(NewsNation) — Alex Murdaugh is back in court Friday along with one of the jurors who found him guilty of murdering his wife and son back in a 2023 trial.
His team insists the jury was influenced by Rebecca Hill, Colleton County Clerk of Court, and is working to get Murdaugh a retrial.
Murdaugh’s team claims Hill instructed the jury to watch Murdaugh’s body language during his testimony and made other inappropriate comments while the jury was present. Hill is currently being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Friday starts a multi-day hearing where former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal will be conducting the questioning of the 12 jurors and also overseeing hearings connected to Alex Murdaugh’s bid for a retrial.
After interviewing the jurors and Hill, Justice Toal will determine the merit of the jury tampering claims and then determine if Murdaugh will get a retrial.
Toal will only hear testimony from one juror Friday, who couldn’t be in court next week when the other 11 jurors will be questioned.
The judge will ask these jurors what the clerk said to them, how she said it and if it impacted their verdict. The juror’s testimony will be a critical part of this hearing.
Cameras aren’t allowed in the courthouse Friday.