(NewsNation) — Attorneys for convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh are appealing his conviction based on what they say is “unprecedented” and “shocking” actions by the court clerk that influenced the jury.
Attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin officially filed the appeal Tuesday, asking the South Carolina Court of Appelas to grant an evidentiary hearing and hear testimony from two jurors who laid out their claims in sworn affidavits.
“This is unprecedented that the clerk of court — according to the evidence — went on a campaign to discredit the defense and discredit Alex Murdaugh’s testimony,” Griffin said Tuesday on “CUOMO.” “I’ve never experienced it in my life, never read about it, and it is shocking.”
In March, Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the crimes. He is currently awaiting trial on multiple counts of financial crimes, cases which were postponed until after the murder trial.
According to the motion, Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill told jurors to not be “misled” or “fooled” by Murdaugh’s testimony. The documents say Hill regularly talked to jurors, including the jury foreperson.
According to the documents, Hill and the foreperson had multiple private conversations, and other jurors were instructed not to ask about what they discussed.
Murdaugh’s team also alleges Hill was involved in removing the previous foreperson from the jury. The individual was removed after their ex-husband posted on Facebook referencing the juror discussing the case. When asked to produce the post, Hill was unable to but provided an apology post from the same user stating they had removed an “ugly post” they made previously.
Harpootlian and Griffin declined to elaborate on why Hill would be motivated to want to remove someone from the jury.
“I’d rather not comment on that because it’s not something we filed in court,” Harpootlian said.
Griffin added that they’ve asked for a federal investigation into Hill’s alleged actions. She has not commented publicly on the accusations.
Defense attorneys suggest Hill’s behavior was related to her desire to profit off the trial. Hill released a book in August that details the murder trial. She also appeared in media interviews and was interviewed by a documentary crew.
Murdaugh’s team claims Hill’s actions pressured the jury into returning a guilty verdict and deprived Murdaugh of his right to a fair trial and impartial jury. They have requested an evidentiary hearing to present their evidence to a judge and have asked for a new trial.
“If these jurors are to be believed, it is an impossible burden by the state, and we will get a new trial. We’re confident,” Griffin said.
NewsNation digital producer Stephanie Whiteside contributed to this report.