Murdaugh juror testifies Becky Hill influenced her verdict; questioned about cell phones

A hearing is being held in Columbia on Alex Murdaugh’s attempts to overturn his convictions in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul.

Murdaugh and his attorneys claim that Colleton County Clerk of Court made improper comments to jurors during Murdaugh’s trial in early 2023. At Monday’s hearing, Judge Jean Toal plans to question 11 of the jurors. A twelfth juror testified on Friday because of a scheduling conflict this week.

The hearing is taking place in the Richland County Courthouse.

Toal, 80, is a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Murdaugh was convicted in March of killing his wife and son in June 2021 at the Moselle, the family’s Colleton County estate. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Murdaugh committed the murders to divert attention from his widespread financial problems.

The trial is being livestreamed by Court TV. This page will be updated Monday as the hearing goes forward.

11:19 a.m.

“Juror P” says he did not see what other jurors may have been viewing on their cell phones. He did hear Becky Hill say jurors should watch Murdaugh’s body language while he was testifying, but his verdict wasn’t influenced by her.

11:15 a.m.

“Juror E” denies seeing the earlier testimony on a cell phone in the break room. He also denies hearing or being influenced by Becky Hill.

With Friday’s testimony, half of the Murdaugh trial jury has now testified. Judge Toal tells the juror “it shouldn’t be too much longer” before the jurors are dismissed today.

11:10 a.m.

“Juror L” said other jurors did have their phones out in the jury room, although he says he didn’t look at them. He says he did not hear any comments from Becky Hill before the verdict and was not influenced by her.

11:05 a.m.

Dick Harpootlian says he believes Becky Hill transported this juror in her personal vehicle during the trial. Juror F testified that Hill did not.

11:02 a.m.

“Juror F” is up next. She says another juror was watching today’s proceedings on her cell phone, but says that will not influence her testimony here today. She also says she did not hear any comments from Becky Hill during the trial and Hill did not influence her verdict.

10:56 a.m.

“Juror C” is now testifying. The juror says he was unsure what other jurors may have been watching, but says some were on their cell phones in the break room.

This juror says he did not hear any comments from Becky Hill about the case before the verdict.

The media sets up outside the Richland County Courthouse for a hearing into Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction on January 29, 2024 Tracy Glantz/tglantz@thestate.com

10:51 a.m.

Toal says a bailiff will now be present in the jury room from now on, telling the jurors not to discuss the testimony. Juror Z told the judge she was willing to return to the jury room with the rest of the jurors.

Harpootlian asks future jurors be questioned about what they may have seen from their cell phones. Toal said she will have some questions about that.

10:36 a.m.

Harpootlian objects to affidavit, which he thinks means Toal will not accept testimony. Ask to instruct juror there’s nothing wrong with both statements being true. Toal declines.

Toal also announces that jurors were watching the proceedings on CourtTV on their cellphones from the break room. She plans to continue with questioning jurors, although she’s “not happy about it.”

The jurors were supposed to be sequestered during each other’s testimony, and should not have had access to the proceedings while waiting to be called to testify.

10:30 a.m.

Juror Z says she heard Becky Hill tell jurors “not to be fooled” ahead of Murdaugh’s testimony, which she took to mean Murdaugh would lie during his testimony.

The juror also says the foreperson of the jury said after Murdaugh’s testimony that the defendant was “crying on cue,” and the foreperson criticized another juror for handing Murdaugh a box of tissues during his testimony. The foreperson said the jurors should not interact with Murdaugh because “that’s what the defense attorneys want,” Juror Z said.

Hill told jurors on the day of their deliberations that if they were still deliberating after 11 p.m., they would taken to a hotel, which the jurors were not prepared for, the juror says. Smokers on the jury were also told couldn’t have a break until after the deliberations.

She had questions about Murdaugh’s guilt, but voted out of pressure by the other jurors, Juror Z testifies.

A review of previous public court filings in the case shows that the affidavit that Juror Z read in court was originally sworn to by Juror 630. That affidavit was included in a Sept. 5 motion seeking a new trial by Murdaugh’s lawyer in the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

10:20 a.m.

The juror is taken out of the room as the state asks Judge Toal to ask about an affidavit this juror signed about being pressured by the other jurors. Harpootlian objects, but is overruled.

10:16 a.m.

“Juror Z” is being questioned by Judge Toal. She told the judge she did hear Becky Hill make comments about Murdaugh ahead of his testimony at the 2023 trial, and that it did influence her decision to find Murdaugh guilty. “She made it seem like he was already guilty,” the juror said.

The testimony could be significant. Toal has said that her decision on granting a new trial will be based on whether Hill made comments to the jurors that influenced their decision. The first juror questioned on Monday said Hill’s comments did.

10:10 a.m.

Judge Toal assures the jury, who are being kept off camera on the livestream, that they did nothing wrong in hearing the Murdaugh murder case last year. It was a complex case, and questions about juror influence is usually dealt with much more quickly than this one has been.

Jurors will be questioned separately, with their identities kept anonymous as they were throughout the 2023 trial.

She stops briefly while we listen to some feedback static coming through the courtroom’s sound system. “We have the funkiest sound system,” the judge says.

Harpootlian requests attorney Eric Bland, who has represented clients who have sued Murdaugh and several jurors, not sit close to the jurors while they are testifying. Toal asks Bland to move further back in the courtroom.

9:58 a.m.

Judge Jean Toal begins Monday’s hearing by thanking the press for observing an embargo on one juror’s testimony on Friday. She will begin today’s proceedings by bringing in other jurors from Murdaugh’s Walterboro murder trial last year, and question them one by one.

Friday’s juror had a conflict with today’s proceeding and was questioned separately Friday in a hearing that the press was embargoed from reporting until Monday’s hearing.

But first, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian is arguing against the judge’s use of the term “merit” in Toal’s questioning of the juror on Friday. Toal disagrees with Harpootlian’s assessment that it “confused” the juror.