'Not even a question': Mark Geragos on court official tainting the Murdaugh jury | NewsNation Prime

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Indictment for murder. Verdict guilty.

[00:00:03]Signed by the four lady. Date 32 of 23.

[00:00:08]>> That was the verdict issued three years ago against Alex Murdoch. A powerful South Carolina attorney found guilty in the grizzly murders of his 52-year-old wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul. A jury finding that Alex shot and killed both of them in June of 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison. But just this week, those murder convictions against Murdoch overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court. The court's ruling centers on this woman, Becky Hill, a court clerk who later wrote a book about the trial. The defense alleging that she tampered with the jury during the trial, suggesting through her comments that Murdoch was guilty. The court agreed, ruling that Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, denying Murdoch his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury. the shocking reversal leading to this response from the South Carolina AG's office.

[00:01:02]>> Our office has always maintained and we've never disputed that the conduct Miss Hill engaged in was inappropriate.

[00:01:09]We have always maintained that the conduct was harmless error. Obviously, if you for those of you who watched the post-trial hearings, for those of you who um saw everything unfold in real time, there were many many many witnesses who uh testified that this I think 11 of the jurors testified um in in open court uh during that post-trial hearing that there that they did not believe that this affected their decision.

[00:01:32]>> And for more, we are joined by renowned criminal defense attorney Mark Geros tonight. Of course, you will remember he has represented many major figures in court including Sha Diddy Combmes, the Menendez brothers, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Colin Kaepernick, Hunter Biden, and more. Mark, always appreciate you coming on. And we just heard that clip where the prosecution called Becky Hill's involvement with the jury harmless. She did allegedly tell jurors not to believe Murdoch's testimony. She allegedly pressured them to make a quick decision on that verdict. Now, Murdoch's attorney was on Cuomo here on NewsNation this week. Let's take a listen quickly to what he had to say about Becky Hill.

[00:02:11]>> This jury was tainted. This jury was lobbyed. This jury had the second highest court official in the whole process back in the jury room outside everyone's presence telling the jury, "Don't believe the defense. Don't believe Alec Murdoch." And in so many words, he's guilty. Mark, in your opinion, did that that clerk taint the Murdoch jury or was this harmless behavior as the prosecution is saying?

[00:02:39]>> Well, I don't even think it's a question. In fact, I will tell you Natasha what always perplexed me about this. I thought given the relationship that you have between a trial judge and their clerk and I had all the from watching from afar, all the respect in the world for the trial judge who was presiding over this case. But I found it to be a rather heavy lift to have him find that the clerk who was working there uh kind of handed glove that he was going to find that she had acted inappropriately. They it took the uh intermediate court to order that the they do a hearing on this and think about what happened. the intermediate court ordered the former chief justice of the the South Carolina court to do a hearing and she wrote the most inexplicable opinion which was then reversed here by the full court itself because it's almost a no-brainer and for the AG to come out and say it was harmless. Can you imagine if you had sent it wouldn't be appealable because it would have been an acquitt. But can you imagine what that same prosecutor would have said if the defense had sent in a the clerk of the court to say, "Oh, he's telling the truth. The prosecution is lying." I mean, it's outrageous. It shouldn't happen. The South Carolina Supreme Court did the right thing. By the way, you didn't play in the clip something else the prosecutor said, which was that all options are on the table in terms of a retrial, including the death penalty. No, that that prosecutor needs to go back and read the law. That is not the law.

[00:04:24]>> Appreciate that clarification. And what do you think will happen here? Do you think the state can replicate that second guilty verdict, life in prison?

[00:04:31]Do you think there is momentum sitting firmly with the defense that they have a roadmap of exactly what the prosecution's case is going to be?

[00:04:38]>> I've had for many um years I've had this argument with prosecutors that I know. I personally think that for a good prosecutor and a good competent defense lawyer, a retrial is better for them.

[00:04:52]The witnesses have been locked into their stories. You know exactly where the prosecution's going. The only thing that throws a curveball into it is that you've got his sworn testimony and he's somewhat locked into that because it's always been my kind of motivation that it's a rare prosecution case uh or case for the defense that gets better after the prosecution rests. Meaning you don't want to have to put your client on. And I remember in real time, full disclosure, Dick Harput and I consider a friend and I remember the struggle that he and Jim Griffin had as to whether to put their client on. Because even if your client is absolutely 100% innocent, it doesn't mean they're going to perform well against an experienced prosecutor when they're sitting in a cement box every day and coming to court and they've got a prosecutor who's, you know, may have ate well last night, slept well last night, and has all of the creature comforts of their own home.

[00:05:53]>> Such an important insight. And Mark Geros, as always, thank you so much for your time.

[00:05:58]>> Natasha, great to see you. Have a great weekend.

[00:05:59]>> You, too. Thank you for watching.

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