GREENVILLE, SC — The embattled former court clerk in South Carolina who oversaw theAlex Murdaugh double murder trial in 2023pleaded guilty on Dec. 8 to four criminal charges for sharing sealed court exhibits with the media and then lying about it in court.
Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca "Becky" Hill, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in office, one count of obstructing justice, and one count of perjury before Circuit Judge Heath Taylor in the Calhoun County courthouse. But despite facing up to 10 years in prison, she will not spend a day behind bars and will not face jury tampering charges.
Hill, of Walterboro, South Carolina, was charged by Colleton County authorities and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division on May 14 but spent less than eight hours in detainment before posting bond. She was initially sentenced to a total of five years in state prison, which was suspended to one day of time served, three years probation, and 100 hours of community service.
"If there had been any indictment of jury tampering," Hill would have received a "much different sentence," Taylor said.
What crimes did Becky Hill admit to?
Hill oversaw the six-week, double murder trial ofnow-disbarred attorney Murdaugh, who is currently servingback-to-back life sentencesfor the killings of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. Hill had been indicted on matters that related to the murder trial and issues related to her public office, but was not connected to Murdaugh.
In pleading guilty, Hill admitted to the following:
Obstructing justice: Providing multiple media members with access to sealed exhibits during the Murdaugh murder trial.
Perjury: On Jan. 29, 2024, during a hearing before South Carolina Justice Jean Toal on Murdaugh murder trial jury tampering allegations, Hill gave false or misleading testimony when asked by Toal if she released sealed court exhibits to the media, adding that evidence showed that Hill did release sealed exhibit photographs on Feb. 28, 2023.
Misconduct in office: One warrant alleges that Hill used her public office to promote a book that she wrote on the Murdaugh murder trial. Hill later admitted that she plagiarized portions of that book, "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders," and the book has since been "unpublished" on Amazon and other vendors.
Hill also agreed to charges that she filmed a video in her office at the Colleton County Courthouse during office hours, which was later broadcast on social media to promote her book.
"She is using her office to make money, and you can't do that," said 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard, who South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson appointed to take an independent look and prosecute the case.
Facing a second misconduct charge, Hill admitted to misusing public funds for personal gain. The warrants state that from Sept. 1, 2021, to March 5, 2024, Hill requested and received, for her own personal gain, $9,880.10 in Title IV-D Incentive Funds, and then gave herself a $2,000 bonus from the Colleton County Clerk of Courts fund.
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'There is no excuse for my mistakes'
Before sentencing, Hill's attorney, Will Lewis, said his client had been cooperative and was in court during the Dec. 8 hearing with not just an acknowledgement of her guilt, but a check for roughly $12,000 in restitution for the financial victim of her crimes: Colleton County.
Painting a picture of Hill as a 52-year-old grandmother who was devoted to family and community, Lewis pointed out that she had lost her professional life with the shame of her crimes.
Hill herself addressed the court: "I am truly sorry, and I do take full responsibility for my actions."
"There is no excuse for my mistakes, I am ashamed of them, and I will carry that shame with me for the rest of my life," Hill said, adding that she is committed to "making amends" and "rebuilding trust."
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Is Becky Hill guilty of jury tampering in the Murdaugh case?
Hill, whoresigned her positionafter serving less than one full four-year term as county court clerk, was also accused oftampering with the juryin the double-murder trial by Murdaugh's defense team. But Hill's attorney and court officials made it clear that jury tampering had nothing to do with the Dec. 8 proceedings.
"That's not why we are here, and that's not for consideration by this court," Lewis said.
Hubbard said that there was not enough evidence to indict Hill on jury tampering, or to "prove it beyond a reasonable doubt" in a court of law, despite allegations made by three members of the Murdaugh jury panel that indicated Hill made improper comments to the jury during the trial.
Hubbard added that there were "insurmountable" inconsistencies in the testimonies of the one deliberating juror, a dismissed juror, and an alternate juror, which could not stand in the face of 11 deliberating jurors who swore they had not heard such improper statements.
Murdaugh defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said in a statement to theGreenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Hill's guilty plea was "not surprising."
"More importantly, the agency expected to impartially investigate these charges has a vested interest in avoiding any outcome that would question the verdict of the initial Alex Murdaugh murder trial," Harpootlian said. "If Becky admittedly perjured herself in the jury tampering hearing held by Judge Toal, what else could she have lied about?"
Becky Hill's former co-author Neil Gordon issues statement
Neil R. Gordon, Becky Hill's co-author on"Behind The Doors Of Justice," issued an emailed statement on the Dec. 8 plea hearing, saying that he is disappointed with Hill's choices, which have fractured their relationship.
Still, Gordon said he and his wife Melissa wish her and her family "nothing but the best," adding that "we hope they can put this unfortunate chapter behind them."
"I appreciate seeing Becky step up and take responsibility for her actions, including the charge of misconduct in office, as it was directly related to the book I co-authored with her," Gordon said in the statement.
He also referenced Hill's decision to arrange a live streaming event on Facebook from her clerk's office to promote the book during work hours, saying it "showed boldness, poor judgment, and frankly ignorance of the oath she took as an elected official."
This article originally appeared on Greenville News:Court clerk in Murdaugh trial pleads guilty to showing sealed exhibits
