A juror who helped convict Alex Murdaugh in the killings of his wife and son was left stunned by the South Carolina Supreme Court’s “crazy” decision Wednesday to overturn the verdict.
Juror Ami Williams insisted she was never swayed into convicting the disgraced legal scion in the grisly 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, after the state’s top court unanimously found that a court clerk improperly influenced his dramatic six-week trial.
Judges ruled that Colleton County court clerk Becky Hill tainted the 2023 trial by meddling with the jury.
“I never felt that the clerk of court was pushing an agenda or trying to push me to come to a certain verdict,” Williams told NBC News Wednesday. “Never felt that way about her at all.”
The shocked juror blasted the court’s decision to toss the murder convictions as “crazy” while hailing Hill – who oversaw the jury – for being “so gracious” and “super helpful.”
Murdaugh, 57, was serving two consecutive life sentences without parole for the heinous double murders.
Even with his convictions scrapped and a new trial ordered, Murdaugh won’t be walking free. He’s still serving concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences for stealing from his clients.
“While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, my Office will aggressively seek to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as soon as possible,” state Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement after the court’s bombshell decision.
“Let me be clear — this decision does not mean Murdaugh will be released. He will remain in prison for his financial crimes. No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice.”
Murdaugh’s lawyers appealed his murder convictions, arguing the trial was unfairly influenced by Hill, who they argued tampered with the jury during the trial.
The state Supreme Court found prosecutors’ efforts to convict Murdaugh were in vain after Hill “placed her fingers on the scales of justice,” denying him a fair trial by an impartial jury.
Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice, perjury, and two counts of misconduct in office after admitting she showed sealed crime scene photos to a reporter and lied about it.
She also admitted to promoting her book about the trial through her public office.
Hill was sentenced to probation.