street. Matthews, South Carolina – Former South Carolina court clerk who helped prosecute the lawyer for murder Alex Murdo He pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges of showing sealed court exhibits to a photographer and lying about them in court.
former Colleton County Clerk of Courts Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, 58, was arrested in May on four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs of the crime scene that were sealed in court and then lying about them — as well as two counts of misconduct in office to obtain rewards and promote through her public office a book she wrote about the trial, authorities said.
hill He was responsible for looking after the jury, supervising the exhibits, and assisting the judge during the trial Murdoch A six-week trial ended in a murder conviction for the killing of his wife and son. The case is about power, danger, money, privilege and a lawyer The family has taken control His small county in South Carolina for nearly a century.
Hill played a prominent role in Murdaugh’s appeal of his convictions and sentence Life without parole. His lawyers said Hill tried To influence jurors to vote guilty and that she was biased against Murdo because of her book. Murdo is also serving a separate prison sentence Decades in prison For admitting to stealing millions of dollars from settlements for clients who suffered horrific injuries or deaths — and from his family’s law firm.
The initial appeal by Murdoch’s lawyers was rejected. But Judge Jean Toal said she was not sure whether Hill was right He told the truth About her interactions with jurors she was “drawn to celebrity status.”
Some of Hill’s accusations in the Murdoch trial relate to Murdoch’s murder. The arrest warrant said Hill violated a judge’s order to keep the photos sealed from the public. A second memo said Hill lied to Toal during a hearing in January 2024 when the judge asked: “Did you allow anyone from the press to view the sealed exhibits?”
One of the charges — misconduct in office — involved money investigators said Hill took for herself. That includes nearly $10,000 earmarked for bonuses from federal funds aimed at improving child support collections and about $2,000 in funds from the court clerk’s office, they said.
The arrest warrant for the other misconduct charge said Hale used her public role as court clerk to promote her book about the Mardo trial on social media.
Hill was also charged last May with 76 counts of ethics violations. Officials said Hill was showing a photo Mardo In a holding cell she would be taken to promoting her book about the trial and used county funds to buy dozens of lunches for her staff, prosecutors and vendors.
Hill also struck a deal with a documentary filmmaker to use the county courtroom in exchange for promoting her book about the trial, which she later admitted contained plagiarized clips, according to the South Carolina Ethics Commission complaint.
hill He resigned in March 2024 During the final year of her four-year term, citing public scrutiny of Murdaugh’s trial and her desire to spend time with her grandchildren.