SC Launches Investigation Into Alex Murdaugh Jury Tampering Claims

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has asked state police to investigate potential jury tampering in the trial of former attorney and convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh.

Wilson and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) issued a joint statement Thursday announcing that he asked for a prob into allegations that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca "Becky" Hill had private conversations with jurors about Murdaugh’s case, according to CBS’ Columbus affiliate News 19.

Murdaugh, 55, was convicted in March of the June 2021 murders of his wife and son as investigators probed whether the since-disbarred attorney stole millions from his law firm. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is also expected to plead guilty to a litany of financial crimes later this month.

Murdaugh's attorney's Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian claimed earlier this week that Hill had asked jurors whether they thought Murdaugh was guilty, pressured jurors to issue a quick verdict in the case and lied to the judge to remove one of the jurors who she thought may not vote to convict Murdaugh.

Murdaugh's attorneys have also accused Hill of tampering with the case because she wanted to secure a book deal about the high-profile case. Her book about the trial, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, was released last month.

Griffin and Harpootlian included the allegations, as well as their claim that multiple jurors have signed affidavits supporting the allegations against Hill, in a submission to the state's appellate court asking for a new trial.

In light of the allegations, Hill hired state Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, and former assistant U.S. attorney Will Lewis, according to The Independent. Hill was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment.