Alex Murdaugh attorney argues state Supreme Court should overturn guilty verdict

Alex Murdaugh’s defence lawyer argued connected Wednesday that the South Carolina Supreme Court should overturn his blameworthy verdict successful the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.

Dick Harpootlian, who is representing Murdaugh alongside lawyer Jim Griffin, said that erstwhile tribunal clerk Rebecca "Becky" Hill’s alleged assemblage tampering could amusement origin for the South Carolina Supreme Court to overturn the verdict.

"Before the defence enactment up their case, Miss Hill told the jurors the defence is astir to bash their side, they're going to accidental things that volition effort to confuse you, don't fto them confuse you oregon person you oregon propulsion you off," Harpootlian said connected Wednesday. Harpootlian besides noted that jurors said that Hills' comments to "watch" Murdaugh's actions and movements influenced their presumption of the defendant.

Furthermore, Harpootlian accused Hill of being "attracted by the siren telephone of celebrity," noting that Barnwell County Clerk of Court Rhonda McElveen said Hill mentioned wanting to constitute a publication and that a blameworthy verdict could assistance determination much copies disconnected shelves. Harpootlian alleged that Hill made the remark to McElveen, who was assisting with the Murdaugh trial, successful December 2022, portion assemblage enactment for the lawsuit did not hap until January 2023.

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Alex Murdaugh and defence lawyer Dick Harpootlian reappraisal grounds during his proceedings for execution astatine the Colleton County Courthouse connected Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, successful Walterboro, S.C. (Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Harpootlian had antecedently told Fox News Digital that the Murdaugh defence squad was "cautiously optimistic" that the South Carolina Supreme Court could assistance them a caller trial.

While Creighton Waters, the pb authoritative connected the case, argued that Hill's comments to the assemblage were innocuous, helium agreed erstwhile South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge said the remarks could beryllium seen arsenic "improper."

"The circumstances of this contented are not mislaid connected us. In the courtroom, we person an fantabulous lawyer wide with a precise nonrecreational and competent squad of prosecutors, including you, Mr. Waters. On the defence side, we person an highly competent, top-drawer representation. We've got a superb proceedings tribunal judge. And retired successful the hallway, we person a rogue clerk of court. And adjacent if we judge the truncated mentation of what you qualify arsenic innocuous statements, adjacent you admit it was improper, possibly not improper to the constituent of reversal, but you admit it was improper," Kittredge said.

Waters responded, "absolutely," and aboriginal elaborated, saying that "I deliberation what you conscionable said highlights and proves my point. When you went done each of the players successful this proceedings and the comparative insignificance of Miss Becky." 

"And arsenic I said before, with each of that going connected that immoderate jurors truly like, 'Oh, well, you know, Miss Becky said ticker his assemblage language,' that that is going to marque the difference. What you conscionable said of each that went connected is why, not the truncated version. And I recognize your constituent with that, but what the grounds reflects and what justness told, recovered is what truly happened. That was the grade of it," Waters said.

"I don't mean to connote they were innocuous. What I mean to connote is that they were neutral connected their face, not proper, but neutral connected their look and not egregious," Waters added.

Disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh arrives successful tribunal successful Beaufort, S.C., connected Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. Murdaugh appeared publically arsenic a convicted murderer for the archetypal clip astatine the authorities tribunal proceeding regarding the slew of fiscal crimes allegedly committed by the disbarred South Carolina attorney.  (AP Photo/James Pollard)

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Hill pleaded blameworthy successful Colleton County Circuit Court to 4 charges — obstruction of justness and perjury for showing a newsman photographs that were sealed tribunal exhibits and past lying astir it — arsenic good arsenic 2 counts of misconduct successful bureau for taking bonuses and promoting done her nationalist bureau a publication she wrote astir the trial.

Judge Heath Taylor sentenced Hill to a twelvemonth of probation. He told Hill her condemnation would person been overmuch harsher had prosecutors recovered that she had tampered with the Murdaugh jury. Harpootlian said Hill’s blameworthy plea bolsters the defense’s statement that her credibility is irreparably damaged.

"She [pleaded] blameworthy to perjuring herself, to lying nether oath during that hearing," helium said. "I deliberation that goes a agelong mode to showing successful appellate tribunal that immoderate she said shouldn’t beryllium believed."

During the evidentiary hearing, aggregate witnesses testified that Hill made comments to jurors astir Murdaugh’s demeanor and testimony, including statements that defence attorneys reason crossed the enactment from medication into influence.

Alex Murdaugh sits successful the Colleton County Courthouse with his ineligible squad including Dick Harpootlian, middle, and Jim Griffin, right, arsenic his attorneys sermon motions successful beforehand of Judge Clifton Newman successful a December 2022 hearing. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service)

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Hill has denied trying to sway jurors, but Judge Jean Toal ruled past twelvemonth that the defence failed to beryllium the comments affected the verdict. Harpootlian said the defence disagrees with that standard.

"The United States Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit person indicated we don’t person to amusement that it really influenced somebody," helium said. "We conscionable request to amusement that she said things that reasonably, objectively could person influenced a juror."

In March 2023, Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his woman and youngest lad astatine the family’s agrarian hunting property successful South Carolina’s Low Country. He was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.