S2E29: Murdaugh Trial Recap, Feb. 23

Alex Murdaugh's bid for a retrial falls short as Justice Jean Toal rules Becky Hill's likely improper contact with jurors didn't rise to the level of prejudicial jury tampering.

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Alex Murdaugh's defense team entered the ring throwing haymakers in a pre-hearing status conference on January 16th, hoping to bludgeon open a clear path to a retrial in Murdaugh's murder case. But retired South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal, the newly appointed judge on the case, parried and rebuffed Murdaugh's ambitious volleys in stunning and decisive fashion. Now Murdaugh's opening to land the decisive blow against his dual murder convictions and life sentence appears vanishingly small.

Join Anne Emerson, Charlie Condon and Drew Tripp as they recap the important day in court and preview Murdaugh's upcoming evidentiary hearing on the controversial jury tampering allegations.

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Did Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill have improper communications with jurors during Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial? If so, did she create bias or prejudice among jurors potentially influencing their verdict and warranting a retrial?

Those are the two primary questions needing answers when state prosecutors and Murdaugh’s defense lawyers meet in court January 29 in a pivotal hearing to decide if Murdaugh’s dual convictions for the murders of his wife and son were fair and will stand.

Murdaugh’s defense lawyers in a brief filed ahead of the hearing adamantly argue the answer to both questions is “Yes,” while the team of prosecutors for the S.C. Attorney General's Office argue they still feel Murdaugh shouldn't even be getting a hearing.

Join Anne Emerson, Charlie Condon and Drew Tripp as they break down the legal battles taking shape.

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State investigators have found evidence linking a Colleton County government wiretapping scandal involving Jeffrey Hill to a public ethics complaint against his mother, the county’s elected clerk of court, Becky Hill.

In this episode, former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon tells hosts Anne Emerson and Drew Tripp how the ethics complaint and attacks on Hill's character might impact a potential retrial for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh.

BACKGROUND:

The date of the wiretapping incident involving Jeffrey Hill came in late July 2023, about a month after someone filed an ethics complaint against his mother with the State Ethics Commission.

Becky Hill's county-issued cell phone was confiscated as part of the ongoing investigation. A public corruption investigation tied to the wiretapping incident has now been escalated to the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

The original ethics complaint against Becky Hill, dated June 2023, alleges that during the Murdaugh murder trial and afterward, she "utilized her authority, the Colleton County Courthouse and taxpayer's money outside the scope of routine court business."

In documents dated August 2023 reported by FITSNews, Hill categorically denies many of the allegations made in the original June 26 ethics complaint, and alleges other accusations have been crafted to exclude important context and other details to intentionally make her actions appear nefarious.

MORE: Source says Colleton wiretapping & corruption probe linked to court clerk ethics complaint

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A tenuous sense of finality has spread across the South Carolina Lowcountry like a late November cold front as another chapter in Alex Murdaugh's seemingly unending criminal saga comes to a close. Getting there, the world heard for the first time this week the raw emotional catharsis of several families victimized by Alex Murdaugh's beguiling treachery. Friends, peers and clients alike unleashed years of pent-up anger and disappointment in Murdaugh Tuesday as he was formally sentenced to 27 years in prison for his many frauds, thefts, forgeries and lies. To some, the sentence only serves to further stoke the fire of their anger as it seems to them not nearly enough. Others are simply glad to turn from the last page a dark chapter in their lives — more interested in peace and forgiveness than vengeance.

But what would this historic day be without the enigmatic and vexing Murdaugh once again attempting to seize the spotlight away from those owed justice to shine the attention on himself instead?

Join host Anne Emerson, legal analyst Charlie Condon and producer Drew Tripp for this jam-packed retrospective on Alex Murdaugh's financial crimes plea deal and sentencing.

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The legal maneuvering never ceases where Alex Murdaugh is concerned. This week, Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian is once again raising concerns that his client won't be able to get a fair jury trial due to media attention when the Satterfield fraud and money laundering case goes to court on November 27 in Beaufort County. Harpootlian says a sampling of responses from potential jurors on pre-trial questionnaires show Murdaugh might find it impossible in "beautiful Beaufort by the sea" to find a juror who's a blank slate. Harpootlian now wants the case moved out of not only Beaufort, but of the Lowcountry entirely. A hearing on the issue is set for Friday, November 18, at 10 a.m. in Beaufort County.

Meantime, we still don't know what'll happen with respect to Murdaugh's petition to the Supreme Court asking that they bar presiding Judge Clifton Newman from overseeing any more Murdaugh cases. This legal limbo hangs over the Attorney General's office responding to Murdaugh's request for a retrial in his murder case on jury tampering charges. Clerk of Court Becky Hill now claims the accusations against her are false, and the AG's Office takes the bold stance that Murdaugh despite scandalous claims doesn't actually have a credible claim to stand on.

Join Anne Emerson, former S.C. Attorney General Charlie Condon and producer Drew Tripp as they analyze everything new in the world of Murdaugh.

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Alex Murdaugh's lawyers have taken the extraordinary step of asking the Supreme Court of South Carolina to remove Judge Clifton Newman as the presiding judge in the Murdaugh cases. The petition cites the fact Judge Newman himself may be a witness in the looming retrial hearing over jury tampering allegations in the Murdaugh murder trial. The request to have Judge Newman taken off the cases also wades into the territory of potential misconduct and bias on the judge's part for statements made since the jury returned its guilty verdict against Murdaugh for the killings of his wife and son.

Join host Anne Emerson, legal analyst and former Attorney General Charlie Condon, and producer Drew Tripp as they break down the latest head-spinning developments in the world of Murdaugh.

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Alex Murdaugh entered a guilty plea Thursday to federal fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges, marking the first formal acknowledgment of guilt by the disgraced former attorney. But of course, nothing in the Murdaugh case could ever be so straightforward. The hearing concluded with Murdaugh's attorneys requesting Judge Richard Gergel sign an immediate forfeiture order for Alex's assets to be seized by the federal government. Lawyers Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian projected altruism for Murdaugh's victims and cited a need to prevent other lawyers from "burning off" the money recovered by state court officers in charge of Alex's money. This has the potential to set up a legal fight between the state and feds over who has control over Murdaugh's millions.

Join investigative reporter Anne Emerson, legal analyst Charlie Condon and executive producer Drew Tripp as they break down the latest developments in the Murdaugh sphere.

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South Carolina prosecutors have filed their response to Alex Murdaugh's request for a new murder trial based on jury tampering allegations. The Attorney General's office concedes a hearing may be needed, but says "significant factual disputes" have already been revealed in the ongoing investigation. Meantime, Judge Clifton Newman this week sentenced Murdaugh co-conspirator Cory Fleming to 20 year in state prison on fraud and money laundering charges.

Anne, Charlie and Drew have the details in this lengthy breakdown from a busy week in the Murdaugh criminal saga.

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Alex Murdaugh's lawyers are demanding a retrial after several jurors who convicted their client of murdering his wife and son have suddenly come forward to accuse Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca ("Becky") Hill of impropriety. Attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian say the testimony of these jurors point to potential misconduct in office by Hill, alleging she attempted to influence jurors against Alex Murdaugh and deprived him of a fair trial.

Host Anne Emerson, legal analyst Charlie Condon and producer Drew Tripp break down the accusations and potential ramifications in an all-new episode.

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