South Carolina’s Attorney General has labeled documents filed by Alex Murdaugh’s legal team as “defective” and riddled with “factual disputes.” These documents, submitted to the appeals court, sought to halt Murdaugh’s appeal based on allegations of jury tampering during his double murder trial.
The Attorney General’s office argues that Murdaugh’s lawyers failed to include a crucial element in their filing: a sworn affidavit from Murdaugh himself stating that he was unaware of this “new evidence” of jury tampering during his trial or that he couldn’t have uncovered it during the proceedings.
Alex Murdaugh sitting in court
While acknowledging that the appeal might need a temporary pause to address these claims, the Attorney General emphasized in a statement, “The objective investigation by SLED [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] is ongoing, but the inquiry has already revealed significant factual disputes as to the claims in appellants’ motion.”
Murdaugh’s lawyers contend that Becky Hill, the Colleton County Clerk of Courts, shared her personal opinions about Murdaugh’s guilt with jurors and even attempted to influence their verdict. They further point to excerpts from Hill’s book, where she describes “locking eyes” with jurors, raising concerns about potential bias.
One passage cited by Murdaugh’s team reads: “The problem I have with what she says in there is, after going to my cell – Moselle, we – if you notice she used the plural ‘we’ – felt such and such and such and such. Is that the jurors in her? I mean, I think that’s great cross-examination for her when she testifies in this matter before the trial judge if the court of appeals sends it back.”
Legally, for new evidence to be admissible in an appeal, it must be genuinely new information that the defense was unaware of during the trial. The Attorney General argues that Murdaugh’s team might have already been aware of these potential jury tampering issues. This assertion is based on statements made by Murdaugh’s own lawyers during the trial, hinting at their observations of unusual interactions between Hill and the jurors.
Alex Murdaugh and his defense team in court
In light of these discrepancies, the Attorney General’s office has requested that Murdaugh’s legal team be granted 10 days to rectify their filing.
Meanwhile, SLED is scheduled to interview at least two jurors within the next two weeks, despite objections from Murdaugh’s attorneys who have called for a federal investigation into the matter. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for Murdaugh’s appeal and the future of this high-profile case.
