SC Attorney General investigating Colleton clerk Becky Hill, 'potential public corruption'

New allegations of misconduct have been leveled against embattled Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, and now the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office has asked the South Carolina Attorney General and the State Grand Jury to take the lead in investigating.

Hill, who oversaw the Walterboro courthouse during convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial this spring and even read the guilty verdicts, was accused of jury tampering by Murdaugh's attorneys in September. Now, reports are surfacing that she is facing separate ethics allegations that involve possible misuse of her office and misuse of public money.

In light of these new developments, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone has asked the South Carolina State Grand Jury to take the lead on investigating these claims, which may also include allegations against Hill's son, former Colleton County Information Technology Director Jeffrey Colton Hill, who was arrested by state police Nov. 21 and charged with wiretapping.

It is unclear at this point if Jeffrey Hill's arrest is related to Becky Hill's case. The elder Hill, who has denied the jury tampering allegations, has not been formally charged with any crimes and remains in office pending the investigations. Her attorney, Justin Bamberg, did not offer comment on the latest accusations.

In a Nov. 28 letter to the S.C. Attorney General's Office, 14th Circuit Solicitor "Duffie" Stone stated that the Hill cases involved "potential public corruption in Colleton County" and asked the AG's Office to impanel the S.C. State Grand Jury to investigate the matters.

"These cases have been under review for several months by the Public Integrity Unit, a collaboration between the 14th and 1st Circuit Solicitors Offices, and the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division," Solicitor Stone said in a statement. "The state grand jury is an investigative body vested with powers county grand juries do not. Those include the ability to compel sworn testimony. This power can be helpful in investigations involving potential public corruption."

On Dec. 4, Attorney General Alan Wilson responded to Stone's request for a criminal investigation by letter, stating that the AG's office has "decided to assume jurisdictions for all prosecutorial actions related to these cases."

However, a spokesperson would not confirm the State Grand Jury's involvement.

"By law, State Grand Jury matters are secret unless and until it hands down an indictment, so we cannot comment on what the State Grand Jury may or may not be doing," said spokesman Robert Kittle.

The Hampton County Guardian has obtained unofficial copies of the ethics complaints that were reportedly filed June 28 with the S.C. Ethics Commission. However, such documents are typically sealed unless or until legal action is taken.

The complaints allege that Becky Hill misused public money in matters unrelated to the Murdaugh trial, and also allegedly misused her office and access as Clerk of Court to write and promote a book on the case, Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.

FITSNews of Columbia first reported the ethics complaints last week and they were discussed in-depth on Court TV and other media outlets this week.

Hill's attorneys have not publicly responded to the ethics claims, but Hill's co-author, Neil Gordon, has publicly denied many of them.

While it's not clear how the recent complaints might impact the jury tampering investigation, Murdaugh's attorneys have since filed a motion requesting a hearing and potentially a new murder trial.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: SC AG to investigate clerk Becky Hill, 'potential public corruption'