Alex Murdaugh Juror Admits Her Decision to Convict Was Influenced by County Clerk

The hearing comes after Murdaugh's attorneys accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of tampering with the jury during the 2023 double-murder trial

• Alex Murdaugh's attorneys have accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of tampering with the jury

• Murdaugh's attorneys alleged that Hill repeatedly referenced Murdaugh to the jury in ways that made him appear guilty and put pressure on jurors to reach a quick verdict

• While one juror said she was influenced by Hill, the 11 other jurors testified that Hill had no impact on their decision to convict

During a Monday hearing, one of the 12 jurors who convicted Alex Murdaugh last year for the murders of his wife and son claimed that comments made by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill influenced her to choose a guilty verdict.

During the hearing, which began on Jan. 29 and was live-streamed, one juror, identified only as Juror Z, testified comments from Hill “made it seem like he was already guilty.”

The hearing comes after Murdaugh's attorneys accused Hill of tampering with the jury, according to a motion for a new trial filed by Murdaugh’s defense attorneys Richard Harpootlian and James Griffin, which was previously reviewed by PEOPLE.

Murdaugh's attorneys alleged that Hill repeatedly referenced Murdaugh to the jury in ways that made him appear guilty. They also claim she made efforts to remove a juror she wasn’t confident would turn in a guilty verdict. Murdaugh’s attorneys also claim Hill “pressured the jurors to reach a quick verdict, telling them from the outset of their deliberations that it ‘shouldn’t take them long,’ “ according to the motion.

During Monday's hearing, the 11 other jurors testified that their guilty verdict was not influenced by Hill.

Related: Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction

Last March, Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders of his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22.  The two were shot and killed — with two different guns — on their 1,770-acre property in Islandton, S.C., on June 7, 2021.

In July of 2022, more than a year after the murders, Alex was arrested and charged with their murders.

Jurors in Murdaugh's murder trial deliberated for less than three hours before delivering the guilty verdicts. Murdaugh was sentenced to two life sentences in prison for the murders.

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After the conviction, juror Craig Moyer told Good Morning America that he believed in Murdaugh's guilt because of cell phone evidence introduced by the prosecution.

At the start of the trial, prosecutor Creighton Waters revealed that Paul had taken a cell phone video near the dog kennels on the Islandton property at 8:44 p.m. on the night the murders occurred. The video features the voices of Paul, Maggie and Murdaugh and was a key component for the prosecution because Murdaugh denied being near the kennels — where Maggie and Paul were murdered — for nearly two years.

Related: Prosecutors Detail How Son's Cell Phone Video Allegedly Places Alex Murdaugh at Murder Scene

Despite his previous denials, when Murdaugh took the stand, he admitted that he lied about his whereabouts.

"I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did," Murdaugh said on the stand. However, to this day, he adamantly denies fatally shooting his wife and youngest son.

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