The son of the South Carolina court clerk accused of tampering with the jury that convicted Alex Murdaugh of murder has been arrested after allegedly listening to other people’s phone calls.
Colleton County Information Technology Director Jeffrey Colton Hill, 34, was arrested on Tuesday night and charged with wiretapping, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed to The Daily Beast. He was released from the Colleton County detention center hours later for $20,000, jail records state. A SLED spokesperson said the arrest is in tandem with the Public Integrity Unit of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which works on public corruption.
An arrest warrant affidavit for Hill states that on July 20, 2023, Hill “willfully and feloniously intercept[ed] electronic phone communications” between two people. Authorities say that Hill misused his county position to listen to the conversation between two people. Citing sources, The State reported that the call was between an alleged victim and a county official.
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“A search warrant was obtained for the phone records, which confirmed that the conversation was recorded by [an] IP address, which was assigned to [Hill’s] computer,” the affidavit states, adding that the participants of the call were not aware they were recorded. According to the Colleton County website, the technology department is responsible for all county computers and phones.
The Tuesday arrest comes just months after Hill’s mother, Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, was accused of tampering with the 12-person jury that convicted Murdaugh in March for murdering his wife and son. He was given two life sentences.
During the high-profile trial, Hill was responsible for several logistical matters, including handling the jury and delivering the verdict. Murdaugh’s defense team, however, alleges that Hill influenced the jury to convict Murdaugh and not believe his testimony during the trial. After the trial, Hill published a memoir, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, about her experience.
The court clerk has denied the allegations that are the crux of Murdaugh's defense team’s argument for a new trial. As a result of the motion for a new trial, the judge who presided over the case has recused himself from future hearings related to the murder trial.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office previously brushed off the allegations of wrongdoing, stating in a motion that SLED found “significant factual disputes” in the claims. Despite the prosecution’s pushback, the South Carolina Court of Appeals granted the hearing to discuss the tampering allegation.
Hill, his mother, and her legal team did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
