Alex Murdaugh Faces Uphill Battle for New Murder Trial as Judge Limits Permissible Evidence

Alex Murdaugh faces a steep uphill battle in his push for a new murder trial after a state judge on Tuesday limited witness questioning and set a high burden of proof surrounding accusations that the court clerk tampered with the jury during last year’s sensational proceedings. Even if Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers prove that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill told jurors not to believe his testimony and pressured them into reaching a guilty verdict, they must also demonstrate that doing so prejudiced them against Mr. Murdaugh, former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal ruled. Judge Toal also said she will not ask about other wide-ranging accusations of wrongdoing against Ms. Hill, including that the elected official misused public funds and plagiarized parts of her new book on the Murdaugh saga. Judge Toal took over the request for a new trial after the judge overseeing the case, Clifton Newman, recused himself late last year....