{"id":2151485,"date":"2024-01-17T11:29:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T16:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judges-evidence-limitations-make-alex-murdaughs-push-for-new-trial-more-difficult\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T11:32:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T16:32:43","slug":"judges-evidence-limitations-make-alex-murdaughs-push-for-new-trial-more-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judges-evidence-limitations-make-alex-murdaughs-push-for-new-trial-more-difficult\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge&#8217;s evidence restrictions hinder Alex Murdaugh&#8217;s bid for a new trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudges-evidence-limitations-make-alex-murdaughs-push-for-new-trial-more-difficult%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2151485&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Alex\u2062 Murdaugh&#8217;s Defense Faces Limitations in Obtaining New\u2064 Murder Trial<\/h2>\n<p>A state judge\u2063 in South Carolina has imposed restrictions on convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh&#8217;s defense, making it more challenging for him to secure\u2063 a new trial. Former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice\u2064 Jean \u2064Toal ruled that Murdaugh&#8217;s defense \u200dattorneys will face \u200blimitations in questioning witnesses \u200band will\u200d need to meet a high burden of proof \u2062regarding Murdaugh&#8217;s claims of jury \u2064tampering\u2063 by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill.<\/p>\n<p>The focus of the issue is whether Hill had \u2063improper communications with jurors during\u2064 Murdaugh&#8217;s trial\u2062 and, if so, whether those communications\u2064 influenced the trial&#8217;s outcome. \u2064Toal\u200d stated that she would not inquire \u2064about\u2062 other \u200ballegations against Hill, such as plagiarism\u2062 or misuse\u2063 of \u2064public funds.\u200d Additionally, Toal indicated that she would not admit many of Hill&#8217;s emails as\u2064 evidence.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m very, very reluctant to turn\u200c this\u200c hearing about \u2064juror contact into a wholesale \u200cexploration about every piece of\u200d conduct by\u200b the clerk\u200c alleged to have \u2062been improper\u200c on its own, \u2062indicative of \u2063her characteristics or personality, or anything \u200bof that \u200cnature,&#8221;\u200d Toal said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not the trial of Ms.\u200d Hill,&#8221;\u200c she added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hill\u2064 has denied most of \u200dthe allegations against her,\u200c and state police are investigating whether her actions constitute\u200b jury tampering and misuse of her office. However, she \u200dhas not been charged with \u2064any crimes. Her\u2064 attorneys have acknowledged \u2063that Hill sent reporting from a BBC journalist to\u2063 her \u2062co-author, implying that it \u200dwas &#8220;her own words.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The original \u2064trial judge,\u200c Clifton \u2063Newman, is not overseeing the\u200b appeals process, and Toal stated that she\u200c would not seek testimony from him. Murdaugh&#8217;s defense attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, argued\u2064 in a pre-trial filing that they do not \u200cneed to prove actual bias on \u200cthe part of any juror to obtain\u2062 a new trial.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Mr. Murdaugh does\u200d not need \u2062to \u200dshow actual bias\u2062 on \u200bthe \u200bpart of any juror to\u200d obtain a new trial,&#8221; his attorneys wrote. &#8220;If Mr. Murdaugh proves his allegation that Ms. Hill communicated\u200d with the jury about the evidence \u2062presented by the defense \u200cduring his murder trial,\u2064 South Carolina and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-five-states-to-stop-counting-on-election-night-is-absolutely-unprecedented-sidney-powell-lays-out-evidence-of-rampant-election-fraud-in-latest-interview-audio\/\" title=\"\u201cFor Five States to Stop Counting on Election Night Is Absolutely Unprecedented\u201d \u2013 Sidney Powell Lays Out Evidence of Rampant Election Fraud in Latest Interview (Audio)\">federal law require<\/a> \u200dthat Mr. Murdaugh receive \u2064a new trial, irrespective \u2062of whether the court \u200cbelieves the outcome of the \u2063trial would have been the same had Ms. Hill&#8217;s jury \u200dtampering \u200dnot occurred.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-decries-trumps-overriding-interest-to-delay-criminal-trials\/\" title=\"Jack Smith criticizes Trump's priority to postpone criminal trials.