In a 65-page motion for a new trial filed on Tuesday, defense attorneys claim that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense.”
The defense attorneys said they saw Hill having discussions with jurors during the trial but had no knowledge of what the discussions were. Griffin told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday that they were met with a “zone of silence” from all of the jurors when they tried to speak with them after their verdict last March.
That zone “collapsed,” Griffin said, after Hill released a book last month about her experiences during the trial, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” At that point, several jurors began to express their concerns to the attorneys, he said.
The attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, said they have spoken to three jurors and have sworn testimony by two of them alleging that Hill had improper discussions with jurors about matters concerning testimony.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has 10 days to respond to the filing, which could result in a hearing to determine how to proceed, Harpootlian said.