Court clerk who handled Alex Murdaugh murder trial facing 76 counts of ethics violations

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A former court clerk in Columbia, South Carolina, is facing dozens of counts of ethics violations.

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Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill is facing 76 counts of ethics violations, according to The Associated Press. Hill, when she was a court clerk, handled Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial.

Some of the allegations against Hill include allowing a photo of Murdaugh to be taken when he was in a holding cell, the AP reported. This was done to reportedly promote her book which is based on his murder trial.

She also allegedly used county funding to pay herself bonuses, and to buy her staff and others lunch, the AP reported.

In a complaint, the South Carolina Ethics Commission said that Hill made a deal with a documentary maker, according to the AP. That deal would allow the documentary maker to use the county’s courtroom if they promoted her book. Hill later admitted that some of the passages in her book were plagiarized.

Hill was served notices on May 17 after the ethics commission received two complaints in 2023, WCIV reported. Two counts against her are from the first complaint, while the other 74 are from the complaint that was filed by former deputy clerk of court Laura Hayes.

Two hearings are scheduled for Dec. 19, according to the news outlet.

“During the Murdaugh trial, Hill has unethically and unlawfully used her political office to obtain and release confidential information,” the complaint reads, according to WCIV. “She has used her office and misallocated funds to promote her book and the book written by Michael DeWitt. Hill has neglected the office of clerk of court to take several trips to promote her book and to meet with Netflix to secure her position in the upcoming series. Hill’s actions have displayed she is unfit to hold the office of clerk of court.”

A jury last year found Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife, 52-year-old Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and his son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. They were found shot dead at the family’s home in Colleton County on the night of June 7, 2021. His attorneys are appealing his conviction. Murdaugh is serving two life terms for their murders.

He was sentenced to an additional 40 years after he pleaded guilty to federal financial crimes last year. That included 22 financial fraud and money laundering charges. He will also be required to pay $8.7 million in restitution, according to The Post and Courier.

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