Alex Murdaugh filed a notice of appeal of his murder convictions Thursday, April 11 after receiving the written order denying his request for a new trial on April 4.
Murdaugh and his attorneys requested a new trial alleging jury tampering by then Colleton County court clerk Becky Hill.
Judge Jean Toal rejected his request for a new trial earlier this year. The request was based on allegations of jury tampering. Toal ruled that even if Colleton County Clerk Becky Hill did tell jurors to watch Murdaugh’s actions and body language on the stand, the defense failed to prove that such comments directly influenced their decision to find him guilty.
Toal said after reviewing the full transcript of the six-week trial, she couldn’t overturn the verdict based “on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-seeking clerk of court.”
Toal went on to say, “I find that the clerk of court was not completely credible as a witness. Miss Hill was attracted by the siren call of celebrity,” In summing up her ruling Toal said that Hill’s comments did not by themselves merit a new trial, because they didn’t actively change the jurors’ minds.
