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Murdaugh Appeal: State Faces Supreme Court Deadline as Becky Hill Remains Uncharged

By James Seidel
Crime and Cask News Network

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Murdaugh Appeal – The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office has officially filed a transcript request with the S.C. Supreme Court as part of its legal defense of Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction—triggering a countdown to an April 9 or 10, 2025, deadline to file its response with the high court.

The transcript request, dated March 31, 2025, pertains to the January 26–29, 2024, hearing presided over by former Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, which examined explosive allegations of jury tampering by Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill during Murdaugh’s murder trial.

According to the documents obtained by Crime and Cask News Network, the entire hearing has to be transcribed if it isn’t already complete, with delivery listed as PDF/email within 60 days—meaning the State is racing against time to make its case before the April 2025 S.C. Supreme Court deadline. Or will the state ask for another extension because of the transcript delay? Will the S.C. Supreme Court allow them an extension based on the lateness of their request? Being that they had 90 days and waited until March 31st to request them.

But while this paperwork fiasco moves through Columbia, a broader question looms: Why have Becky Hill and her son Jeffrey “Colt” Hill not been charged, despite misconduct that even Justice Toal acknowledged occurred?

Murdaugh Appeal: The Silence After the Storm

It’s been 577 days since SLED opened a formal investigation into Hill, who was also the subject of 76 ethics violations and was involved in unauthorized contact with jurors, including Juror 785, whistleblower Myra Crosby.

Yet the State’s focus has been entirely on defending the verdict, not prosecuting the corruption that potentially compromised it.

Hill’s ethics hearing was postponed on Nov. 7, 2024, after her attorney claimed there was a “pending criminal investigation.” But now, more than four months later, no action has been taken, either by SLED, the Attorney General’s Office, or the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which is supposedly handling the surrogate probe, a story first reported by the CC News Network.

Meanwhile, her son Colt Hill, arrested in fall 2023 for wiretapping, has seen no updates in his case either.

Murdaugh Appeal: Justice Toal Acknowledged Jury Tampering—But It Didn’t Matter?

At the January 2024 hearing, Justice Toal ruled that Becky Hill was “not completely credible” and admitted misconduct—but determined that it “had no effect on the outcome” of the case. This despite overwhelming evidence from Myra Crosby, who stated in her book, Because Enough is Enough, that Hill allegedly tampered with her and other jurors. Including a fake Facebook post and an alleged scheme devised by social media influencers to have Christine Avery send a false statement about Crosby in conjunction with the fake Facebook post to have Crosby removed, allegedly because Crosby was the sympathetic juror who would cause a hung jury.

Crosby hasn’t been contacted by SLED concerning Becky Hill, a staggering omission in a case where jury integrity is at the center.

Murdaugh Appeal: Timeline of Inaction

Sept. 5, 2023: SLED opens investigation into Becky Hill (no visible movement since).
Fall 2023: Colt Hill arrested by SLED for wiretapping (no updates).
Nov. 7, 2024: Ethics hearing for Becky Hill postponed due to “pending criminal investigation.”
March 31, 2025: State files transcript request for Supreme Court appeal response.
April 9 or 10, 2025: Deadline for the State to file its official Supreme Court response.

Murdaugh Appeal: Unequal Justice: Targeting Some, Protecting Others

While Russell Laffitte and Corey Fleming sit in prison, and Alex Murdaugh sentenced to a staggering 40-year sentence for financial crimes, Becky Hill continues to evade the state.

The state of South Carolina has shown it can move fast: In a public corruption case announced on Feb. 26, 2025, eight individuals—including three North Charleston City Council members—were charged following a one-year investigation by SLED, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. SLED Chief Mark Keel stood proudly beside Acting U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews as the indictments were read aloud.

Yet, nearly two years into Becky Hill’s scandal? Nothing, nada, zero.

Murdaugh Appeal: What We Still Don’t Know—Because No One’s Investigated It

Who created the fake Facebook post used to remove Juror 785? Becky Hill said she read it on Friday February 24th, 2023 on Walterboro Word of Mouth, but when asked to produce it by Judge Newman, she could only come up with a Tim Stone post, who deleted said post on February 15th, 2023. How did Hill see a post on 2/24 that was deleted on 2/15?
Who sent the anonymous email that helped influence jury selection? Christine Avery admitted to sending said email, but many speculate that others wrote it and coached her how and when to send it.
Why hasn’t Myra Crosby, the juror who testified about Hill’s misconduct, been formally interviewed?
Why is SLED dragging its feet on jury tampering, while throwing the book at Murdaugh’s bankers?

Murdaugh Appeal: What Comes Next: 5 Days of Reckoning

With the transcript request now submitted, the clock is ticking toward an April 9–10 deadline. The Attorney General’s Office must now convince the Supreme Court that jury tampering doesn’t matter, that the verdict stands—even if the process was flawed, the jurors were influenced, and the state’s investigation has stalled.

If their defense relies on SLED’s performance—or Hill’s honesty—they may already be on shaky ground.

Murdaugh Appeal: Final Thought: A Case Built on Sand

Crime and Cask News Network was the first to break the news of Becky Hill’s surrogate investigation and the postponed hearing. We’ll be there as this unfolds—because if the State of South Carolina won’t seek justice for a tainted trial, someone must.

This isn’t just about Alex Murdaugh. It’s about a justice system willing to ignore jury tampering to protect a politically convenient conviction. And the truth is, if the process was broken—the outcome is, too.

Stay tuned. Because CC News Network isn’t going anywhere.

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