South Carolina court clerk accused of tampering with Alex Murdaugh jury resigns post

March 25 (UPI) -- Becky Hill, a South Carolina court clerk accused of tampering with the jury in the high-profile murder trial of ex-attorney Alex Murdaugh, resigned her post in Colleton County on Monday.

Addressing reporters in front of the county courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Hill said it "has been my honor to serve as your Colleton County Clerk of Court" before announcing her resignation from the job, which she has held since her election as a Republican in 2020.

In her remarks, Hill referenced last year's Murdaugh trial, in which the well-known attorney from a politically powerful South Carolina family was ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences for the 2021 gunshot slayings of his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22.

While seeking a re-trial in January, Murdaugh's lawyers claimed Hill pressured the jury to rule quickly in order to secure a book deal and media appearances related to the trial, which would have been jeopardized if the case had ended with a mistrial.

Hill denied tampering with the jury during a hearing before retired Judge Jean Toal on Jan. 29, claiming, "I did not have a conversation with any juror about any topic related to this case," before the judge ultimately dismissed the re-trial motion.

"I simply do not believe that our South Carolina Supreme Court requires a new trial in a very lengthy trial on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court," Toal said.

Hill also was involved in a separate but related controversy in which she admitted to plagiarizing material used in writing the preface for a tell-all book about the trial.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed in January its investigators are looking into two cases regarding Hill, including the jury tampering allegations and whether she used her position for personal gain.

On Monday, Hill said the Murdaugh trial had "caused me to reflect on my decisions involving my stay in the office of clerk of court. And so after my reflection, I have decided that it is best not to run again for re-election.

"I will now be able to focus on being a wife, a mother and a grandmother to my two grand-boys, and will be spending time with the people who mean the most to me," she said.

Her attorney, Democratic State Rep. Justin Bamberg, said Hill's resignation would be effective immediately and that a resignation letter was on its way South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

Deputy Clerk of Court Gary Hale will fill the position on an interim basis.