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Murdaugh court clerk Becky Hill released on bond after arrest on perjury, misconduct charges
The former South Carolina court clerk who presided over the 2023 Alex Murdaugh murder trial has been released from jail after posting bond Wednesday following her arrest for alleged misconduct during the trial.The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on Wednesday afternoon announced that Hill, 57, has been charged with obstructing justice and misconduct in Colleton County and perjury in Richland County.She received a $30,000 bond in Colleton County and a $50,000 bond in Richland County.The charges stem from a January 2024 hearing in the South Carolina Supreme Court, when Justice Jean Toal ruled that a new trial was not necessary for Murdaugh, who was convicted in the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on his family hunting estate. Murdaugh had requested the new hearing based on allegations of jury tampering surrounding Hill, which Murdaugh's defense team had argued warranted a new trial.FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA CLERK IN MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE FELONIES IN 2 COUNTIESCharging documents state that when Toal asked Hill, "Did you allow anyone from the press to view sealed exhibits?" Hill responded, "No, ma'am," which is apparently inconsistent with evidence obtained by authorities.Fox News Digital has reached out to Hill's attorney, Will Lewis, for comment.Lewis said Hill "turned herself in" Wednesday during her hearing in Colleton County. "We found out about these charges last night," he said.SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE DENIES ALEX MURDAUGH'S REQUEST FOR A NEW MURDER TRIALThe State Ethics Commission last year accused Hill of using her official position as Colleton County clerk for financial gain, specifically to promote her book about the Murdaugh case, part of which she admitted to and apologized for plagiarizing.WATCH: REBECCA HILL ON THE MURDAUGH VERDICT:The SLED charging documents released Wednesday also accuse Hill of promoting her book on social media.Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, Murdaugh's defense attorneys, told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday statement that while the charges against Hill "are serious, they are not surprising."ALEX MURDAUGH COURT CLERK BECKY HILL MISUSED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON PAINT SUPPLIES, DOG BED, GIFTS: COMPLAINT"We have long raised our concerns about her conduct during and after the trial and this arrest further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the judicial process. Every defendant is entitled to a fair and impartial trial and we look forward to Alex Murdaugh finally getting that fair treatment," the attorneys said.Harpootlian told Fox News on Wednesday that he believes the charges against Hill will result in a new trial for Murdaugh.South Carolina attorney Eric Bland, who represented several victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, said he "used to think that there was very little chance that our South Carolina Supreme Court would reverse former Chief Justice Jean Toals decision in February 2024 when she denied Alex Murdaugh a new trial on his double murder conviction because of Becky Hill alleged jury interference.""I thought that if he was to get any relief, it would come after he exhausted his state court appeals and it would be on the federal level," Bland said in a Wednesday post on X. "According to the State Paper, the perjury charge arises out of her testimony that she gave in the February 2024 hearing in front of Justice Toal. I think this further complicates the situation and increases the chances that he will get a reversal and a new trial. It still will come down to whether the federal standard for alleged jury tampering should have been applied by Justice Toal or she was correct in applying the state standard."SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTERHill was previously accused of sending herself nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses in the form of child support payments, according to a notice of hearing. She used federal funds to give food and gifts to court employees, including "Easter Goodies," Mother's and Father's Day gifts, and Valentine's Day gifts; paint supplies; flowers and decor; various meals for herself; office furniture; dog food, dog bones and a dog bed, among other items.SLED charging documents make note of the bonus payments.ALEX MURDAUGH COURT CLERK BECKY HILL RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF JURY TAMPERINGOf 12 total jurors who found Murdaugh guilty in 2023, 11 said Hill did not influence their decisions. One said he heard the clerk make comments about watching Murdaugh's body language but said her words did not influence his verdict.The former court clerk, who held her position for about four years, resigned in March following allegations of jury tampering in the Murdaugh trial but maintained that her decision to leave office was not the result of her conduct during the double murder trial.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X"Another significant impact in our clerk's office was in 2023, when we had to manage one of the biggest trials in South Carolina history. Our small town came together and made everyone proud," Hill said during a news conference at the time to announce her resignation. "Managing a trial with such importance to the people of South Carolina, as well as to the national and international media interest and public scrutiny, has caused me to reflect upon decisions involving my stay in the office of the clerk of court."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPShe added that her decision not to seek re-election in 2024 would allow her to "focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother," and that she wants to provide "ample time to other Republican candidates" interested in the position of Colleton County court clerk.GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUBHer former attorney, Justin Bamberg, who has represented victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, said at a March news conference that Hill's decision had nothing to do with any pending investigations involving the clerk.
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