CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) — The former Colleton County Clerk of Court, who was set to appear for a hearing on Monday, has pleaded guilty.
Becky Hill, known as the clerk of court who handled Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial, pleaded guilty to all four counts at a hearing in Calhoun County. She was accused of jury tampering and violating state ethics for personal gain.
Hill will not be serving jail time after Judge Heath Taylor said they could not prove that she had tampered with jurors during Murdaugh’s double murder trial and said the sentence would be “very different.”
The former clerk admitted to showing sealed exhibits to the media and then lying about it in court. During the hearing, she apologized to the court, taking full responsibility for her actions.
Hill has been sentenced to one year of suspended terms on each misconduct case, five years of suspended terms on the obstruction and perjury charges, three years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Background
Hill resigned from her position as Colleton County Clerk of Court after an ethics investigation back in March 2024.
She was later arrested and charged in May 2025 with three misconduct charges in Colleton County and a perjury charge in Richland County after allegedly talking to jurors and trying to sway the decision to result in Murdaugh’s conviction.
Following her arrest, Hill was accused of over 70 ethics violations, including disclosure of confidential information for financial gain, and using her position as an official for financial gain in business.
This accusation came after Hill published a book about her experience handling the Murdaugh double-murder trial and allegedly attempted to use her position to boost sales.
Investigators from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) also accused Hill of showing evidence to a media person during the murder trial back in 2023 and allowing filming at the courthouse for personal gain.
On Monday, News 3 received a statement by Hill’s book co-author, Neil Gordon, stating that he appreciated “seeing Becky step up and take responsibility for her actions.”
“The specific instance was her decision to arrange a ‘Facebook Live’ from her clerk’s office with the Colleton County Chamber of Commerce solely to promote our book,” Gordon said. “The fact that it occurred during the workday showed boldness, poor judgment and frankly ignorance of the oath she took as an elected official.”
The co-author also said poor judgment has been “a pattern for Becky” and mentioned previous accusations that Hill had plagiarized parts of the book.