Alex Murdaugh courtroom clerk who wrote e book pleads responsible to leaking sealed crime scene photographs | EUROtoday

A former South Carolina courtroom clerk who performed a central position in Alex Murdaugh’s double homicide trial pleaded responsible Monday to felony prices after admitting she confirmed sealed courtroom displays to a photographer after which lied about it beneath oath.

Rebecca “Becky” Hill, the previous Colleton County clerk of courtroom, pleaded responsible in Colleton County Circuit Court to obstruction of justice and perjury for exposing sealed crime scene pictures to a reporter and giving false testimony about it.

She additionally admitted to 2 counts of misconduct in workplace for taking bonuses and selling a e book she wrote concerning the trial by means of her public place.

Judge Heath Taylor sentenced Hill to 3 years of probation. He informed her the punishment would have been much more extreme had prosecutors decided she tampered with the jury throughout Murdaugh’s trial.

“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them,” Hill mentioned in a quick assertion to the courtroom, asking for an opportunity to do higher.

Hill was accountable for overseeing the jury, managing displays and helping the decide throughout Murdaugh’s six-week trial, which resulted in his conviction in 2023 for the June 2021 murders of his spouse Maggie and son Paul.

The case drew worldwide consideration and centered on energy, wealth and a once-dominant authorized dynasty in a small South Carolina county.

On Monday, solicitor Rick Hubbard informed the courtroom that investigators have been alerted after a journalist reported that Hill had proven graphic crime scene photographs to members of the media. He didn’t identify the journalist.

The photos later appeared on-line, and metadata matched a time when Hill’s courthouse key card information confirmed she was contained in the secured exhibit room.

A second warrant mentioned Hill lied to now-retired Justice Jean Toal throughout a January 2024 listening to when the decide requested: “Did you allow anyone from the press to view the sealed exhibits?”

One of the costs, misconduct in workplace, concerned cash that investigators mentioned Hill took for herself. They mentioned that included almost $10,000 meant for bonuses from federal cash meant to enhance little one assist assortment and about $2,000 in cash from the Clerk of Court’s workplace.

The warrant on the opposite misconduct cost mentioned Hill used her public position as clerk of courtroom to advertise her e book on the Murdaugh trial on social media.

Hill was additionally accused final May of 76 counts of ethics violations. Officials mentioned Hill allowed a photograph of Murdaugh in a holding cell to be taken to advertise her e book on the trial and used county cash to purchase dozens of lunches for her workers, prosecutors and a vendor.

Murdaugh’s legal professionals have been making an attempt to enchantment his sentence of life with out parole, claiming that Hill tried to affect jurors to vote responsible and that she was biased towards Murdaugh for her e book.

An preliminary enchantment of his homicide convictions was denied, however retired Justice Jean Toal later mentioned she questioned Hill’s credibility, describing her as being “attracted by the siren call of celebrity.”

Prosecutors mentioned they investigated these claims and located no jury tampering. While three jurors or alternates reported considerations about Hill’s conduct, 11 others mentioned she did nothing improper.

“SLED interviewed the remaining 11 jurors – none of them corroborated the testimony of the three jurors who claim Hill inappropriately attempted to influence Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial,” Hubbard informed the courtroom on Monday.

Meanwhile, Murdaugh can also be serving a separate sentence of a long time in jail after admitting to stealing tens of millions of {dollars} from purchasers and his household’s legislation agency.

Hill resigned in March 2024 over the last 12 months of her four-year time period, citing the general public scrutiny of Murdaugh’s trial and eager to spend time along with her grandchildren.