Convicted killer attorney Alex Murdaugh is in a chance to receive another murder trial after the South Carolina’s highest court agreed to take up his appeal related to an allegation of jury tampering. A jury convicted Murdaugh on both counts of murder during a six-week long trial in March 2023. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. His lawyers have since said that a court clerk somehow tampered with the jury, telling them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and to hurry up in their verdict.
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Alex Murdaugh may get a new murder trial
They also accused the clerk, Becky Hill, of using the case and the guilty verdict to promote herself and a book she wrote about the trial. She has denied any wrongdoing. MS Hill, who read the guilty verdict out loud at Murdaugh’s trial, separately faces 76 counts of misconduct accusing her of improperly seeking financial gain and will appear before the State Ethics Commission in December.
In their appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court, Murdaugh’s attorneys argued that “there is an irrebuttable presumption of prejudice when a state official secretly advocates a guilty verdict.”.
They also filed a motion before the state’s highest court to have the case certified for appeal and argued that it was a case of great public and legal interest. On Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on the retrial case, thus becoming the latest development in the Murdaugh case.
Once a dominant South Carolina lawyer, the 56-year-old and his courtroom woes have since become a global phenomenon and inspired films, podcasts, and book deals. The trial itself was televised. On Jan. 29, retired Chief Justice Jean Toal ruled that Hill, the now-former clerk, was “attracted by the siren call of celebrity” and made improper comments to the jury but that the comments did not affect the verdict it had reached.
“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 said in January.
In his filing requesting the state Supreme Court review, Murdaugh’s attorneys wrote that the “legal principle of major importance is whether it is presumptively prejudicial for a state official to secretly advocate for a guilty verdict through ex parte contacts with jurors during trial, or whether a defendant, having proven the contacts occurred, must also somehow prove the verdict would have been different at a hypothetical trial in which the surreptitious advocacy did not occur.”
Background of the Case
Alex Murdaugh, a once-renowned figure in the legal community, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul. The case was highly publicized, and the trial was conducted in 2023. His conviction was the culmination of a series of scandals and criminal activities that had been plaguing his family.
However, new developments have lately cast a shadow over the verdict of the trial. The defense lawyers for Murdaugh have recently filed a motion for a new trial. In this motion, they alleged that jury tampering had tainted the fair conduct of the trial.
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The motion filed by Murdaugh’s lawyers claims that there had been instances of jury tampering during the trial. The defense further argues that some jurors might have been influenced improperly by extraneous considerations that could have compromised their impartiality. Specifics about the allegations are yet to emerge, but it has been presented with proof that some jurors may have been exposed to information or pressure that could have swayed the verdict.
These claims have attracted an audit of the trial proceedings and those who conducted them. The entire trial could end up being declared invalid should the court determine that the jury had been tampered with, and a new one might have to be started over again.
Legal And Procedural Consequences
If proven, jury tampering allegations would mean so much for Murdaugh. Justice would be delayed since it would lead to another trial. It would open again the legal battle that involves a tragic story about the Murdaugh family. Bias or misconduct should be ruled out in claims, so these have to be very thoroughly investigated by the legal system.
In cases like this, the courts are tasked with maintaining the integrity of the legal process. If it is determined that tampering occurred, it is crucial to restore public confidence in the justice system by ensuring that future proceedings are conducted fairly and without undue influence.
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