Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, 57, the former Colleton County clerk who helped manage the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, pleaded guilty Monday to multiple felonies after admitting she showed sealed crime-scene photos to a reporter and lied about it in court.
In Colleton County Circuit Court, Hill pleaded guilty to four felony counts: obstruction of justice and perjury for showing graphic, sealed photographs to a reporter and then denying the conduct, plus two counts of misconduct in office for accepting bonuses and using her official position to promote a book she wrote about the trial. She also faced a misdemeanor perjury charge in Richland County and was arrested in May, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.
Judge Heath Taylor sentenced Hill to one year of probation, noting the punishment would have been far harsher if prosecutors had found she tampered with jurors. Hill read a brief statement to the court asking for an opportunity to do better and saying, ‘There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them.’
Hill had responsibilities that included handling the jury, managing exhibits and assisting the judge during the roughly six-week trial that ended with Alex Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions for the murders of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their son, Paul. Murdaugh is serving life without parole for the murders and an additional 27-year sentence for separate financial crimes.
Solicitor Rick Hubbard told the court that a journalist informed investigators Hill had shown the graphic photos to several media members; he did not identify the reporter. Hill has been a focus in Murdaugh’s appeals, with his defense arguing she tried to influence jurors and showed bias in her book. Hill has denied any jury tampering.
Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said Hill’s guilty plea ‘is not surprising’ and questioned the impartiality of the agency that investigated the matter, suggesting Hill may have been untruthful in other contexts. Harpootlian has sought a retrial for Murdaugh, but no judge has granted one to date.
Some of Hill’s other legal troubles stem from alleged misuse of office funds and leveraging her position for personal gain. Warrants allege she took nearly $10,000 in bonuses from federal funds designated to improve child support collection and about $2,000 from the clerk’s office. Investigators also said she used her role to promote a trial-related book on social media and allowed a photo of Murdaugh in a holding cell to be used to promote that book.
Last May, Hill faced a separate slate of allegations — 76 counts of ethics violations — including using county money for staff lunches and striking a deal with a documentary maker to let them use the county courtroom in exchange for promotion of her book. The South Carolina Ethics Commission complaint also says Hill later acknowledged portions of her book contained plagiarized passages.
Hill resigned in March 2024 near the end of her four-year term, saying the public scrutiny surrounding the Murdaugh trial and a desire to spend time with her grandchildren prompted her decision.
Elizabeth Campbell and Jared Ochacher contributed to this report.