Insights into the ethics investigation against court clerk Murdaugh

A court clerk once accused of tampering with the South Carolina court jury that convicted Alex Murdaugh now faces more than six dozen ethics violations for allegedly abusing her elected office to promote and financially profit from her book about the trial.

The South Carolina Ethics Commission confirmed Wednesday that it has found probable cause to file 76 counts of misconduct against former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, which will be discussed at a formal hearing in December. The charges allege that she used her position to enrich herself and a company she was associated with and disclosed confidential information for her personal benefit.

The allegations — made in at least two formal complaints filed last year as well as official hearing notices obtained by The Daily Beast — accuse Hill of a series of offenses, including allowing tours of the courthouse in exchange for “donations,” allowing photos to be taken in the cell Murdaugh occupied during the trial, filming a promotional segment for her book in her office, and replacing gifts she purchased for court employees.

A hearing memo alleges that Hill gave thousands directly to her to pay for “candy, tea and lemonade for Lori’s 50th birthday.” Another time she allegedly paid herself back for “brunch snacks” for her court employees – and a third time for staff gifts for “Father’s Day for men.” Other public funds were allegedly used to pay her back for dog food, dog bones and a dog bed.

“During the Murdaugh trial, Hill used her political position and authority to obtain confidential information and digital images of the defendant and others during the trial,” a citizen alleges in a June 2023 ethics complaint. “At the conclusion of the trial, Hill was interviewed by members of Netflix and was responsible for the release of unredacted bodycam footage.”

The ethics trial is the latest legal escalation against Hill, who resigned in March in the middle of her first term. The resignation came five months after Murdaugh’s lawyers first accused her of influencing the 12-person jury that convicted Murdaugh in February 2021. He now faces a life sentence for the murder of his son and wife.

The allegations, made as part of a defense motion for a retrial, led to two separate government investigations — and the sale of her book about the trial. Behind the doors of justicewas halted after she admitted she had committed plagiarism. It also led to an evidentiary hearing in January where former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal denied a motion for a new trial but cautioned Hill against being lured by the “siren song of celebrity.”

“She wanted to write a book about the trial and expressed that in November 2022, long before the trial began,” Toal said at the hearing in January.

However, the hearing notice and ethics complaints paint a more harrowing and comprehensive picture of Hill’s tenure during the Murdaugh trial. The June 2023 citizen complaint also describes how Hill unethically abused her authority, the courthouse, and taxpayer dollars when the trial began in January 2023.

“Through interviews with various media sources, Hill admits that she planned to write a book as soon as she learned that Murdaugh would be tried in Colleton County,” the lawsuit states. “Hill also used her position to make contacts prior to the trial who could assist her in this endeavor. These admissions can be found in local news sources and social media posts.”

The lawsuit also accuses Hill of abusing her position to promote her book in local media and to allow at least one citizen “unhindered access” to the courthouse.

“It is also known that a male tourist wrote a check to Colleton County for $100.00 as a tour donation. Hill later instructed an employee to alter the check by crossing out Colleton County and putting her name on the check,” it is alleged. “Hill then deposited the check into her personal bank account. The mentions are unaccounted for because no receipts were issued and it is unknown which financial institution and account the donations were received into.”

A month later, another citizen filed an ethics complaint against Hill. The July citizen complaint alleges that Hill may have accepted gifts from media outlets, that the press threw a party in her honor during the trial, and that she attended another gathering of reporters where “her daughter sang and entertained them.”

Hill’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The South Carolina Attorney General’s office declined to comment.