Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh file appeal, accusing removed South Carolina court clerk of influencing jury.
Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were fatally shot by their husband, Alex, who is now serving two life sentences in South Carolina.
On Tuesday, lawyers for Alex Murdaugh, the lawyer-turned-convict, filed an appeal, arguing that improper testimony and alleged jury tampering by court clerk Becky Hill "contaminated the trial with unfairness."
Murdaugh, 56, was sentenced to life in prison for shooting his wife and son on their family's hunting estate in June 2021. The murders were allegedly an attempt to divert attention from Murdaugh's financial crimes, which were emerging around that time.
In April, the disgraced lawyer was given an additional 480 months in prison, along with his two life sentences, for conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud, committing bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiring to commit wire fraud, and money laundering.
Murdaugh is accused of using his power and family connections in the Lowcountry to secure clients' cases, win them substantial funds, and then retain a substantial portion of the earnings for himself, according to prosecutors.
In their 132-page appeal, filed on Tuesday, Murdaugh's lawyers contend that their client's financial crimes should not have been included in his earlier murder trial, arguing that they were irrelevant and could have tainted the jury's perception of him.
The appeal claims that former Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill, who resigned due to allegations of jury tampering in Murdaugh's case, influenced jurors to find him guilty.
In March 2023, 12 jurors found Murdaugh guilty of murder. Out of these 12 jurors, 11 stated that Hill did not impact their decisions. One juror, however, revealed that he heard the clerk make comments about observing Murdaugh's body language. Despite this, the juror stated that the clerk's words did not influence his verdict.
In January, Judge Jean Toal determined that the allegations against Hill were insufficient to warrant a new trial in the murder case. However, Murdaugh's lawyers contested this decision in their appeal.
The State Ethics Commission hearing for Hill, who is accused of 76 ethics violations, has been postponed due to a pending criminal investigation by the Attorney General's Office, according to the State newspaper.
The appeal claims that the prosecution presented guns as evidence that were not linked to the murders and that gunshot residue on a raincoat used as evidence was not connected to their client.
Planet Chronicle Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
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