South Carolina officials have filed 76 counts of ethics violations against the court clerk who handled the Alex Murdaugh murder trial. The case accuses former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill of allowing a photo of Murdaugh in a holding cell to be taken to promote her book on the trial, giving herself bonuses, and using county money to by dozens of lunches for her staff, prosecutors and a vendor. Hill also struck a deal with a documentary maker to use the county courtroom in exchange for promoting her book on the trial, which later she admitted had plagiarized passages, according to the South Carolina Ethics Commission complaint, the Associated Press reports.
The commission will hold a hearing in December on the accusations unless Hill and her lawyer settle the case before then. Hill could have to reimburse the expenses and face thousands of dollars or more in fines. If the commission thinks she broke any laws, they can forward the information to prosecutors. A criminal investigation into whether Hill tampered with the Murdaugh jury or misused her office continues, the State Law Enforcement Division said Thursday. Hill resigned in March during the last year of her four year term, citing the public scrutiny of Murdaugh’s trial and wanting to spend time with her grandchildren. Murdaugh was convicted of killing his wife and younger son after a six-week trial last year. The case involved power, danger, money and privilege and an attorney whose family lorded over his small South Carolina county for nearly a century. Murdaugh is appealing his conviction and life without parole in part accusing Hill of trying to influence jurors to vote guilty and being biased against Murdaugh for her book.
Comments