Becky Hill, the former Colleton County court clerk who oversaw the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, was arrested Wednesday on multiple felony charges linked to her conduct during and after the high-profile case.

Authorities in South Carolina filed two counts of misconduct in office and one count of obstruction of justice in Colleton County, along with a perjury charge in Richland County. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) later confirmed Hill, 57, faces all four charges, including misconduct and perjury.

Murdaugh’s attorney, Dick Harpootlian, told The Story with Martha MacCallum that he believes these charges strengthen the argument for a new trial.

According to court documents, the charges stem from Hill’s January 2024 testimony during a South Carolina Supreme Court hearing. Justice Jean Toal ultimately ruled against granting Murdaugh a new trial for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, which took place on the family’s hunting property.

When asked by Justice Toal whether she had allowed press access to sealed exhibits, Hill responded, “No, ma’am.” However, authorities later uncovered evidence that contradicted her statement.

In 2024, the State Ethics Commission accused Hill of abusing her official role for personal profit—specifically, promoting a book she wrote about the Murdaugh case. Hill later admitted to plagiarizing parts of the book and apologized.

New SLED documents also accuse Hill of marketing her book on social media during her tenure as court clerk.

“We are aware of the charges filed against Becky Hill, and while these developments are serious, they are not surprising,” Harpootlian said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We have long raised our concerns about her conduct during and after the trial. This arrest further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the judicial process.”

Hill also faced previous allegations of misappropriating nearly $10,000 in federal bonuses, routing the funds through child support payments to herself. Documents say she used federal grant money to buy food, gifts for court staff, holiday treats, office supplies, dog food, and even paint supplies and decor.

SLED’s investigation included these alleged misuses of funds in the charges filed Wednesday.

Despite these revelations, 11 out of 12 jurors in Murdaugh’s 2023 trial told investigators that Hill did not influence their verdict. One juror recalled her commenting on Murdaugh’s body language but claimed it didn’t affect his decision.

Eric Bland, an attorney for victims of Murdaugh’s financial crimes, previously believed the state supreme court wouldn’t reverse its decision denying Murdaugh a new trial. But on Wednesday, he posted on X that Hill’s perjury charge, stemming from her February 2024 testimony, “complicates the situation” and increases the likelihood of a reversal.

“It will still come down to whether the federal or state standard for alleged jury tampering should apply,” Bland noted.

Myra Crosby, a dismissed juror known as the “egg juror” after asking to take eggs from the jury room, welcomed the charges against Hill.

“Hill finally being held accountable for the atrocities she did during this trial is a good start,” Crosby said in a statement to Fox News. “If the state believes in their case, they should have no issue granting Murdaugh a fair retrial without a tainted verdict.”

She also called for future juries to be sequestered and warned that most jurors may not recognize when interactions with court officials cross ethical boundaries.

“Not everyone has been a juror. I certainly didn’t know it was wrong when a court official questioned me,” she added.

Hill resigned in March 2024, citing reflection after handling one of South Carolina’s most high-profile trials. However, she claimed her resignation was not connected to the misconduct allegations.

“Managing a trial with such national and international scrutiny forced me to reflect on my time as clerk of court,” Hill said during a press conference. She added that she chose not to seek re-election in order to focus on family and give other Republican candidates time to run for her seat.

Her former attorney, Justin Bamberg, who also represents several Murdaugh victims, maintained in March that her resignation was not related to any ongoing investigations.

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