Murdaugh trial jury tampering allegations: SLED investigating, familiar attorneys involved

Meanwhile, prominent attorneys who have obtained almost celebrity status for their connections to the Murdaugh crime saga are being pulled in ― or see themselves as jumping in to the rescue.

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Murdaugh attorneys Richard Harpootlian and Jim Griffin announced filings with the S.C. Court of Appeals alleging that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill had engaged in improper communications and conduct with the jury that convicted Murdaugh March 2 and demanded a hearing and possible a new trial.

On Thursday, The S.C. Attorney General's Office, which is prosecuting all of the Murdaugh criminal cases, and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which investigates those cases, issued a joint statement:

"South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson requested the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigate allegations of jury tampering involving the Colleton County Clerk of Court. The State’s only vested interest is seeking the truth. As with all investigations, SLED and the South Carolina Attorney General's Office are committed to a fair and impartial investigation and will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead."

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But should SLED investigate its own murder conviction?

When Murdaugh's guilty murder verdicts were read ― ironically by Hill herself ― SLED agents and prosecutors alike celebrated, hugging each other in the courtroom, eyes misty, patting the backs of their fellows.

And with good reason. SLED had spent more than two years investigating a complex web of alleged criminal activity by Murdaugh, only to be much maligned by his defense team during the internationally televised murder trial and accused of shoddy police work and of downright lying to the S.C. State Grand Jury in order to have Murdaugh indicted on circumstantial evidence.

So should SLED now investigate matters that could overturn Murdaugh's guilty verdict and throw years of police work out the window? Murdaugh's attorneys say no.

SLED's announcement comes after Harpootlian and Griffin boldly asked them to "stand down."

"We request that SLED stand down on initiating any investigation of these allegations since they are heavily invested in maintaining Alex’s conviction," stated Murdaugh's legal team, adding that if the allegations are true, Murdaugh's civil rights to a fair trial were violated.

Also submitted along with the Sept. 5 motion was a letter to United States Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs asking for an "urgent federal investigation" into Hill's conduct during the trial, and asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, to investigate these allegations and interview the parties alleged involved.

The letter added that the "professionalism and integrity" of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents are "unimpeachable" and no juror would attempt to deceive an FBI agent, adding that "...The same can not be said of any investigation conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, who has a vested interest in upholding Mr. Murdaugh's conviction."

"If FBI agents interview the jurors the truth will be known, whatever the truth may be," Murdaugh's attorneys contend.

Murdaugh case-related attorneys involved on both sides

The S.C. Attorney General's Office has ten days from Sept. 5 to respond to Murdaugh's recent motions and allegations, and then the S.C. Court of Appeals must consider the motion and decide whether or not it warrants an evidentiary hearing.

Meanwhile, celebrity attorneys with deep roots into the Murdaugh web of criminal and civil cases are now getting involved.

In making their allegations, primarily centered on the sworn statements of two jurors, Harpootlian announced that attorney Joe McCullough Jr. would be representing those jurors.

McCullough, who attended most of the murder trial ― and some media outlets say is a friend and colleague of Harpootlian ― represented Connor Cook, one of the survivors of the fatal 2019 Murdaugh boat crash, in a civil suit and was able to help Cook secure a million dollar settlement.

The Hampton County Guardian confirmed Thursday that Hill is being represented by Justin Bamberg, a Bamberg, S.C. attorney who also represents several of Murdaugh's alleged financial crime victims, and Will Lewis, a former assistant U.S. District Attorney known for prosecuting high-profile white-collar cases.

Another attorney who made a name for himself by representing many of Murdaugh's alleged financial crime victims also leaped into the fray yesterday.

During Tuesday's press conference, Harpootlian reportedly suggested that all of the jurors be questioned and might need legal representation.

Early Thursday afternoon, attorney Eric Bland, who represented the Satterfield family and estate in their legal battles against Murdaugh and other parties, took to social media and called Harpootlian's remarks "offensive" and "threatening" to the jurors.

Bland then posted on X, formerly Twitter, that if any Murdaugh murder trial juror felt threatened and needed legal advice or representation in the upcoming investigation, he would provide pro bono legal services.

Before 5 p.m. that afternoon, Bland tweeted that he now represented two of the Murdaugh jurors.

"They stand ready to participate in any proceedings that may follow, but we will ensure that they will not be harassed in that process," Bland wrote.

Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt, the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Murdaugh trial jury tampering allegations: SLED investigating objections