In the latest twist in the legal saga involving Alex Murdaugh, his lawyers have filed a motion for a new trial by alleging they have evidence of jury tampering.
The attorneys for Murdaugh, the disgraced lawyer convicted in March of fatally shooting his wife and son, claimed in a court filing with the South Carolina Court of Appeals on Sept. 5 that the Colleton County clerk of court tampered with the jury by "advising them not to believe Murdaugh's testimony."
Attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said they have sworn affidavits from two jurors detailing multiple instances of what they say was improper conduct by court clerk Rebecca Hill.
"Any time there’s outside influence in the sanctity of the jury room, it is improper," Griffin told Craig Melvin on TODAY Sept. 6. "The legal question is not whether the outcome of the trial would have been different. The question is whether the information provided to the jury outside the confines of the courtroom is prejudicial. ... What we do know is the conduct that the jurors have reported to us is highly improper, and frankly, illegal."
NBC News reached out to Hill for comment but has not heard back. She told Court TV that the allegations were "so untrue."
Here's what to know about the case and the motion for a new trial.
What is Murdaugh’s defense claiming about jury tampering?
Harpootlian and Griffin claim in their motion that clerk Rebecca Hill “tampered with the jury by advising them not to believe Murdaugh’s testimony and other evidence presented by the defense, pressuring them to reach a quick guilty verdict, and even misrepresenting critical and material information to the trial judge in her campaign to remove a juror she believed to be favorable to the defense."
Murdaugh's lawyers say the verdict is tainted due to alleged jury tampering and should be thrown out. They are calling for a new trial.
"We’ve got to show she acted improperly," Harpootlian said on TODAY. "If improper conduct occurred, there is a presumption that we get a new trial."
In sworn affidavits from a pair of jurors, Murdaugh's attorneys detail multiple instances of what they claim was improper conduct by Hill. They claim she spoke with the jurors about Murdaugh's testimony.
“Y’all are going to hear things that will throw you all off," the attorneys claim she told them. "Don’t let this distract you or mislead you.”
A separate affidavit from a person identified only as juror 630 says that before Murdaugh took the stand at his trial, Hill told the jury “not to be fooled” by the evidence the defense presents.
The attorneys also claimed in the motion that Hill “invented a story” about a Facebook post in order to remove a juror she thought would have found Murdaugh not guilty.
Three jurors from the case appeared on TODAY in March to discuss their experience.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said on Sept. 5 that his office is reviewing the motion and "will respond at the appropriate time."
Who is Rebecca Hill?
Rebecca "Becky" Hill is the Clerk of Court for Colleton County in South Carolina who was acknowledged by prosecutors for her work during the trial following the guilty verdict.
Hill was elected to her position in November 2020 and previously was worked as a court reporter and middle school teacher, according to The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina.
She co-authored a book about the trial called "Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders," which was published in July. She writes about her experience in the high-profile trial and her dealings with the Murdaugh family over the years.
Hill also did not shy away from sharing her opinion of Murdaugh's guilt in her book.
“I was mostly concerned about Alex being found innocent when I knew in my heart he was guilty," she wrote, according to The State.
What was the outcome of Murdaugh’s trial?
Murdaugh, 55, was found guilty in March of two counts of murder in the fatal shootings of his wife, Margaret, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, in June 2021.
He received two life sentences without parole. His attorneys maintain he is innocent.
Murdaugh still faces a 22-count indictment on federal financial fraud and money laundering charges that was announced by the Justice Department in May.
"He has admitted readily since September of 2021 that he engaged in financial fraud, financial misconduct, to support opioid addiction," Griffin said on TODAY. "He has never denied that. He's ready to accept the punishment for that. Is that life in prison without parole? We don't think so, we think it's substantially less than that."
Where is Murdaugh now?
Murdaugh is in protective custody in a maximum-security prison in South Carolina, corrections officials announced in March.
He is incarcerated in an undisclosed location that is separate from the general prison population due to safety reasons. His 8-by-10 foot cell includes a bed, toilet and sink, officials said.
On Aug. 30, he lost his prison phone and canteen privileges for breaking the rules about engaging with the media, according to prison records and the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
An investigation found that he read journal entries to his lawyer over the phone on a recorded call for part of an upcoming Fox Nation documentary called "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," the corrections department said in a statement to NBC News.