The court clerk from Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial has been accused of 76 ethics violations by South Carolina officials.
Rebecca Hill, who resigned as Colleton County Clerk of Courts in March, has not publicly addressed the accusations. According to the ethics complaint, she spent thousands of dollars in county and federal money to pay for frivolous activities, gifts and personal bonuses.
Hill is also accused of using her position to promote her book about the trial, “Behind the Doors of Justice.” She later admitted to plagiarizing part of the book, which was pulled from shelves last year.
Hill was also previously accused of improperly influencing the jury in Murdaugh’s trial. A judge in January ruled that Hill’s alleged actions did not mean Murdaugh deserved a retrial, but state authorities are still investigating Hill for jury tampering.
The latest complaint says Hill took $10,000 of federal money designated for child support cases and instead paid it to herself as a bonus. She’s also accused of stealing $20,000 in county money to buy meals for her staff, her family, judges and court employees, along with gifts for jurors and staffers on holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Hill also allowed someone to view a security camera that showed Murdaugh in his holding cell and take a picture of the scene, according to the complaint. That photo was then used to help Hill promote her book.
An ethics hearing for Hill is scheduled for Dec. 19. If the ethics commissioner determines Hill broke the law, they can pass information to county prosecutors.
Murdaugh, long a powerful attorney in Colleton County, was convicted of killing his wife and younger son and sentenced to life in prison for double murder.
With News Wire Services