurors spoke with the lawyers as a result of “they are disenchanted with the way in which this performed out,” Harpootlian stated, although he may just no longer touch upon whether or not the jurors regretted their votes to convict.
“We had been hitting brick partitions till her e book got here out, after which jurors who clearly weren’t pleased with how she treated issues had been even much less relaxed together with her happening a e book excursion, creating wealth off what she did,” Griffin stated.
Griffin and Harpootlian stated in a remark additionally they requested the South Carolina U.S. legal professional to open a federal investigation.
CBS Information has reached out to Hill for remark however has no longer won a reaction.
–Elizabeth Campbell contributed to this record.