The words of a court clerk to jurors prompted the South Carolina Supreme Court to grant Alex Murdaugh a new trial.Show Caption
There’s no doubt in Amie Williams’ mind that Richard "Alex" Murdaugh is guilty of killing his wife and son. Williams, who wrote a book about the trial, spent six grueling weeks in the courtroom listening to testimony and viewing at times graphic evidence before finding Murdaugh guilty in March 2023 after just a few hours of deliberations. Murdaugh was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and his attorneys immediately vowed to appeal.As the legal drama unfolded, Williams said she was shocked to learn that the “sweet,” “Southern Belle” who served as court clerk during the trial had made comments to some of her fellow jurors that prompted the South Carolina Supreme Court to grant Murdaugh a new trial.“Our sacrifice was for nothing, that’s the way I feel about it,” she told USA TODAY. “And my heart goes out to everyone else who’s going to have to suffer through this again.”‘Breathtaking and disgraceful’ effort to influence the juryMurdaugh’s attorneys argued his closely watched double murder trial was tainted because Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill pressured the jury to quickly reach a guilty verdict, among other issues. Williams said she never felt that pressure.“I just never got that feeling from her,” she said. “I never felt like she was trying to make me believe anything one way or another.”Two other jurors reported hearing Hill make comments about Murdaugh’s decision to testify in his own defense, but also said she did not impact their verdict, according to court documents.But one woman, identified as juror Z, said she heard Hill say to watch Murdaugh “closely” and "not to be fooled" by the evidence presented by his attorneys. When deliberations began, Hill told the jury it “shouldn’t take us long,” according to juror Z. She said Hill's comments did influence her to believe Murdaugh was guilty.A lower court concluded Hill was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and wanted a guilty verdict so that she could sell more copies of her book about the case. The book was later pulled from circulation amid the revelation that Hill plagiarized a portion.Hill has denied making most of the comments and trying to influence the jury, according to the state supreme court decision. The high court was unconvinced, saying they “have no reason to find Hill did not make all of the statements the jurors reported.”“The breathtaking and disgraceful effort of Hill to undermine the jury process is unprecedented in South Carolina,” the high court’s decision said.Ultimately, the court determined that prosecutors had failed to meet the “heavy burden” of proving that there was no reasonable possibility the jury's verdict was influenced by Hill’s comments. Longtime South Carolina personal injury attorney and former prosecutor John Mobley said despite most jurors saying they weren't influenced by Hill, the court's decision to grant Murdaugh a new trial was a "no brainer.""There's no doubt in my mind it's the right decision...clearly there was communication from the clerk of court. It was not innocuous communication," he said.Hill’s co-author unsurprised by misconduct allegationsWilliams said she had no idea that Hill was planning to write about the case at the time. Though Hill traveled with jurors to New York for a media appearance after the verdict, Williams said she never suspected Hill was trying to get famous because of her connection to the case.Williams said it was “very shocking” to see Hill be accused of and admit to wrongdoing. In December, Hill pleaded guilty to state charges of misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice and was put on probation.USA TODAY has reached out to attorneys who represented Hill for comment.Others who knew Hill weren’t so surprised. Neil Gordon, co-author of Hill’s controversial book, said she was convinced early on of Murdaugh’s guilt and was likely “overwhelmed” by the magnitude of the case.“Knowing what I know about Becky and her gregarious personality and wanting to be involved and wanting to have a connection with people and be liked and so forth, it did not surprise me at all that she was accused of and apparently did make some comments to jurors in relation to the case,” said Gordon, who has written another book and created a docuseries that touches on the case.South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement that his office will seek to retry Murdaugh as soon as possible. Murdaugh’s attorneys maintain he is innocent and said they are looking forward to a new trial.Though Gordon also believes Murdaugh is guilty, he said he wasn’t surprised to see him granted a new trial given all the issues presented before the court.“I think it’s just the right thing to do,” Gordon said.Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund
