Alex Murdaugh Case: Defendant Files New Lawsuit On Clerk Of Court Amid Threat Of Death Penalty

The ongoing murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh could seemingly move towards a death penalty, as South Carolina Attorney General continues to defend the murder conviction. However, his defence attorney has filed a new motion alleging several irregularities tied to the original trial proceedings.

Murdaugh was convicted in the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh. His attorneys have now accused former Becky Hill of making improper statements to jurors during the trial.

In a new appeal seeking to overturn Alex Murdaugh’s convictions and life sentence, his defense team argued that alleged misconduct by former Becky Hill violated his constitutional rights.

The filing detailed several instances in which Hill allegedly made inappropriate or prejudicial comments during the trial. The defense also alleged that Hill engaged in private conversations with Juror 826 behind the scenes, including during a visit to the Moselle crime scene, where the murders took place.

The lawsuit also cited one of the quotes from Hill’s book on the case, which she published during the trial.

It clearly conveyed how she was presumptuous about Alex being guilty of the murders. The quote had read “While the jurors viewed the Moselle property, we all could hear and see Alex’s story was impossible. Some of us either from the courthouse, law enforcement, or jury at Moselle had an epiphany and shared our thoughts with our eyes. At that moment, many of us standing there knew. I knew and they knew that Alex was guilty.”

Given the defendant's violation of his rights, the lawsuit demanded compensatory and punitive damages. However, the money thus received would never go to Alex, confirmed the defense attorneys. Instead, the goal of the lawsuit would only be to hold Hill accountable for her malpractice.

Besides the lawsuit, Alex Murdaugh’s defense also brought up the push for the death penalty by the California AG. Murdaugh's attorney, Dick Harpootlian, claimed that the move had been completely motivated and deliberately undertaken to fuel strength for Alan Wilson’s gubernatorial campaign.

Harpootlian further claimed, “What does he know today that he didn’t know five years ago? Why is he saying he’s going to seek the death penalty? Is there some new piece of evidence? We’re a little sick and tired, and we’ve seen this process since the beginning of this case, where Alan Wilson plays politics as opposed to playing prosecutor.”

Moreover, the defense attorneys for Alex Murdaugh dismissed any possibility that their client would plead guilty and not ask for a thorough retrial. Harpootlian stated, “No plea deal, nor will he ever plead guilty. Off the table. We want a trial. Or they can dismiss it. He’ll never enter a plea which requires some admission he did something he didn’t do. That’s not good enough.”