\">state prosecutors argue<\/a> that Murdaugh&#8217;s defense attorneys\u2063 must prove that Hill&#8217;s communications influenced\u2064 the jury. Murdaugh was found guilty of murder\u200c on \u2062March 2 and \u2063received two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-walmart-shooter-agrees-to-pay-more-than-5-million-to-families-over-2019-attack\/\" title=\"Texas Walmart shooter to compensate families with over  million for 2019 attack.\">consecutive \u200dlife sentences<\/a>.\u2064 Evidentiary hearings for his appeal are set\u200d to begin \u2064on\u2062 January \u206429.<\/p>\n<h3>Sources:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/murdaugh-killings-appeal-south-carolina-criminal-justice-bf331c96e767624232101546a3689b2b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/katu.com\/news\/nation-world\/proving-actual-bias-key-to-alex-murdaugh-jury-tampering-murder-retrial-wciv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KATU 2<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/01\/06\/news\/alex-murdaugh-might-get-a-re-do-on-his-murder-conviction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/alex-murdaugh-found-guilty-of-killing-wife-son\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Daily Wire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/hearing-this-month-to-determine-if-alex-murdaugh-got-a-fair-trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Daily \u2063Wire<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"sk-tooltip-9096\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1700760801843000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG\">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How will Murdaugh&#8217;s defense team need to counter Toal&#8217;s doubts about the credibility of\u2064 their key witness during the new trial hearing<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bUgh&#8217;s claim is not that a juror acted with actual\u2062 bias, but rather that the jury trial was tainted by \u200dexternal impropriety that creates a reasonable likelihood of bias,&#8221;\u200d Harpootlian and Griffin wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A \u2062new trial is required because of the cumulative effect of Ms. Hill&#8217;s wrongful conduct.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, \u2064Toal\u200d rejected this argument and\u200d stated \u2063that Murdaugh&#8217;s defense must \u2064show &#8220;actual bias \u2062or a substantial possibility of bias&#8221;\u200c on the part of \u200dthe jurors in order \u200dto obtain a new trial. She \u200c\u200calso \u200c\u200craised doubts\u2064 about the credibility\u2062 of\u2063 one \u2062of the defense&#8217;s key witnesses,\u2064 a private \u2062investigator named \u200c\u200dJames Bolin, questioning \u200dwhether \u200c\u200dhis opinions were based on facts or mere speculation.\u2063<\/p>\n<p>Murdaugh, a \u2063prominent \u2063South Carolina lawyer, was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill his own wife in 2019.\u200b He has maintained his \u200dinnocence and claimed that he hired the hitman under duress \u2063because he feared for his family&#8217;s safety. \u2063However, the new trial hearing is solely focused on Murdaugh&#8217;s allegations of jury \u200dtampering, not \u2062on his guilt or innocence in the murder case.\u200c<\/p>\n<p>With the limitations imposed by \u200cToal, Murdaugh&#8217;s\u2063 defense team faces an\u2062 uphill battle in proving that Hill&#8217;s alleged interactions with the jurors prejudiced the trial&#8217;s outcome. The defense\u200b will need to present compelling evidence \u200csupporting\u2062 \u200ctheir \u200cclaims, while also countering\u200d \u200cToal&#8217;s \u200cdoubts\u2063 about the credibility of their key witness.\u2062 Only time\u2063 will tell how successful Murdaugh&#8217;s defense is in obtaining a new trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A South Carolina judge has imposed restrictions on convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh&#8217;s defense, making it harder for him to secure a new trial. Former SC Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal ruled that his attorneys will face limitations in questioning witnesses and establishing a defense strategy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":2151486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2151485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2151485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2151486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2151485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2151485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2151485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}